Carmel Valley Dons win another tough game
The Carmel Valley Dons Jr. Midget Division 1 team, new to the American Youth Football (AYF) league, defeated Bonita by a score of 20 to 0 in a very physical matchup. Entering the game as underdogs, the Dons introduced two new offensive formations for the first time in an effort to confuse Bonita’s defense. “We knew they scouted our last two games so we needed to come at them with something completely different,” said Dave Allred, assistant coach for the Dons. “And it worked.”
Standout offensive linemen Cole Winship, Andy Wang, and Michael Jasper controlled Bonita’s defense and created plenty of space for Ethan January, Mitchell McKinnon and Noah Someck to exploit as running backs. A 63-yard punt return by Owen Peterson in the final seconds of the first half, followed by a well kicked PAT by Wes Farrell put the Dons up 8 to 0 going into halftime.
TJ Caccavo started the second half with another very long 52-yard kick off, pinning Bonita at their 8-yard line.
“TJ is a big linebacker with a very powerful foot. He has the ability to accurately place the ball anywhere on the field we ask, which is a great weapon to have,” said Special Teams Coach Keith Peterson. Constant blitzing by the Dons defense interrupted Bonita’s game plan and forced them to punt on 4th down, deep in their territory. The momentum shifted in favor of the Dons after two more Don’s touchdowns — one by Tyler Nelson running up the middle for 18 yards behind fullback Luke Talman, and another by Jack Allred on a QB boot play behind pulling guard Trent Crabtree and big Matt Haase, shifted momentum towards the Dons for the remainder of the game.
The Carmel Valley Dons Youth Football was formed in 2010 to create a highly competitive Division 1 football program in the Carmel Valley area to prepare top athletes for high school football. The league’s home stadium is Cathedral Catholic High School and is proud to wear their colors. Informally nicknamed “Little Dons” by the Cathedral High football players, much of the team’s first year success can be attributed to the support of Varsity Head Coach Sean Doyle and Athletic Director David Smola. For information about the league visit