Castaic Coyotes football could not be stopped in its season opener on Thursday night.
The Coyotes clicked and dominated in all three phases in the team’s 45-7 win over the Adelanto Saints at Valencia High School.
Multiple Castaic quarterbacks diced up the Saints secondary, while the defense held Adelanto to just one score.
Coyotes senior Jayden Broderick got the start and led a pair of touchdown drives before subbing out for junior Khanai Langford.
One reason both Castaic quarterbacks thrived was wideout Logan Mietzner. The receiver blew by his coverage and recorded six catches for 167 yards and a TD.
Langford also made an impact from the jump, and capped off his first drive with a 50-yard touchdown pass to running back Vincente Davalos.
The two shared time in both halves, each making big plays through the air and on the ground.
Coyotes coach Sirr Guy Shakir has two standout quarterbacks but sees it as a good problem to have.
“I know that there’s a mantra, ‘if you have two quarterbacks, you don’t have one,’” Shakir said. “I don’t subscribe to that right now, because we got two kids that can play.”
Castaic running back Monty Coleman ran hard on the ground and punished would-be tacklers. Coleman finished the night well over 100 all-purpose yards and had several short runs where he broke more tackles than yards gained.
The Coleman family lost a pet Wednesday, and the running back admitted he didn’t enter the game with a great mentality. However, Coleman locked in and soared above and beyond Thursday’s non-league battle.
“I lost an animal yesterday,” Coleman said. “So it brought out a different side of me. But I think it was best for her that I was able to do this. It brought another side that I didn’t know I had, but I’m glad it came out. Everything that I just did, I did for that dog. I miss her so much.”
The Coyote defense gave the Saints nothing in the second quarter and ended three-straight Adelanto drives with a fumble recovery. Linebacker Dominic Espinoza recovered two of the fumbles and recorded one sack for the Coyote defense.
Adelanto ran the ball efficiently and got its sole score off a 57-yard rushing TD from Prince Norris. The Saints also rotated quarterbacks looking for more rhythm on offense but each struggled as the team completed just one pass.
Shakir was overall pleased with performance and poise of his team in the program’s first ever week zero win.
“I was more impressed with the lack of penalties and turnovers because week zero that’s always an issue,” Shakir said. “We didn’t turn the ball over. We had one penalty that was questionable.”
Castaic has a lot to be excited about but won’t get too ahead of themselves until the postseason.
“I won’t be excited until we get to playoffs,” Coleman said.
Adelanto will look to rebound next week when the Saints return home to host Hesperia. Castaic gets its first road test next Friday when the Coyotes take on the Calabasas Coyotes.
“This unit hasn’t traveled before, so it’ll be interesting to see how we handle that,” Shakir said. “We’re just looking for the same type of play, same type of focusing type of composure, just at a different location.”
