SALINAS VALLEY — The summer seven-on-seven football season ended for South Monterey County high schools last Wednesday at Dick Force Stadium in Gonzales and at the Carmel 7 on 7 Tournament on Saturday.
Teams will now observe “Dead Week” before returning to the practice fields in preparation for the regular football season.
“For us, we got some good work in and saw where we need to improve,” said King City Mustangs head coach Mac Villanueva. “At Carmel on Saturday, we applied what we needed to fix from our South County 7’s and had a really good showing against some good teams. We have Dead Week next week, so we can’t do anything. The week after that is a limited Dead Week, so we will lift weights and condition until the first official day, which will be on Friday, Aug. 6.”
Greenfield High participated in the seven-on-seven games at Gonzales and traveled to Santa Cruz County for another tournament on Saturday.
“We competed in our South County 7’s along with a tournament at Harbor High School,” said Greenfield Bruins head coach Adam Barsenas. “This group of players is the furthest along when it comes to knowing the scheme and understanding what’s expected of them. I’m extremely proud of them, as they have been working hard all summer.”
At Soledad High, first-year Aztecs head coach Jose Martinez enjoyed the seven-on-seven competitions and wants his team to be ready to prepare for the rest of the season.
“Seven-on-seven was fun, but like we all know, it doesn’t define anything,” Martinez said. “It was a confidence builder for us for sure. It took us a while to find our tempo, but we found it and were able to compete at a high level. After Dead Week, we are fully focused on getting ready for 11-man football.”
First-year Gonzales Spartans head coach Eddie Ramirez was pleased with his team’s efforts during the seven-on-seven games and is glad to have put his coaching staff together for the regular season.
“Sevens was great,” Ramirez said. “We competed well, found things to fix, and got better as a result. I am happy where we’re at. After Dead Week, we will hand out gear and start practicing with pads. The initial focus will be acclimating everyone to the equipment and getting our game plan and personnel staff set for the jamboree. I think our staff is as set as it is going to be. I have four position coaches and three assistants for both levels, so we’re going to be doing double duty.”
