Daily Journal Football Player of the Year: Menlo School’s Sergio Beltran

Beltran went on to prove worthy of his teammates’ respect and admiration. In leading Menlo to a 12-1 record, he gained 4,680 total yards — 1,101 by ground and 3,579 by air — while breaking the CCS record with 52 touchdown passes on the year. By virtue of this, Beltran has also earned our publication’s respect as the Daily Journal Football Player of the Year.

“I did not expect this, being able to throw this many touchdowns,” Beltran said. “But I kind of knew last year that this team, we were going to score a lot. … I knew we were going to have success. I just didn’t know it was going to be at this level.”

It was impossible to predict what would transpire in 2021. Beltran had a topsy-turvy high school football career up to that point, missing as many games as he played. This, in part, was due to the 2020 pandemic season, during which Menlo managed playing five games on the shortened 2021 spring schedule. But he also missed his freshman season due to an injury, before finding his sea legs at the junior-varsity level as a sophomore.

Beltran’s confidence heading into his senior season, however, was well founded. Along with second-year head coach Todd Smith, the Menlo varsity coaching staff boasted offensive coordinator Austyn Carta-Samuels, a former CCS contender himself during his days quarterbacking at Bellarmine, before going on to a standout NCAA Division I career at Wyoming and Vanderbilt.

Carta-Samuels instilled a high-octane offense at Menlo — oftentimes a source of controversy for running up scores on opponents — but was also renowned for its ingenuity and inventiveness. Take Beltran’s 42nd touchdown pass of the season Oct. 29 at Carlmont. The 20-yard fade to receiver Tyler Flynn in the corner of the end zone broke the CCS regular-season touchdown record was a play Carta-Samuels drew up in the midst of the second-quarter scoring drive.

“He could make up plays for us on the spot,” Beltran said. “It was a very flexible offensive system. … He kind of saw something that he could take advantage of, and it worked perfectly. So, we all trusted him.”

Menlo’s recurrent aerial attack was a strategy begging to be instituted this season. Not only did the Knights have a quarterback in Beltran with a strong arm, a discerning football IQ, and a knack for always placing throws in precisely the right spot, the team was particularly deep in its receiving corps, giving Beltran a superfluous array of targets. The spoils of riches were highlighted by 6-1 senior wide out Carter Jung, Beltran’s favorite target.

Here’s some interesting inside baseball about Menlo football. Four years ago, when this season’s crop of seniors arrived on campus, Jung did not initially gravitate toward the gridiron. Previous to high school, Jung had played some flag football, but making the leap to tackle football was nearly a bridge too far.

That’s when the then-freshman Beltran made perhaps his first MVP move for the Menlo program. He set out to convince not only Jung, but Ben Banatao — who would become another consistent receiving target as a senior in 2021 — as well.

“I remember heading into high school just trying to convince my friends all to play high school football,” Beltran said. “Especially at a small school like Menlo, we have to get guys to play to have enough numbers.”

Beltran, himself, already had a wealth of playing experience. He started playing Pop Warner Youth Football in the fourth grade with the Redwood City 49ers, and immediately gravitated toward quarterback. He wasn’t “the man” on those RWC 49ers teams, he said. That honor he defers to standout Malakai Hoeft, who was a senior force at Serra this season.

But as his teammates pointed out during that preseason day in 2021, Beltran was certainly “the guy” this season. And it was a responsibility he was happy to shoulder.

“I feel like a lot of times, clutch plays, I can deliver for my team when we need them,” Beltran said. “I feel like we all have that factor … but if they need me to be that guy, I can be that guy.

Beltran proved his mettle time and again, with his legs as well as his arm. While Menlo didn’t have nearly as many running plays in its playbook as passing plays, the Knights only had four basic rushing plays designed for running backs. All the other ground yards were left to Beltran, who kept secondaries honest with his persistent running legs.

This was just more of an opportunity to be “the guy.”

“I kind of like pressure,” Beltran said. “Just being able to perform when everyone is watching you, I feel I do a good job of that. And I feel honored my team trusts me like that, because I know I can provide for them.”

The pressure only magnified in the postseason. And this only helped to sharpen Beltran’s already historic performance.

The regular season ended with a playoff atmosphere, with Menlo outdueling neighboring Sacred Heart Prep in an 18-15 thriller of a Valpo Bowl rivalry game. It was the first time in five years the Knights defeated their archrival. It also cemented a perfect 10-0 record through the regular-season slate, making the 2021 Knights the first team in program history to finish the regular season undefeated.

Then came the march to the CCS Division II championship game. In the Nov. 13 postseason opener at Cartan Field, Menlo dismantled Half Moon Bay for a 47-28 victory. Beltran threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more in that game. Then in the CCS semifinals, the Knights won a shootout 44-35 at San Benito-Hollister, with Beltran throwing for three TDs, breaking the overall CCS record for touchdown passes in a single season with a 63-yard scoring pass to Sam Scola. 

The semifinal performance also produced Beltran’s favorite highlight of the year, a wild rollout that showcased the hybrid weapon that is his combination of running legs and throwing arm. During a wild back-and-forth scoring affair, Menlo was clinging to a 37-35 lead and was faced with third-and-long. Beltran dropped back and was forced to scramble left but couldn’t find an open receiver. So, he spun around and rolled to the right, toward the Menlo sideline, where he spotted junior Charlie King 20 yards downfield.

“I just remember watching the film and hearing the sideline going crazy when I was scrambling out of the pocket,” Beltran said.

Beltran hit King for the first down. On the following play, Beltran delivered a 30-yard scoring pass to Scola to all but seal the Knights’ trip to the CCS championship game.

Menlo’s fourth all-time CCS title finale ended in a 54-20 loss to Wilcox-San Jose, leaving the Knights with an unrequited 0-4 record in section championship games. But the stamp Beltran left on the Menlo football program, and the CCS record book — after a long season with a grueling workload — was like no other.

“Yeah, I was exhausted,” Beltran said. “But, also, I knew that I gave it my all. So, it was a really happy exhaust.”