High School football tour: Rebooting the program at Rancho San Juan

EDITOR’S NOTE: Herald sports writer John Devine is spending most of this month visiting Monterey County schools to get a sneak peek of their football teams. This and other previews will be available at www.montereyherald.com.

SALINAS – A legitimate argument can be made that for the first time since the inception of the football program five years ago at Rancho San Juan High, it’s finally in the division it belongs in.

Sure, skeptics will recall the eight-win season in 2022 when the Trailblazers turned to a beast for a tailback in Peyton Hatten, who rushed for nearly 1,900 yards and 33 touchdowns.

The reality, though, is Rancho San Juan never got a chance to build its program. Discounting the disaster that was a shortened spring season, it was put into the Cypress Division in Year One.

A program with no varsity experience, other than three forgettable spring games in 2021, wasn’t allowed to grow in a lower division.

“The program really is still in its infant stages,” first-year coach Andrew Zarate said. “We’re dealing with a lot of different components. We’re still building a true foundation of what a football program should look like. We need to set a culture of positivity.”

Over the last two years, the Trailblazers have struggled for an identity on offense, currently owning the longest losing streak in the country at 16 games, scoring just five touchdowns in 10 games last fall.

“We just want to win a game,” said senior receiver Cecil Short, who tossed a touchdown pass in Rancho San Juan’s final game play last fall.

Axel Chicas lead's the Rancho San Juan defensive line, having collected 31 tackles last year. (John Devine -- Monterey Herald)

The equity gods have finally moved Rancho San Juan down to the Santa Lucia Division this fall, which should create a fairer playing field for a program in transition.

Equally important is it will give Zarate – the youngest head coach in the county at 29 – an opportunity that his predecessor never got, and that’s to build a program by facing teams of similar strength.

“Kids are eager to learn,” Zarate said. “Part of it is consistently getting better each day. Every rep is an opportunity to rise. The past is the past. I don’t care what happened the past two years.”

Make no mistake, the goal is to return to one of the Mission Divisions in the near future. Zarate realizes there is a lot of work in front of him in the rebuild.

“It’s a new scheme with 20 new coaches and different philosophies,” said Zarate, who was an assistant on the 2022 team that went 8-2. “We have a totally different vibe out here.”

While what took place in 2022 wasn’t a fluke, it was misleading. The groundwork had not been established. If anything, success came too easily because of Hatten’s emergence.

“When you get a superior athlete and 90 percent of your offense was Peyton left, Peyton right, it stalled our development,” Zarate said. “Kids didn’t get to learn. What we can strive for is having that belief again on campus.”

The Trailblazers girls’ flag football coach last year, Zarate’s desire to be a head coach brought him back to the boys program.

While this is a complete overhaul, he’s seen enough to believe that there is enough talent on a growing campus to put a competitive product out on the field.

Zarate, who played at North Salinas under current Salinas coach Steve Zenk, has not been shy in reaching out to colleagues who he’s either coached with or played under, bouncing ideas off them.

“I’ve been learning on the fly as well,” Zarate said. “I’m not afraid to take something from another program and apply it to ours. At the end of the day, we all have the same goal of giving a high-quality experience to the kids. There’s a lot of teaching right now. What works for our kids? What I see is kids smiling and having fun.”

Building a culture starts with sacrifices and commitment. Turning a program around begins with laying down a foundation for the future, getting players to buy in.

Rancho San Juan was handicapped somewhat last year by a lack of experience with only a handful of seniors on the roster.

“I feel like our practices are a lot crisper,” said Short, who was a multi-sport standout. “We’re not doing the same thing for three hours.”

Rancho San Juan's Cecil Short. (John Devine -- Monterey Herald)

The Trailblazers, whose preseason schedule includes North County, Alvarez and Stevenson, failed to score points offensively in seven games last year, while the defense allowed 35 points a contest.

“From watching film, the fundamental skills were missing,” Zarate said. “Skills will always beat schemes, no matter what. That’s what we continuously repeat. There are always kids moving in our practices. It’s about being efficient with our time.”

Short, who put together a solid baseball season last spring, is back with a season under his belt, but as a receiver rather than the team’s quarterback to take advantage of his 6-foot-2 frame.

“I feel less stressed as a receiver,” Short said.

Short gives Rancho San Juan a weapon on the outside, with the ability to go up and catch balls over smaller defenders, something the program has lacked since its inception.

“For us, it’s keeping our athletes out on the field,” Zarate said. “We’re limited with our roster size. We’re trying to plug and play – what mix of kids will give us the best opportunity.”

A more balanced attack  – led by sophomore quarterback Marcus Perez – will keep opponents from stacking the box and daring the Trailblazers to put the ball in the air.

“We’re going to put as much pressure on the defense as possible,” Zarate said. “When you have (run pass option), it gives the opponent fits. To build a true program, you have to be effective in multiple ways.”

Rancho San Juan has never had a quarterback throw for more than 800 yards in a single season. In fact, the program has more interceptions than touchdowns in four full seasons.

“That has to change,” Zarate said. “When you’re just running, defenses are going to love the box. You’re eliminating positions on the offensive side.”

Any hopes of the Trailblazers snapping a 16-game losing streak starts with offensive lineman Isaac Solorio, a player teammates can lean on and follow.

Rancho San Juan's Isaac Solorio. (John Devine -- Monterey Herald)

While Levi Torres returns to a revamped defense, his athleticism could ticket him to get a few touches on special teams as well. Last fall, he had 350 punt return yards, including 108 against Gonzales.

Torres is a physical player on defense, helping solidify the secondary, forcing and recovering a fumble last season. He will be joined by Short in the defensive backfield.

“I feel like everyone is more connected,” Short said. “Everyone wants to be out here. Everyone is having fun.”

Zarate has called Axel Chicas the face of the defensive line, as he will be the heartbeat in the trenches with his leadership, having collected 31 tackles last year.

“He’s a beast,” Zarate said. “He’s the first guy in the weight room. He gives our offense fits each day. His motor is always on. We understand teams will run away from him.”

Rancho San Juan's Axel Chicas. (John Devine -- Monterey Herald)

Defensively, Rancho San Juan wasn’t that bad last season. It just spent a lot of time on the field and eventually wore down against opponents in the Mission Division South.

The front seven will include inside linebacker Koa Ponce, a three-year starter, who had moments of brilliance in a somber season for the Trailblazers.

“Even around campus, there’s a different vibe,” Zarate said. “We hope to get the streak off our back. But our focus is on what we can control right now. Our slogan is ‘We’re building the Ranch. Jump on the train.’”