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SPRING VALLEY — The 64th team in a 64-team field, the Monte Vista High School football team was in the San Diego Section playoffs … barely.
And then they weren’t.
A San Diego Section rule guarantees league champions a spot in the playoff despite their record or ranking.
So Mar Vista, at 4-6 and carrying a ranking of 78th in the San Diego Section, was in for running the table in the Metro Pacific League. And Monte Vista at 5-5 was devastatingly out.
Not so quick!
Rancho Buena Vista, ranked No. 60, which finished the season 1-9, opted out of the playoffs.
Welcome back, Monarchs. Hope you don’t stink it up too bad as the last team in.
“We’re better than people gave us credit (for),” said Monte Vista star running back Alexander Villanueva.
And Monte Vista has proven that in Division 5.
Playing every playoff game on the road, the Monarchs upset No. 5 Fallbrook (34-33) in the opening round, edged No. 4 Hoover (47-46) in the quarterfinals and then stunned No. 1-seeded Vista (34-14) in the semifinals.
Kickoff is scheduled for noon.
“I think we got people’s attention when we beat the No. 1 seed,” Villanueva said. “We wanted to show we could compete. Beyond that, we wanted to show we could do more than compete. We wanted to show we could beat good teams.”
Monarchs junior wide receiver/defensive back Rahshawn Florence said the team went through a bad stretch, starting the season 0-2, then falling to 2-4.
Monte Vista has lost just once since then, losing 38-35 to Santana. The Monarchs enter the title game having won four in a row and six of seven.
“We saw it coming together against Grossmont (a 54-33 loss),” Florence said. “Since we played Valhalla (the game after losing to Santana) we haven’t been the same team.
“Then when we got in the playoffs, we realized this could be a once-in-a-lifetime chance.”
Monarchs coach Ron Hamamoto has been the calming influence. He ranks third all-time in the San Diego Section with 244 wins. Only Herb Meyer with 339 wins at Oceanside and El Camino, and John Carroll with 248 wins at Oceanside, rank ahead of him.
Hamamoto, whose style of coaching is more like your favorite uncle than a hair-on-fire, yeller-and-screamer, has coached at Monte Vista, Lincoln, Rancho Bernardo and USDHS. He won a San Diego Section championship at every stop.
“You know I don’t look at records, at individual stuff,” said Hamamoto, who gave his team Thanksgiving Day off. “But I do enjoy coaching, I enjoy coaching this group. Championships come down to heart, hustle and effort. We have heart. We hustle. And I guarantee we’ll give it our best effort.”
Villanuenva is the player Bonita Vista must stop.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound senior has rushed for 2,709 yards on 332 carries this season. The yards rank No. 6 all-time single season in the San Diego Section behind Mission Bay’s Dillon Baxter (2,974), Cathedral Catholic’s Tyler Gaffney (2,866), Imperial’s Royce Freeman (2,824), Valley Center’s Travis Bernard (2,798) and Escondido’s Ricky Seale (2,745).
Gaffney, Freeman and Seale all played in the NFL.
“I’m very aware of my numbers,” Villanueva said. The numbers aren’t just individual thing, they’re a credit to the offensive line. I want to increase my stats because that means we — as a team — have done something right.
“My goal is to keep playing this season and break the record. We took our low seed personal. We want to prove people wrong.”
The Monte Vista offensive line includes Ace Garcia (5-8, 185), Anthony Gasatelo (5-8, 210), Robert Vasquez (6-0, 200), Adrian Perez (5-11, 195), Emilio Sanchez (6-0, 220), tight end Kaseem Conley (6-2, 180).
The leader is 6-foot, 240-pound right guard Jean Pierre Ibochwa.
Asked his favorite play call, Ibochwa didn’t hesitate.
“I love 36 Down,” he said. “I pull on that play. Honestly, I really didn’t like football at first. My brother took an interest in me. Showed me how much fun the game could be.”
Ibochaw has the bulk. Villanueva and Florence have speed.
“Villanueva won’t wow you with shifty moves,” Hamamoto said. “He’s a tough, straight-ahead runner. He’s a track guy. So if he breaks the line, you aren’t catching him.”
Villanueva averages 8.1 yards a carry. He has topped 100 yards in 11 games, 200 yards in six games and 300 yards twice, gaining 365 yards against Hoover and 351 against Grossmont.
Over his last five games, Villanueva has 144 carries for 1,371 yards, an average of 9.5 yards a carry. He also has five catches for 125 yards.
“We’ve watched Bonita Vista, and they’re a good team, well-coached,” Florence said. “The winner is going to be the team that can capitalize on a mistake.
“I don’t know if either team is a touchdown better than the other.”
Said Villanueva: “Bonita Vista is a complete team. They’re in the championship game, so obviously they’re good. We’ve been the underdog in every playoff game. We believe there isn’t a team we can’t beat.”
The Hamamoto File
Here’s where Monte Vista coach Ron Hamamoto ranks among San Diego’s all-time winningest coaches:
1. Herb Meyer, Oceanside/El Camino: 339 wins
2. John Carroll, Oceanside: 248 wins
3. Ron Hamammoto, USDHS (now Cathedral Catholic)/Rancho Bernardo/Lincoln/Monte Vista: 244 wins
4. Rob Glister, Valley Center/Orange Glen: 243 wins
5. Sean Doyle, USDHS (now Cathedral Catholic): 240 wins
The Villanueva File
Here’s where Monte Vista’s Alexander Villanueva’s 2024 season ranks among the best in San Diego history:
1. Dillon Baxter, Mission Bay (2009): 2,974 yards
2. Tyler Gaffney, Cathedral Catholic (2008): 2,866 yards
3. Royce Freeman, Imperial (2013): 2,824 yards
4. Travis Bernard, Valley Center (2010): 2,798 yards
5. Ricky Seale, Escondido (2008): 2,745 yards
6. Alexander Villanueva, Monte Vista (2024): 2,709 yards
Originally Published:
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