The St. Monica High School football team had a rough regular season. Hopefully, the postseason will be a bit kinder to the Mariners. After a season in which they finished last in the Santa Fe League, St. Monica found itself with an opportunity to play another game.
The Mariners were granted a wish. This time they play for real in the postseason with a first round playoff matchup against Rio Honda Prep. That may not be a good thing. The Mariners rolled through their first two games of the CIF Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs last season, advancing to the semifinals.
The team they went up against was Rio Honda Prep. Rio Honda Prep was too much for the Mariners in that contest, dismantling St. Monica 42-14. Rio Honda Prep eventually won the CIF championship and made it all the way to the state title game last season.
Going up against the reigning CIF champs was probably something that head coach Adam Guerra was looking for. And they’ll be doing it on the road. St. Monica will have to travel for its playoff game on Friday against Rio Honda Prep, which will make the contest even more favorable for the home squad.
Rio Honda Prep is the third-ranked team in the CIF Northeast Division. Salesian, which defeated St. Monica to end the regular season, is the top seed. That may not do much for Guerra’s team, but anything can happen once the postseason starts.
Tight end Andrew Miller could be a difference-maker for the Mariners. Should St. Monica get by Rio Honda Prep, the Mariners will then take on the winner of the Hamilton-Excelsior playoff game. St. Monica is 3-7 this season. The Mariners’ three wins came against Malibu, Xavier Prep and Bellarmine-Jefferson.
