Monarchs seek redemption against Vikings

On Nov. 6, Exeter football was sent home licking its wounds after a humiliating 50-13 loss to Kingsburg.

Tonight, the No. 5-seeded Monarchs get another shot at Tennessee-bound quarterback Tyler Bray and the No. 1 Vikings in the Division IV semifinals.

Exeter coach Ben White said his boys know exactly where they made mistakes and they intend to rectify them this time around.

For instance, Bray went off for 297 yards and five TDs — all to different receivers — to go with zero interceptions.

“We’ve gotta work on our pass coverage,” White said. “They had too many easy throws and our guys weren’t anywhere near them.”

Five Viking receivers totaled at least 42 yards or more, which is a cause for concern as to who the Monarchs can hope to key in on.

In addition, Exeter’s offense sputtered at critical moments, including two dead ends in the red zone.

“We had 325 total yards of offense in that game,” White explained. “So it wasn’t like we couldn’t move the ball. We just didn’t capitalize on our scoring opportunities.”

Exeter will need running back Jonathan Contreras to have another night like his 39-carries, 179-yard performance against Kingsburg.

But they’ll need to get their other back — Jaycee Totty — going if they hope to advance beyond their third semifinals in the past five years. Totty was held to just three yards against the Vikings.

In other recent trips to the semis, the Monarchs lost to Dos Palos (2006) and Corcoran (2007).

Exeter has just one Valley championship to its credit — earned in 1970 — but White, who is already the school’s second-winningest coach after just five years, likes the odds of meeting either Taft or Washington Union (who upset the Monarchs in the first round last season) in the finals this year.

“Before that loss, we beat (the Vikings) three out of five times,” White said. “They had the same quarterback and the same receivers. We’re the ones who’ve changed. We have respect for them, but we’re not afraid of them.”

Though the Monarchs have managed to surpass most spectators’ expectations for a team that lost star running back Cameron Loeffler to graduation, White said he and his players won’t be satisfied with this season should they exit the playoffs in the semis.

“No, I don’t think we’d be happy with ourselves unless we win,” he said. “These guys try so hard to get there all year, it would mean a lot to get to Valley, obviously. But we aren’t satisfied.”