Encinal-Serra Preview: Jets Set for Toughest Game of the Year

If Encinal High football coach Joe Tenorio has learned anything about scheduling during the past two years, it's that if he is going to prepare the Jets for the North Coast Section playoffs, he's going to have to find tough competition during the non-league schedule. The Jets certainly haven't been challenged in Bay Shore Athletic League play — going 14-0 over the last two season — and appear ready to run away with the league title again this season.

With an early-season game against Alameda a fixture on its the schedule, Tenorio essentially has two games to schedule.

The first, against a longtime Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League rival El Cerrito, wasn't what he was looking for as the Jets routed the Gauchos last week.

"We wanted to get a challenge, but we didn't get that," Tenorio said. "I could have gone out a schedule that I knew we could go (undefeated) against, but I didn't want that."

Tenorio won't have to worry about today's opponent giving his squad a challenge. Central Coast Section power Serra of San Mateo is coming off a 28-21 win against NCS juggernaut Monte Vista last week and handed the Jets their lone regular-season loss a year ago.

"We match up pretty good with (Serra)," Tenorio said. "We lined up against them in camp. I wasn't blown away and we've gotten a lot better, but I still would probably give them the advantage."

The Jets opened last season with a 45-18 win against El Cerrito before hosting Serra in a close game that the Padres eventually won 28-13.

"They had a couple of game breakers that we didn't match up with," Tenorio said. "They don't have them this year."

It'll likely take another big game from Jonathan Allen for the Jets to be successful at Serra at 1 p.m. today. The senior ran for 196 yards on 15 carries and scored five touchdowns in the win against El Cerrito.

Starting quarterback Andrew Ve'e, who missed the opener with bone fragments in his knee, will make his debut for the Jets today.

"It sounds a lot worse than it is," Tenorio said of Ve'e's injury. "He looks good, he looks sharp, he's at full strength.

For Encinal, which may start as many as four players on both sides of the ball, conditioning will be key against a much deeper Serra roster. The Padres depth was evident late in last year's meeting, but Tenorio isn't looking to make an excuse out of it.

"We've been gearing to be ready for that, so it's not an excuse," Tenorio said.

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