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On the heels of the program’s 500th career win, attention to the Panthers 3-0 start has been minimal at best, which adds to the chip on the shoulder this group plays with.
With a roster of just 32 players, the Panthers have a number of players playing on both sides of the ball, including sophomore defensive back/receiver Cade Smith.
The Salinas High graduate leads the team in tackles and interceptions and is second in receptions and touchdown catches.
Nathan Edeza has turned eight of his 17 tackles into losses for Hartnell, while linebackers Joey Moag and Kacey Mena combined for 13 tackles in last week’s win at De Anza.
Jhymir Pearson has been a dual threat for the Panthers, having rushed for 262 yards and caught a team high 10 passes for 138 yards.
Add his 145 yards in kickoff returns and the sophomore is averaging 181.1 multiple yards a game for the Panthers with a team high six touchdowns.
Spencer Gorgulho has been efficient at quarterback for Hartnell, completing 62 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and just one pick.
While the Panthers are averaging over 30 points a game, Merced has struggled to find its rhythm at 14.3 points contest. It has also given up 99 points over three games.
If you’re not a believer, there is still time to jump on board for what is becoming a magical ride.
Don’t let the numbers taint your vision. No one took into consideration the lunch pail attitude that Hartnell College plays with - or the Panthers’ heart.
Despite a roster that seems to shrink each week with injuries, the Panthers - with 31 strong finishing - are off to a 4-0 start, opening conference play Saturday with a 29-6 win over reigning American Golden Coast Conference tri-champion Merced.
“We’re the only ones that believe in us,” Hartnell coach Matt Collins said. “We talk about that. That’s our circle. We’ll show up and play four quarters of football and get what we can out of the guys we’ve got.”
Off to its second best start in Collins’ 17 seasons, the Panthers have already surpassed last year’s win total with arguably their best performance of the season.
“We didn’t have a great week of practice,” Collins said. “We were beat up from the prior week. The morale wasn’t great until the end of the week. But we had some juice before the game and we showed up.”
Having come from behind in each of their first three wins - which included a three-point win over Yuba and a four-point decision over De Anza, the Panthers never trailed against the Blue Devils.
Having suffered its worst loss since 2007 - Collins’ first season - in a 54-7 humbling by Merced last fall, a sense of redemption was on the mind of Collins and the sophomore that were back.
“We talked about that,” Collins said. “We have a group that went through that. It was tough to swallow that pill. It stung. It was an embarrassing loss. They (Merced) probably laughed about how bad they beat us last year.”
The Panthers physicality on defense set the tempo, while Cade Smith picked off his state-leading fifth pass of the season with an interception for the third straight game.
Smith, who came into the game leading the Panthers in tackles, and doubles as a receiver on offense, had recruited walk-on invitations this past year to Washington State and Nevada as a receiver.
“This only helps open more doors,” Collins said. “He (Smith) might be a safety at the next level. He comes downhill and shows up in the running game. He’s solid.”
The Salinas High graduate is still making an imprint on offense as well with a 61-yard touchdown catch from Adam Shaffer in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.
“We have a variety of guys that are unassuming on defense,” Collins said. “We understand who we are. We believe we are a pretty good football team.”
A filthy defense, anchored by Josh Martinez, Joey Moag and Kacey Mena, held the Blue Devils to two harmless field goals, as Hartnell held an opponent out of the end zone for the first time since Nov. 9, 2019.
“We’ll see some mistakes on film,” Collins said. “If we tightened it up, we can do even better going forward. I’m proud we kept them out of the end zone. It was a great day.
Jyhmir Pearson put together another big day running the ball for the Panthers, with 72 yards and a pair of touchdowns, giving him eight on the season.
The 5-foot-6 Gorgulho showed pocket presence and the willingness to absorb a hit, keeping a handful of drives alive on third down, while hitting Nathan Ortiz in stride for a 56-yard touchdown.
“He’s a tough gritty quarterback,” Collins said. “Take the conversation in size out. He does a great job of putting the ball in the throwing lanes. And Adam (Shaffer) is a horse when carrying the ball. He also looked good putting it in the air.” Gorgulho and Shaffer combined for 255 yards through the air, with Shaffer adding 57 yards on the ground. Smith and Ortiz both had over 90 receiving yards.
-John Devine
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5 сен 2024
