SALINAS VALLEY — Local high school football teams take the field this Friday at three different sites to kick off the 2026 season.
Soledad travels to Greenfield for the South County Jamboree at Greenfield High; King City will participate in a jamboree with Monte Vista Christian, Pajaro Valley and host Rancho San Juan at Alisal High, and Gonzales will host Alisal in a scrimmage.
King City head football coach Mac Villanueva will be looking to give his players playing time as he evaluates the team during the preseason.
“I want to see them compete and have fun while executing our base schemes on offense and defense,” Villanueva said. “We will also be evaluating the players competing for a starting spot.”
Greenfield head football coach Adam Barcenas is looking forward to seeing growth in his team from last year.
“Looking for growth and execution with the big number of guys coming back this season,” Barcenas said. “I expect for them to have a better knowledge of their assignments and techniques to match.”
At home on Friday against Alisal, Gonzales head football coach Eddy Ramirez will be looking for enthused but disciplined play from his Spartans.
“I would like for them to just execute what they have been taught, to stay disciplined, be relaxed, and make good decisions,” Ramirez said. “I want to see good effort and a good attitude from everyone.”
Soledad head football coach Eric Rodriguez wants many players to see quality game minutes.
“I want to see execution from the kids and see them flying around having fun on offense and defense and communicating,” Rodriguez said. “I want our backups to get in the game and get a lot of reps.”
Friday’s games will start at 5 p.m. for the junior varsity levels and 7 p.m. for the varsity divisions.
Next week, local football games include: Scotts Valley at Gonzales; King City at Greenfield; and Soledad at Hollister.
