The Commander-in-Chief\u2019s Trophy isn\u2019t at stake.
Still. Saturday\u2019s football game between the Merchant Marine Academy and the Coast Guard Academy \u2014 two of five federal service academies that include Air Force, the Naval Academy and West Point \u2014 is a big deal.
\u201cThis is a big-time game,\u201d Merchant Marine Academy football coach Jameson Croall, who is in his second year as head coach and 12th in the program. \u201cThere will be a big crowd, we\u2019re on ESPN3, so alums from both sides will be following.\u201d
Both quarterbacks in Saturday\u2019s game are San Diegans.
Sophomore Gervy Alota, a Francis Parker graduate, starts for the Merchant Marine Academy (6-2). Junior Joey Armentrout, who attended Mission Hills and El Camino high schools, starts for the Coast Guard Academy (5-4).
Armentrout originally enrolled at the Naval Academy Prep School (NAPS) in hopes of attending the Naval Academy.
\u201cBut I realized I\u2019d never play football at Navy,\u201d Armentrout said. \u201cMy father was in the Navy, my grandfather was in the Marines.
\u201cI grew up in Oceanside, a military town. I like helping people and was drawn to service. The Coast Guard is the best at helping people and by playing at the Division III level, football opened up for me.\u201d
In nine games, Armentrout has completed 168 of 291 passes for 2,191 yards and 13 touchdowns. He threw for 2,257 passing yards and 12 TDs last season. His favorite target is sophomore Broock Desta, a Canyon Hills High School graduate. Desta has 56 catches for 926 yards and six TDs.
The airborne attack is rare for a service academy. The other four schools run ground attacks.
Alota and the Merchant Marines operate a version of the Wing T. Through eight games, he has run the ball 77 times while completing just 48 of 97 passes.
\u201cIf I\u2019m not doing my job, the offense can\u2019t function,\u201d Alota said. \u201cI have to do my job and do it right … handle the ball, distribute it, get it to the right person. We\u2019re tight on and off the field, so I know what my guys can do. And they know me.\u201d
Alota throws some, having put up 743 passing yards and eight touchdowns. He threw for 355 yards, nearly half his season total, in a 40-28 win over Worcester Poly on Oct. 21.
Alota played in three games as a freshman. He didn\u2019t throw a pass and rushed three times.
\u201cI\u2019ve been running the triple option since I was 7,\u201d Alota said. \u201cWe ran it in high school. It\u2019s what I know.\u201d
Should Alota lead his team to victory Saturday and into a bowl game, he would have to \u201chold over\u201d to play. He is an \u201cA-Splitter\u201d sophomore who will be heading out to his Sea Year internship once the season is over.
Alota\u2019s father, mother and sister graduated from the Naval Academy.
His father, Capt. Gervy J. Alota, is Director of the Missile Warning Center Cheyenne Mountain Space Force Station in Colorado Springs, Colo.
Cheyenne Mountain Complex serves as NORAD and USNORTHCOM\u2019s Alternate Command Center.
The elder Alota rarely misses his son\u2019s games.
Gervy Alota is majoring in Marine Engineering and Shipyard Management, taking 20 credits a trimester while learning to build ships and manage shipyards.
\u201cMy family has been a huge influence,\u201d Alota said. \u201cFrancis Parker had a very rigorous academic program and prepared me for this. The academies are so special because we\u2019re smaller and we go through so many things together. I had no idea how close I\u2019d be with this senior class.
\u201cThis is a big game on Saturday. You try to focus and treat it like any other game, but emotions will be running high. Really, it\u2019s a blessing for both sides to play in this game. And to think two San Diego kids are the quarterbacks is pretty special.\u201d
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The Commander-in-Chief\u2019s Trophy isn\u2019t at stake.Still. Saturday\u2019s football game between the Merchant Marine Academy and the Coast Guard Academy \u2014 two of five federal service academies that include Air Force, the Naval Academy and West Point \u2014 is a big deal.\u201cThis is a big-time game,\u201d Merchant Marine Academy football coach Jameson Croall, who is in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":31,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-84019","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n