Wildcats Offense Evolving Ahead Of Week 3

The Monterey Wildcats undefeated entering a week three match-up with East Robertson, head coach Scott Hughes said his team is in for it’s biggest challenge.

The Wildcats will go on the road for the first time in 2024. East Robertson lost in last year’s state final and were pre-season favorites to win the title this year, Hughes said the Indians have a surplus of offensive talent that his team will have to contain.

“It is a challenge that we’ve got to accept,” Hughes said. “I told our guys earlier this week, ‘you either stand up and you fight and compete or you get a running clock and get beat by 50’ And it’s going to be in their hands how we handle it.”

East Robertson has outscored opponents 80-12 so far this season and last year when these two met the Indians won 20-7. Hughes said he is not concerned with what has happened in previous years and that this year’s team possesses a rushing attack that could cause problems for East Robertson.

“Your look at our offensive line and you look at our tight ends, we’re using three different tight ends in that regard,” Hughes said. “And we’ve got four different guys that are getting a ton of carries. And so it’s really one of those things where it’s not just one person, it is a collective group.”

The four players that Monterey rely on for rushing are Colin Fowler, Kole Bowman, Logan Montgomery and Luke Blaylock. Through two weeks, the Wildcats have played simple, smash mouth football, but Hughes said in this week’s match-up, his team needs to advance the offensive production.

“We still have a long way to go on our offense,” Hughes said. “And we’ve got to be a little more explosive, a little more diverse, but at this point we’ve been able to find success in two football games. But it’s something that we know we got to grow to find success in the long term.”

No stranger to hot starts, Hughes has led his team to six straight 2-0 starts. He said it’s bittersweet to be undefeated, obviously the win is exciting, but he said it’s a reminder of the limited time left with his senior class.

“We’re just trying to enjoy every moment,” Hughes said. “When there’s a win, we try to celebrate a success. And we just try to enjoy being around each other and understand the magnitude of the opportunities that we have.”

Kickoff set for Friday at 7pm.