Monte Vista Monarchs 21, Crawford Colts 14

      Friday night the Monte Vista Monarchs notched their first win of the season with a 21-14 victory over the Crawford Colts.

     If you happened to be at the game in Spring Valley you heard one thing over and over. Jardim, as in Jaccob Jardim the Monarchs running back. The offensive game plan was to feed the Monarch backs all night. Early in the first quarter a Jardim run set up his teammate Agape Kyle to put the Monarchs up 7-0 on a TD run.

     After a series of turnovers by both teams resulting in no points, Crawford finally took the games reins and put together a nice drive. Colts quarterback Santos Perez let his workhorse out of the backfield Eric McDuffy take over. McDuffy took a hand off from the 9-yard line and bulled his way into the end zone to knot the game at 7-7 midway through the second quarter. Moving the ball via the ground game as well, the Monarchs put themselves in prime scoring position. But, as the drive moved into the red zone they turned the ball over when Crawford intercepted the ball at the 3-yard line leaving it tied at half.

     In the third quarter the running game again began to propel the Colts down the field. This time it was Sharif Sharif who put Crawford within striking distance of going up in the game. As the drive approached the Monarchs 34-yard line they again encountered a fourth down and manageable, which they elected to go for as they had several times already in the game. This time they were stopped however, and turned the ball over in what could have unlocked a scoreless tie since the second quarter.The turnover on downs motivated not only the defense but also the Monarch offense as they marched down the field and took a 14-7 lead on a Jaccob Jardim TD run.

     The fourth quarter brought the culmination to a quickly played fast pace game on both side. The Monarchs thought they had pulled away for good on a rushing TD from Agape Kyle to balloon their lead to 21-7. As they took that thought on the field to lineup for the ensuing kickoff, Eric McDuffy back deep for the Colts had different thoughts. McDuffy fielded the knuckling kickoff and took it 74-yards to pay dirt to make it a single possession game with under 2 minutes left. The Colts could not land on the onside kick though, and a Monarch first down with lack of time outs saw Crawford fall to (3-2) on the season while Monte Vista gets their first W to move to (1-4).

     Next week the Monarchs will host the Kearny Comets, as the Colts will go to the South Bay to face the Southwest High School Raiders.

PREVIEW:

     Colts football is officially back at Crawford High School. Only one season removed from a 12-1 record, the Colts are off to a 3-1 record in their 2015 campaign. While their opponent this Friday night, the Monte Vista Monarchs have sputtered out of the gate to a 0-4 start after back to back winning seasons under coach Ron Hamamoto.

     After the loss of the dream of an undefeated season escaped Crawford last week following their 42-14 loss to La Jolla Country Day, the Colts must now look forward to the Monarchs. The Colts have to get back to their identity, the one which achieved them a 3-0 start.

     It is no secret Crawford is a run-heavy offense, so much so that the offense has found the end zone via the passing game only twice all season. It is not lack of talent in the passing game, but rather a strong four-headed monster out of the backfield. The workhorse is without a doubt Eric McDuffy, who flaunts a 6.8 yards per carry average and has racked up 396-yards and 3 TD’s while sharing the backfield with three other backs. Raymond Gabriel who also shares carries with McDuffy accounted for 18 carries 80-yards and a TD last week against the LJCD Torreys who handed the Colts their first loss of the season. Gabriel has not only shown prowess on the offensive side, but on the other side of the ball as well. Accumulating 26 tackles (9 for a loss of yards), more than half the teams total sacks (4.5), and a fumble return for a TD, look for Raymond Gabriel to make his presence known in the middle of the Crawford defense.

     Coach Ron Hamamoto had a rough start to the season even before the years first game kicked off. Dealing with detrimental injuries to key players as well as transfers, Hamamoto has had to shift players around, plug holes, and be creative with his team. As of now, the Monarchs have yet to hit their stride while dealing with the adversity of the off season. After a 47-0 loss to their cross-town rival Mt. Miguel Matadors, the Monarchs dropped to 0-4. In Week 1 against Hoover, the Monarch offense looked as if it would be formidable putting up 26 points against a good Cardinal defense. Since however, the offense has only managed to score 7 points in the last three games. If the Monarchs are going to achieve their first win this Friday, the offense has to show more of what it did in Week 1 against Hoover. If the offense does not step up, it could be rough going for the Monarchs as their defense has yet to hold a team under 37 points all season. The Monte Vista defense must adjust to the change of pace running back system the Colts have in place and force them to pass the ball, which they would prefer not to do as evidenced by only 24 passing attempts in four games played.

     Tune into the KUSI Prep Pigskin Report this Friday night at 10:30 pm for this games highlights in addition to the coverage of all the other games in San Diego County.