Monterey Trail finds its groove just in time. Will it be enough for a deep playoff run?
It was a grim start to the football season for the Monterey Trail Mustangs, a regional power for the better part of 15 seasons.
Coach T.J. Ewing ramped up his nonleague schedule for a program that finished the 2019 season Bee-ranked No. 2, concluded the spring season No. 2 and entered this season No. 2. Then they went 0-5 this fall after losses to monster programs Folsom, De La Salle and Los Gatos, followed by close setbacks to Lincoln of Stockton and Clayton Valley Charter of Concord.
Six weeks later, the No. 7-seeded Mustangs are on a six-game winning streak, back in full gallop mode. They took an impressive 39-23 victory over No. 10 Woodcreek on Friday night in a CIF Sac-Joaquin Section Division II opener.
“We like to schedule tough, the best teams, to find out who we are, to find ourselves,” said Ewing, the head varsity coach since the school opened in the Elk Grove Unified School District in 2004. “After that 0-5 start, we changed some of our personnel, our practice habits, and we just kept working.”
One of the workhorse players who has found his game is Ali Collier. The strong and swift Mustangs junior rushed for 193 yards on 17 carries and scored on touchdown runs of 60, 1 and 1 yards. Senior quarterback Frank Arcuri had a 41-yard touchdown pass to Brevin Amiga for a 20-7 Mustangs lead, and Daelin Ellis had TD runs of 1 and 10 yards for Monterey Trail (6-5), which will play at No. 2-seeded Granite Bay on Friday.
The Mustangs grinded and bolted for 353 yards out of the run-heavy veer offense, and Arcuri passed for 126.
Collier took the losses hard. He’s still hard on himself as a perfectionist, but Ewing has encouraged him to be up, to move forward. He has, and so have the Mustangs.
“Ali’s grown up a lot, maturity, believing in himself, and he’s really responded and our team’s responded,” Ewing said. “He’s a really good player. Great game. He and Daelin Ellis are like twins body wise. Hard to stop.”
Collier went over the 1,000-yard mark for the season Friday in looking every bit like the program’s next impact back. He has 1,174 yards and 19 rushing touchdowns.
“I feel great now,” Collier said with a smile in sizing up his season and effort against the Timberwolves of Placer County. “I get down on myself sometimes, and I felt like I was messing up assignments and reads in practice, and you can’t do that in this office. Everything has to be just right. Coach tells me to believe in myself. I do.”
He also believes in his offensive line, heaping credit on the movers and shakers in the trenches, including leaders Uvante Usher, Marcel Wilson and Tay Evans.
“I have to thank my linemen,” Collier said. “We’ve got to go out and eat.”
Ewing has known Arcuri since he was an infant. Arcuri’s father, Rick, is the Mustangs’ offensive coordinator. He and Ewing go back some 43 years to their Bay Area roots. They grew up together and started the Monterey Trail program together. Frank Arcuri is a stellar student who throws a nice ball and is also a tough runner.
“Great quarterback, great leader who loves football,” Ewing said. “I remember when he came into the weight room as a baby and looking at him and thinking, ‘he’s so cute!’ That’s what’s so fun about this. We see kids grow up. He works hard. He studies film. He’s the son of a coach. We’re like gardeners as coaches. We watch the flowers grow.”
Monterey Trail forced three turnovers against Woodcreek (7-4). Ronnie Brutus had an interception and defensive lineman Melikai Red recovered two fumbles. Garrett Krupp had touchdown runs of 1 and 3 yards and he fired a 21-yard touchdown pass to Nicolai Nielsen. Krupp had 22 touchdown passes and nine rushing scores this season, and the senior bows out as one of the program’s all-great players. The school opened in Roseville in 1994.
Playoff scores
Division l
Sheldon 36, Turlock 22
St. Mary’s 56, McClatchy 12
Lincoln 56, Chavez 6
Del Oro 28, Enochs 21
Next week
Sheldon at Rocklin
St. Mary’s at Edison
Lincoln (Stockton) at Folsom
Del Oro at Jesuit
Division ll
Lodi 38, Downey 19
Whitney 35, Inderkum 0
Elk Grove 56, Gregori 6
Monterey Trail 39, Woodcreek 23
Next week
Lodi at Central Catholic
Whitney at Antelope
Elk Grove at Vacaville
Monterey Trail at Granite Bay
Division lll
Roseville 33, Davis 21
Patterson 38, Burbank 6
Sacramento 41, Golden Valley 19
Christian Brothers 30, Rodriguez 16
Next week
Roseville at Oakdale
Patterson at Yuba City
Sacramento at Manteca
Christian Brothers at Lincoln
Division lV
Wood 39, Nevada Union 27
East Union 51, Del Campo 7
Placer 63, West Park 28
Dixon 29, Ponderosa 20
Next week
Wood at Kimball
East Union at Merced
Placer at Vista del Lago
Dixon at Vanden
Division V
Woodland 22, Colfax 19
Ripon 39, Ceres 13
Hilmar 61, Los Banos 27
Casa Roble 51, El Camino 34
Next week
Woodland at Escalon
Ripon at Pioneer
Hilmar at Sonora
Casa Roble at Union Mine
Division Vl
Linden 42, Orestimba 28
Rosemont 49, Delhi 13
Waterford 48, Summerville 25
Liberty Ranch 42, Gustine 19
Next week
Linden at Bradshaw Christian
Rosemont at Hughson
Waterford at Livingston
Liberty Ranch at Argonaut
This story was originally published November 6, 2021 at 6:14 AM.