Monterey High hosts Salinas High on Friday, Oct. 9, at 7 p.m. in the 95th football game between two programs whose rivalry stretches back more than a century.
The Toreadores enter at 4-1 overall and 4-1 in Pacific Coast Athletic League Gabilan Division play. The Cowboys are 1-4 overall and 1-1 in league, according to MaxPreps.
John Devine flagged the milestone on X on Monday, Oct. 5:
@JohnJDevine: "No one talks about Salinas and Monterey being a rivalry in football. Yet, Friday's meeting will be the 95th time these historic schools have played each other"
Monterey was founded in 1905. Salinas dates to 1882. The all-time win-loss breakdown between the schools has not been published in available records.
Monterey head coach Alex Besaw's squad has been rolling behind junior running back Naesean Mitchell, who leads the Toreadores with 481 rushing yards and averages 160.3 yards per game, according to MaxPreps. Junior wide receiver Gysai Foster adds 65.3 receiving yards per game. Senior Israel Johnson anchors the secondary with three interceptions.
The Toreadores' lone loss came Sept. 18 against Palma, 8-44. They bounced back with a 48-41 win over Carmel on Sept. 25 and had a bye last week.
Salinas head coach Steven Zenk's team has struggled through a tough nonleague slate, falling to Clovis (14-44), Los Gatos (35-41) and Valley Christian (0-47) before dropping a 14-21 league game to Soquel on Sept. 17, per MaxPreps. The Cowboys picked up their first win on Thursday, Oct. 1, beating North Salinas 40-14 in league play. That 40-point outing was their highest-scoring game of the season.
A PCAL football rankings account on Instagram slotted Monterey at No. 4 in its Week 5 top 10, behind Soquel, King City and Palma. Salinas landed as an honorable mention.
The 1979 Salinas football team, which made a storied run through the CIF Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs, was inducted into the Salinas Valley Sports Hall of Fame this year, according to the hall's website. That history adds another layer to Friday's matchup.
The game will stream live on the NFHS Network. After Friday, Salinas travels to face Alisal on Friday, Oct. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Monterey's next home game is Friday, Oct. 23, against Soquel at 7:30 p.m.
