GREENFIELD — Greenfield High School’s football team in 2023 went on a historical run by capturing the program’s first-ever league championship.
After posting a perfect 6-0 record in Pacific Coast Athletic League Santa Lucia Division play, the Bruins were rewarded with a promotion to the Mission South Division.
They will join former Mission Trail Athletic League foes Carmel, King City, Soledad and Pacific Grove, along with North Salinas and Rancho San Juan high schools.
Bruins head coach Adam Barsenas is pleased to be playing in one of the two “B” divisions — the other being the Mission North Division — within the league.
“We look forward to all our regular season games as we haven’t played any of the teams in our division for a while,” Barsenas said. “We’ve usually faced King City and Soledad the last few years, but those were pre-season games.”
Greenfield took a hit on the depth chart due to graduation after losing six All-PCAL honorees, including two-time all-league linebacker and reigning defensive player of the year Nathan Cox.
They’ll also be missing two-way lineman Bryan Ortega, defensive lineman Nisael Hernandez, running back Gilbert Snyder, tight end Angel Vegas and Misael Silva — the 2023 Santa Lucia Division’s Offensive Player of the Year.
“The biggest difference is the level of competition,” Barsenas said. “We are facing a few new teams we haven’t played in a long time.”
Overall, the Bruins graduated 14 seniors. Yet, the numbers have been pretty solid over the past five years with varsity at 40 participants, and the junior varsity team steady at about 50.
Barsenas said the Mission South Division is expected to be competitive as each team has seen success as of recently, and they are all well coached.
Carmel is coming into the season as defending league champion after going 10-0 in the regular season.
Offensively, the Bruins will lean toward handing the ball off. And while Barsenas has not named a starting quarterback, he expects a battle for the starting role between seniors Naythen Hernandez and Christopher Morris.
In 2023, Hernandez earned All-PCAL First Team honors as both a quarterback and defensive back. He is the only returning player with all-league accolades.
Barsenas said defense will be the strength of the Bruins, who will run a multi-front defense and keep their base at a 4-2-5. He also mentioned losing just three starters to graduation will also be a contributing factor.
Hernandez, who has been a rising star thus far, should have some help from senior Hector Garcia, another playmaker who can make a difference on both sides of the ball.
Greenfield is also excited to have Christopher Morris back this year from an injury.
“We look for [Morris] to have a great impact this year,” Barsenas said.
Morris is glad to be back playing with the Bruins and is ready to compete alongside his teammates. He is expected to be a two-way player, as well.
“I think we have a very good team this year with lots of potential and a lot of upside,” Morris said. “I think we can really compete in the new division. Our defense will be strong even though we lost some good linemen, we have a good secondary and strong linebackers.”
Greenfield kicks off the season under the lights at home against Watsonville High on Aug. 30 at 7pm, followed by a Saturday afternoon meeting at Stevenson School on Sept. 7 at 2:30pm.
The Bruins continue their non-league portion of the schedule at home against St. Francis High on Sept. 13 at 7:30pm, and conclude at San Lorenzo Valley High on Sept 21 at 2:30pm.
Greenfield should be considered the favorites since neither of its first four opponents qualified in the Central Coast Section football playoffs in 2023. Greenfield is coming off a 41-14 loss to Branham High of San Jose in the Division IV quarterfinals.
Hernandez, who completed 48-of-105 pass attempts with 685 yards passing, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions, is prepared to run the Bruins’ offense once again. He believes the team will not miss a beat offensively or defensively.
“It’s going to be the same as last year winning wise, but I think we have more team speed,” Hernandez said. “We are locked in and I am looking [forward] to playing North Salinas and the other new teams we will face this season. I feel we will be one of the top teams in league.”
GREENFIELD HIGH 2024 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Aug. 30: Watsonville, 7pm
Sept. 7: at Stevenson, 2:30pm
Sept. 13: St. Francis (Watsonville), 7:30pm
Sept. 21: at San Lorenzo Valley, 2:30pm
Sept. 27: North Salinas*, 7:30pm
Oct. 3: Pacific Grove*, 7:30pm
Oct. 11: at King City*, 7:30pm
Oct. 25: at Soledad*, 7:30pm
Nov. 1: Carmel*, 7:30pm
Nov. 8: at Rancho San Juan*, 7:30pm
*PCAL Mission South Division games
