King City >> While it didn’t cripple King City High, losing arguably its most valuable player at the most critical position in football before the team took a regular season snap was devastating.
A new quarterback meant abrupt changes in the offense before the teams’ season opener. Team morale had the wind knocked out of it. Yet, it wasn’t the offense that sidetracked the Mustangs.
Instead it was the defense, which gave up 81 points in its first two setbacks and 73 points in two league losses — leaving King City (6-4, 4-2) home for the postseason for the 11th straight year.
“In our loss to Scotts Valley, that’s on me,” King City coach Mac Villanueva said. “We tried to treat it like another game. We were outplayed. Carmel just throttled us.”
So, will the emphasis be on the defense or offense this fall for King City, which some believe will be the team to beat in the newly created Cypress Division of the Pacific Coast Athletic League.
“Both,” Villanueva said. “You can’t hold every team to a touchdown. You have to be productive on offense. Limit your mistakes. For us, it’s about putting both together in the same year.”
It wasn’t that King City’s defense was bad. In six wins, it gave up just 64 points. One of those wins came against Mission Trail Athletic League champion Soledad.
Solidifying the defense starts with three-year starting linebacker Alex Villasenor, who was the team’s second-leading tackler last year, recording three sacks and returning a fumble 78 yards for a touchdown.
“We have to grow as a team and learn from our mistakes,” Villasenor said. “We don’t have a lot of depth. But we are talented. What I saw over the summer was heart. It’s all you can ask for.”
It won’t hurt having Francisco Sandoval back in the trenches. Brought up last year as a sophomore for the Mustangs, the big man created havoc when opponents ran in his direction.
Don’t discount 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive lineman Shea Martin, who recorded five sacks last fall coming off the edge for King City.
“He’s a freak of nature,” Villanueva said. “He’s a cowboy. He spent the summer on a farm getting in great shape. He’s come in and worked his butt off.”
How consistent the defense is throughout the season may hedge on the productivity of the offense, which has no shortage of potential playmakers, although it’s a brand new backfield.
Dylan Oliveros will open the season behind center, having spent the offseason building confidence with his receivers.
“He’s smart, very athletic and fast,” Villanueva said. “Dylan will scare teams with his legs. And he can make all the throws we need in our system.”
A Central Coast Section finalist in the triple jump last spring, Oliveros’ favorite target will likely be Luis Briseno, who caught 28 passes for nearly 500 yards and six touchdowns last year.
The pair looked in midseason form two weeks ago at the Monterey Peninsula Passing Tournament at Carmel Middle School.
A more balanced attack will open the passing game. Martin showed flashes of his potential last year at tailback, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown in one game. Oliveros is explosive with his speed.
It’s hard not to look at King City’s roster and believe its run of 11 consecutive years without a playoff appearance could end in the Cypress Division.
“That remains to be seen,” Villanueva said. “I wish we had 45 or 50 kids. But we don’t. We have 35. A lot of our boys go both ways. If you lose one, it’s like losing two starters.”
John Devine can be reached at 831-726-4337.