EL CENTRO – There was a feeling by the players that exited the chartered buses from Mt. Carmel that an upset might take place at Cal Jones Field on Friday night… although not in their minds. Senior wide receiver Hunter Ledesma knew right when he got off the bus that tonight would be their night.
Mt. Carmel, spurred on by their up-tempo offense and inconsistent play on the other sideline, would come on the road and win their season opener over IVL powerhouse Central, 33-17.
This game, which was a rematch of a playoff game back in 2019 (Central won 46-38), seemed to be a great matchup on paper. Central came in ranked at #6 in the San Diego Section Division II while the Sundevils were #4 in Division III.
“That’s why we scheduled this game,” said Mt. Carmel head coach Drew Westling. “It was such a classic two years ago. It’s always a great atmosphere [coming to play at Central] and playing a championship-caliber team.”
Both teams began the game feeling each other out, both respecting the explosiveness of each offense. Central moved the ball in Sundevil territory but were stopped twice on downs in the 1st quarter. That opened the door for Mt. Carmel, who drew first blood late in the first quarter with a 12-yard TD run by quarterback Cayden Gent.
After an errant snap on a punt that would result in a safety for the Spartans, Mt. Carmel regained possession and would reach the endzone again, this time a 20-yard strike from Gent to Connor Bananal to cap off the drive. Jayden Virgin would run the two-point conversion to increase the Sundevils lead, 14-2.
Central, who struggled throwing the ball in the 1st quarter, made a switch at quarterback midway through the 2nd quarter; putting in Hayden Hernandez in place of starter Damian Rodriguez. The move shot life back into the Spartan offense on Hernandez’s 3rd play when he connected with Gavin Marini who took the potential short gain 87 yards to the house, igniting a thunderous roar from the Spartan faithful.
With momentum on their side as halftime approached, Central punted the ball back to Mt. Carmel with just under a minute remaining. Gent would lead the Sundevils 55 yards down the field, which included an amazing one-handed catch by Virgin 30 yards down the field that would set up the eventual score by Luke Sevier off an 8-yard reception from Gent, increasing Mt. Carmel’s lead to 11 at the half.
“It all starts with Cayden [Gent]. He’s a true dual-threat guy. He’s a tremendous athlete. We try to manage his skill set so that he can have the most success possible on the field,” said Westling.
Neither of Central’s quarterbacks could get into the rhythm of the offense in the 2nd half, both going through strings of incomplete passes that would halt any momentum the Spartans may have had.
Central looked to get back into things after a 4th down stop, but a costly targeting penalty by the Spartans spurred the Sundevil offense as they drove down the field for another touchdown with Gent finding Bananal again with a simple dump pass. A botched extra point would keep the score at 26-9.
Charlie Sullivan would break through with the lone offensive score for the Spartans, taking it in from 13 yards out with just under a minute remaining in the 3rd quarter. A blocked PAT attempt would keep the deficit at 11 for the Spartans.
After yet another score by Mt. Carmel, this time a keeper from Gent who took it in himself from 7 yards out, both teams looked content on running out the remainder of the clock. A safety by Mt. Carmel would give us our final score, 33-17.
“We knew we were in a dog fight coming to play Central on the road,” said Mt. Carmel senior wide receiver Hunter Ledesma, who finished the game with 6 catches for 48 yards receiving. “They’re tough and playing in this heat was another challenge our team had to overcome.”
The Spartans were led by two quarterbacks [Damian Rodriguez and Hayden Hernandez] who threw for a combined 268 yards through the air. Charlie Sullivan rushed for 86 yards on 13 carries with one rushing score. Gavin Marini snagged 4 passes for 117 yards receiving, including a 87-yard TD.
Central head coach David “Rookie” Peña said that errors made in this game will lead to a more improved Spartans team in the coming weeks.
“We made a lot of mistakes [on offense]. Our receiver corps is really young but we can’t make little mistakes against good teams and expect to win,” said Peña. “We need to keep learning, keep growing as a team and playing within our system.”
The Spartans (0-1) will face some of the stiffest competition of their season as they head on the road for their next three games. They will face off against Point Loma, Palm Desert and Vista, all of whom are ranked in the top 10 of their respective divisions.
“We looked forward to challenges here at Central. We’re in Division II this season so we have to continue playing tough opponents week in week out,” said Peña.
