Dennis Taylor , The Salinas Californian
If Palma’s opponent in Friday night’s 7:30 p.m. Northern California bowl game at Rabobank Stadium is able to do its thing – fill the night sky with footballs – it could be a problematic night for the Chieftains.
Campolindo (10-3), the Moraga-based school that won California’s North Coast Section Division II championship for a third straight year, will arrive with an offense that relies heavily on the strong arm of 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior quarterback Jacob Westphal, who has bombed opposing defenses for 2,831 yards, completing 175-of-290 passes, connecting for 20 touchdowns, while being intercepted just four times all year.
For the Chieftains (10-3), a victory could depend largely on how much pressure they can apply on Westphal, how closely their secondary can shadow his receivers, and – maybe most-important of all – whether they can limit the amount of time Campolindo’s offense spends on the field.
Palma has the capability to accomplish all three of those objectives, beginning with its own offensive strength, which is the record-breaking running prowess of tailback Emilio Martinez.
The breakaway speed of the spectacular senior not only provides Palma with the ability to score from anywhere on the field, but also enables the Chieftains to grind out yardage and take time off the clock while keeping Westphal and company on the sidelines.
Martinez enters the contest with 2,279 yards on 267 carries (8.5 per attempt), and 36 touchdowns – numbers that become more astonishing considering Martinez usually sat out the fourth quarter of a lopsided game.
He also has saved his best performances for the playoffs, rushing for 212 yards in Palma’s 14-10 loss to Valley Christian in the Central Coast Section Open Division III championship game, 305 (with five touchdowns) in a 40-14 semifinals win over Live Oak, and 308 (with six TDs) in a 55-27 first-round blowout of Saratoga.
When Westphal is on the field, he uses a multitude of receivers, the most-explosive of which is junior wide receiver Vince Mossotti, who has averaged 26.8 yards this season on 37 receptions. Another wideout, John Torchio, has 29 catches for 488 yards (16.8 per reception). Torchio also is the backup quarterback, and has been known to throw the football after receiving lateral passes from Westphal in the flat.
Three other receives have at least 27 catches, a problem that probably represents a busy night for Palma’s secondary, which is led by safeties Kevin Telford, Tristan Wahl, and cornerback Liam Short.
That places added responsibility on the Chieftains’ pass rushers, including Michael Zaragoza and Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division MVP Drew Dalman, who have combined for 15 sacks.
The loss to Valley Christian snapped a 10-game winning streak for Palma, which opened the season with back-to-back losses against Sutter and St. Francis.
Campolindo dropped its season opener 21-7 to Valley Christian, was beaten 28-21 by Oakdale on the fourth weekend of the year, and fell 50-15 to Clayton Valley Charter on Nov. 4. The Cougars bring a three-game winning streak to Salinas, including last week’s 40-20 conquest of Windsor in the North Coast Section Division III championship.
Read Full Article Here: http://www.thecalifornian.com/story/sports/2016/12/05/chieftains-face-problems-cougars-passing-attack/95014860/