They’ve already played this game countless times from the moment they put on a helmet.
At their neighborhood park. On their street. In playgrounds and sand lots. When players from the San Benito High football team take the field at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas on Friday against Milpitas, they will have already envisioned what it would be like to win a Central Coast Section championship.
Right here, right now, this is the moment they’ve all been waiting for.
“As a kid, you grow up dreaming about putting on this uniform and winning a CCS championship,” Haybalers quarterback David Stanton said. “It’s all we’ve ever known.”
For the second straight year, the No. 4 seed and defending champion Balers (7-5) will look to end their season on the highest of highs, as they play No. 2 seed Milpitas (10-2) in a rematch of last year’s Division I title contest.
Kickoff is 7 p.m. Now the real tournament begins — and it’s a one-game deal. To say San Benito and Milpitas have cruised to the final would be a vast understatement.
To wit: The Balers have outscored two playoff opponents — Independence and Alvarez — by a combined margin of 99-28, while the Trojans beat Homestead 62-28 before rolling to a 45-0 victory over Piedmont Hills in the semifinals.
Last year San Benito edged Milpitas, 35-28, to win its sixth section championship. The teams also played for the 2009 D-I championship, with the Trojans prevailing, 28-10.
Balers coach Chris Cameron said the Trojans definitely pass the eye test.
“If you’ve seen them play, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about,” Cameron said. “They’re big, tough and physical. They’ve got stars all across the board and a lot of speed. They’re not hurting for athletes at any position, and they’re as solid as can be personnel-wise at every position.”
On top of that, Milpitas doesn’t just rely on its athleticism and talent to beat opponents.
“They play with an attitude,” Cameron said. “They like to inflict some pain on you. We’re going to have to play a perfect game to beat them.”
The last time Cameron echoed those words was in the week leading up the regular-season finale against Palma, a game the Balers lost, 14-0. Safe to say, if the Balers are to hoist up their seventh CCS championship trophy on Friday night, they’ll have to put together their best game of the season — and then some.
Fortunately for San Benito, it’s peaking at the perfect time yet again. Led by a punishing ground game and a defense that seems to improve with each passing week, the Balers feel they’re primed to knock off one of the section’s best squads.
“Like coach said, this is going to be David vs. Goliath,” said Balers cornerback Andrew Sotelo, who had two interceptions and a 50-yard punt return in last week’s 37-7 beatdown of Alvarez in the semifinals. “You have guys like Cody (McGrew) and (Cody) Freitas putting us in the right spots on defense, and we know our assignments better. We’re just playing better as a unit, and it shows.”
San Benito and Milpitas have faced plenty of tough competition this season, and they’ve had two common opponents: Los Gatos and Palo Alto. The Balers went 0-2 against those teams, losing by scores of 28-7 and 28-14, respectively. Milpitas edged Palo Alto, 31-28, but got bounced by Los Gatos, 55-34.
The Trojans have a trio of stars in quarterback Ronnie Reed (79 of 143, 1,744 yards, 20 touchdowns, six interceptions), super tailback Squally Canada and receiver-defensive back Tre Hartley. All three players are a threat to score every time they touch the ball, especially if they get a sliver of daylight in the open field.
Canada, a burly 6-foot, 190-pounder, is averaging a whopping 9.1-yards per carry, while Hartley has 51 receptions for 1,261 yards and 16 touchdowns while also wreaking havoc on the defensive side of the ball.
San Benito doesn’t have the star power of Milpitas, but then again, the only time it has to be superior is on Friday night.
“We’ll be the underdogs, but that’s where we want to be,” Sotelo said. “We’re coming.”
