Game of the Week: Palma and Carmel set for scoring display and more from week seven

Believe it or not, football season is halfway finished. The next five weeks will decide who plays well into November for prep high school football. 

Last week gave us a far more interesting week than anticipated between Everett Alvarez keeping close with Salinas and Palma's junior varsity squad taking the spotlight for homecoming. 

This week brings yet another round of intriguing matchups. Here's what's on offer for week seven in Salinas-area high school football:

GAME OF THE WEEK: Carmel (4-2, 2-1) at Palma (3-2, 1-1) 7:30 p.m. at Rabobank Stadium

With the homecoming and alumni festivities completed last Friday, it'll be good for the varsity Chieftains squad to get back on the field Friday against a Carmel team that doesn't look out of place in the toughest league in the area.

The extra week off before a home game against Carmel will be good for preparation's sake, as the Padres figure to be no easy outing Friday night.

The opponent: The Padres lit up defenses last season to the clip of 43.3 points per game and haven't slowed down at all this fall. They've averaged 38 points per game in 2019, highlighted by a season-high 61 points on the road against Templeton.

Quarterback Kai Lee's cooled off from his 30-touchdown season last year but is still one of the best quarterbacks in the area, throwing for 1,485 yards and 12 touchdowns in six games.

Highlight-reel-in-cleats Dakota Mornhinweg is one of the most dangerous open-field players in the county. The senior running back has 859 yards (616 rushing, 243 receiving) on just 107 touches with 15 touchdowns through the season so far.

Yet, the game when the Padres put up 61 points was actually a loss. The defense gave up 69 points to Templeton, and last week against an offense similar to Palma's in its ground attack approach (Aptos) gave up 35 points in a loss.

This could come down to who has the ball last. Palma quarterback Luke Rossi has shown some flashes early in the season and, with the way the Padres give up points, could have a confidence-boosting game midway through the first season of his young career.

Best matchup: Mornhinweg vs. Palma's linebackers. Lee and wideouts Benicio Cristofalo and J.T. Byrne are a challenge but this offense is sparked by Mornhinweg.

Chieftains linebackers Brent Eastman, Dane Golden, Matthew Isais and Guy Bessey will have their hands full keeping him contained. 

In two of the three games Carmel has ever lost with Mornhinweg as a prominent starter, the running back was limited to 63 total yards on average. Palma has the size and speed to stop him; whether or not they will could decide the outcome of this one.

X-Factor: Palma athlete Jon Jon Berring. Berring does a lot for the Chieftains, lining up at wide receiver, running back, defensive back and returner, and given how high-scoring this game could get, they'll need as much from him as possible. 

OTHER GAMES THIS WEEK

Soledad (2-3, 0-1) at North Salinas (0-6, 0-2), Thursday 7 p.m. at Rabobank Stadium

Credit to the Vikings for hanging in with undefeated Seaside last week on the road. A 28-14 loss to a division frontrunner is respectable and they'll have an easier opponent to take on this week before a bye. 

The Aztecs kept it close in their division opener against Monte Vista Christian last week, losing 28-21, but managed just 10 points over the two games prior to that. Against a Gonzales team that eked out a 14-13 win over the Vikings, Soledad lost 14-10. 

Soledad's struggled containing potent ground attacks like that of Monte Vista Christian and Righetti (Santa Maria) so this could be a time for Vikings running back Isaiah Orozco to come up big. 

Christopher (1-5, 1-2) at Salinas (5-1, 3-0), Friday 7:30 p.m. at The Pit

It's homecoming week for the Cowboys and they'll have a chance to put on a show for an enthusiastic crowd. The visiting Cougars have yet to win a game this fall, as their only victory is a forfeit from the Gilroy game later this season, and were torched for 583 yards two weeks ago by the potent Carmel offense.

After last week's close call against Everett Alvarez, the Cowboys are in a spot for a big win to cast aside any doubt leading into the crucial final weeks of the season. There's no easy win left on the division schedule with road games against Carmel, San Benito and Aptos left on the docket.

Everett Alvarez (3-2, 1-1) at Aptos (3-3, 2-1), Friday 7:30 p.m. at Aptos High School 

After a close loss to Salinas last week, Everett Alvarez looks in good position to contend with a team as run-heavy as they are this week in the Aptos Mariners. The Eagles catch Aptos after the Mariners lost to San Benito for the first time since the league realignment three years ago and barely got by Carmel 35-34 last week.

The Mariners' Wing-T offense uses multiple running backs, much like the Eagles' does, to wear down defenses and keep opposing offenses off the field.

The Eagles have a size advantage on their offensive line and look for them to exploit that and open up holes for touchdown machine Braden Arriaga-Lopez.

SALINAS CITY RANKINGS

1. Salinas (5-1, 3-0): Final week before it's go time in the PCAL—Gabilan. Homecoming should be a breeze.

2. Palma (3-2, 1-1): The extra week off should help with a new challenge this week in division newcomer against Carmel.

3. Everett Alvarez (3-2, 1-1): Confidence and an Aptos team looking far less dangerous than usual could help the Eagles pull an upset this week.

4. Alisal (3-3, 2-0): The bye feels a lot better fresh off consecutive double-digit wins. They'll be back on the field next week at Monte Vista Christian.

5. North Salinas (0-6, 0-2): Thursday's game is a great chance for the Vikings to bank a win before their late bye week.

Ayrton Ostly peruses Twitter, fields, courts and tracks throughout Salinas looking for stories from the community. Have a tip? Drop an email to aostly@thecalifornian.com and subscribe for full access to all of The Californian's local news coverage.