Half Moon Bay dropped by Salinas in lopsided 2021 football opener

HMB head coach Keith Holden was forced out of action due to coronavirus protocols and was not on the sideline Friday. So, Breen Hofmann and Willie Hillyard shared the coaching duties. Not that Coach Hofmann was glowing about the assignment after the lopsided loss with the Salinas defense wreaking havoc from the outset.

“They got a lot of push, they sent a lot of pressure, and they were getting after us right away,” Hofmann said. “They didn’t let us get into any kind of rhythm in the option, which, you’ve kind of got to find your rhythm a little bit. We got bullied up front, which, we can’t let that happen. And that just throws everything. If you’re backing up into the quarterback when he’s trying to do his thing, he has no room to do anything.”

Even before the kickoff, the game was being played under the shroud of not just coronavirus — Holden came into contact with someone who tested positive, Hofmann said — and also with a haze of ashy fog hanging over the Pacific in the distance.

But the largest shadow was cast by the venue change from Salinas to Half Moon Bay due to a scandal involving a racist video posted on social media from the Salinas Football Jamboree causing suspensions of three Salinas students. The venue was switched to Half Moon Bay as not to invite any more attention to the Salinas campus, according to HMB principal John Nazar.

The Salinas football machine would not be slowed, however, and junior linebacker Aidan Flynn led the way.

“He’s a pretty good linebacker, for sure,” Half Moon Bay running back PJ Modena said. “He was breaking through that line and stuff. We tried to keep up, but it was one hell of a game, that’s for sure.”

In his second varsity season, Flynn’s imposing size menaced the Half Moon Bay backfield from the outset, putting a stop to the triple-read option on the opening series.

“I think we just kept pushing out on the outside which left us open, and then vice versa,” Flynn said. “We just kept pushing on the inside which left our outside linebackers out. We just found gaps and tried to get in the backfield.”

Salinas opened the opened the season with a bang as senior Isaiah Duarte returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown.

But then the chess match started with both Salinas and HMB trading turnovers-on-downs over the next three possessions. Half Moon Bay opened with a three-and-out, and the Cougars defense responded by forcing one of their own. But the second time the HMB offense took the field, it was forced prematurely into its jumbo package in an attempt to move the ball.

The shift to the jumbo offense also forced a key personnel change, with senior Quinn McCauley moving from guard to running back. It paid dividends as McCauley would go on to 13 times for 88 yards on the night.

Modena was the biggest gainer for the Cougars, though. In his first varsity start, the junior carried 17 times for 179 yards, including a big 90-yard gallop near the end of the first half.

“PJ is fantastic,” Hofmann said. “He’s very dynamic. We know we want to use him, but we do worry about him as far as this is a step up for him. But he’s dynamic. He’s a big-play guy for us, for sure.”

By that time, though, all the Cougars could do was cut into the Salinas lead at 21-7. Salinas had just finished scoring twice within a minute. Quarterback Adam Shaffer connected with Emmerson Cortez for a 38-yard score with 2:19 to go in the half to make it 13-0. Then after an interception in HMB territory, Salinas scored again when Shaffer connected with Nyziah Hunter for a 38-yard fade over the middle to make it 21-0.

Shaffer was 20 of 24 passing for 312 yards on the night.

“They played great,” HMB quarterback William Moffitt said. “They came out hard. We knew they just came hard off the ball. They played hard. They didn’t stop until the final whistle. They’re a great team.”

Moffitt gave a tireless performance. He was on the field all night, playing as a kick returner on special teams, as well as stepping into defensive back duties due to HMB’s diminished depth.

“It’s not ideal,” Hofmann said. “We don’t like to do that, but we got really banged up. We were down to the nitty gritty. He was supposed to be really like the last resort playing secondary for us … but he wants to. He’s a quarterback, so we’ve got to rein him in. We don’t want him getting dinged up.”

But Modena’s performance was the highlight of the night for the Cougars. His 90-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half was a spectacle as he bounced off left tackle and nearly lost his feet, only to stumble into a sudden acceleration and fly past the last tier of Salinas defenders.

“It was just a crazy play,” Modena said. “I mean, I’ve got the big dogs blocking for me … and I was able to make a breakaway and get that touchdown.”

HMB and Salinas traded touchdowns in the third quarter. Salinas running back Juan Acevedo (16 carries for 96 yards) blasted in for a 1-yard score on Salinas’ opening possession of the half. HMB answer with Moffitt hitting junior tight end Kai Zanette for a 28-yard score to make it 28-14.

But Salinas responded with a 10-play, 75-yard march, capped by a 5-yard scoring run from Acevedo. Salinas added another score on a 1-yard keep by Shaffer midway through the fourth quarter. HMB answered back with a 9-yard TD run by Moffitt for the final score of the night.

“Their tempo is so quick on offense that defensively we were getting gassed,” Hofmann said. “And then, our guys go both ways a lot, so it carries over.”