Another season, another lead back, and fierce and opportunistic defense are setting the football tone for the Monterey Trail Mustangs.
The class program of the Elk Grove Unified School District in recent years with old-school values of blocking, running and tackling with purpose, Sacramento Bee No. 7-ranked Monterey Trail ran away from visiting and No. 22 Pleasant Grove 35-0 on Friday night to inch the Mustangs toward another Delta League championship.
Monterey Trail scored on all of its first five possessions behind superb offensive line play, and the Mustangs had a defensive score to batter the upstart Eagles, who came in at 4-1 under first-year coach Sam Cole. Monterey Trail moved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in league play under longtime coach T.J. Ewing.
Monterey Trail’s loss was 35-21 to California of San Ramon, a team that is 5-0 and is a threat in the North Coast Section Division I playoffs race.
Odie Jefferson is the star back now for coach T.J. Ewing, and the senior had touchdown runs of 3 and 6 yards.
“Odie is a special player,” Ewing said. “Very talented. Very instinctual. Has great vision, smooth in tight spots on the field, and a real team guy. We are very grateful he is at the Trail! We coached his brother, Reggie Parker, in 2019-20, but that was the COVID season so that ruined the season. Reggie was a beast of a defensive lineman.”
Kaden Love is the steady quarterback who runs the team’s run-heavy veer offense and scored on a 7-yard touchdown, and he set up a score with an 81-yard pass to Jimmy Jackson.
The defense was highlighted by Subhan Barakzai’s strip-sack, a play in which Loni Kafovalu scooped up the ball and raced 82 yards for a 28-0 lead.
Monterey Trail opened the season with a 27-22 win over Inderkum, then topped Amador Valley of Pleasanton 14-10 in downing a team that played for a CIF State championship.
In Delta League play, Monterey Trail has belted Laguna Creek 34-13 and Sheldon 62-0. Coached by Ewing since the school opened in 2004, the Mustangs again loom as a contender in the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division I field.
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