A new era under Zach Hewett officially began last week as the Aptos High football team took the practice field for the first time this season.
Prior to taking the helm, the 39-year-old head coach knew there wasn’t going to be much of a change.
For starters, Hewett will continue to operate under the Wing-T offense and be the team that controls the ball with a fierce rushing attack. And he won’t be shy from mixing things up because the passing game looks good, so far.
However, he did mention they don’t plan to stray too far from a winning formula.
A winning formula that former coach Randy Blankenship brought with him in 2010, and later resulted in four Central Coast Section titles from 2013-15 and most recently in 2018.
Hewett said the Wing-T offense that Blankenship instilled fits their smaller population well. It has allowed Aptos to compete against schools in the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division with much higher enrollments.
Blankenship is now retired from coaching after spending 50 years on the sideline. And the Mariners are missing a large portion of their scoring with the departure of Jordan Torres, Lawrence Ingram IV, Matt Hood and Jasiah McKenzie who combined for 33 total touchdowns in 2023.
Aptos last season finished with a 2-8 overall record, and went 1-5 in Gabilan Division action. They’ll return to the same division with the likes of Alvarez, Hollister, Monterey, league champion Salinas, and California Interscholastic Federation state champions Palma and Soquel.
But no need to panic.
“We think we’ll be pretty good,” Hewett said in an email to The Pajaronian. “Most important thing to me is to get better every week in the first year of a new scheme.”
Ryan Solorio is a three-year varsity player who can play at split end, defensive back and at times quarterback. He is dangerous in the open field and almost impossible to tackle 1-on-1 in space.
“Intense competitor, three-sport athlete in a time where that’s very uncommon,” Hewett said.
Another key returner is junior DeSean Gomez, who finished with 368 yards rushing on 79 carries and four touchdowns in 2023. He is currently the fastest player in the program after starting last season at fullback.
“[Gomez is] stronger, faster, more experienced than last season, [a] threat for a home run every time he gets the ball,” Hewett said.
Junior quarterback Josh Bermio was named the starter but Solorio will play a role in the passing game, as well. Hewett said both players offer unique skill sets that give the Mariners interesting ways to threaten opposing defenses.
Bermio has a talented arm and continues to build great chemistry with both Solorio and Moises Torres—another talented player on both sides.
Bermio can be aggressive with the ball and he wants to make big plays, which works well with Aptos’ play action game. He’s also unbelievable with fake snaps and had three inadvertent whistles last year at the junior varsity level where he faked out the referees.
The offensive line will be anchored by three-year varsity starter Logan Brantley, a senior, who is incredibly athletic for his size. In 2013, he earned All-PCAL First Team honors.
Brantley—a school record holder in the shot put—is currently penciled in at the center position. He had been waiting throughout the entire offseason to get back on the field in what he’s calling a season for reclamation.
Aptos was tri-champion of the Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division crown with Salinas and Palma high in 2022. Prior to that, it’s been seven years since the Mariners captured a league title outright when they won the Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League in 2016.
“I think it’s gonna take a lot of strong leadership from the top leaders in our team, and to really get everyone, all the juniors and the sophomores, to get up and get ready for the season to get to taste that varsity life,” Brantley said.
Aptos’ defense will mostly be in a 3-4 scheme. But with the variety of offenses in high school football, Hewett said being somewhat multiple is a necessity.
Hewett believes they have the right tools starting with some nice size on the defensive line that is both fast and smart on the field. The Mariners also have experience at the secondary positions, and a group of linebackers that really love to tackle.
Senior middle linebacker Nate Garcia is stoked to see the aggressiveness of this year’s group, which was something he said they lacked in 2023.
Garcia and most of his teammates hit the weight room hard during the offseason, but he mentioned there’s more to that if they want to turn it around.
“[It’s] just both sides firing on the ball, offense and defense at the same time,” he said. “It was a very one-sided team last year. It was either offense firing or defense firing. I think this year that we need both offense and defense working together.”
Senior defensive lineman Felix Valencia has an unbelievable motor and energy that raises the level of competition everywhere he goes. On top of that, Hewett called Valencia a tremendous teammate and leader with an infectious smile that keeps the team going.
“If we had 11 of him we would never lose a game,” Hewett said.
Casey MacConnell is arguably the best all-around athlete in the football program. He is coming off a fantastic track and field 2024 spring season where he competed in the 100 and 200-meters, and both the high and long jump events.
MacConnell, will play safety and running back. He is expected to be a difference maker on both sides of the ball.
“I think we’re pretty bonded, and I think that we have a good chance to go far because we all work very hard,” he said.
Senior Damian Suchil will use his speed and athleticism to be a big part of Hewett’s gameplans each week, while junior Everett ‘Buck’ Caris has tremendous potential at inside linebacker.
So far, Caris has made the offense work hard because he’s constantly making plays during practice.
“I’m excited. I’ve been looking forward to it,” he said. “We have good chemistry together. We have fun, we make practice fun.”
But all jokes aside, Caris feels a lot more comfortable with the defensive concepts and believes this year’s group is hungry for success.
“I don’t think it’s going to take good athletes, per say,” Caris said. “Everyone needs to be wanting it. I know any team doesn’t need good gear, if they want it enough then they will get it. And you gotta hit hard, that’s the main thing. You hit hard, other teams will just totally shut down.”
Aptos High 2024 football schedule
Aug. 29: The Kings Academy, 7:30pm
Sept. 6: Mitty, 7:30pm
Sept. 13: at Watsonville, 7:30pm
Sept. 19: Seaside, 7:30pm
Sept. 27: Hollister*, 7:30pm
Oct. 4: Monterey*, 7:30pm
Oct. 11: vs. Palma*, at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas, 7:30pm
Oct. 18: Salinas*, 7:30pm
Oct. 24: at Alvarez*, 7:30pm
Nov. 8: at Soquel*, 7:30pm
*PCAL Gabilan Division game
