For the third-consecutive year the San Benito High football team will face the top public school in the region – Palo Alto – at 6:30 p.m. Friday in Andy Hardin Field.
This year, though, San Benito hopes to finally get a win against the Vikings. In the two previous games – including last year’s season opener – the Vikings have outscored San Benito 51-24. But the final scores don’t truly indicate the play of the two games.
Both times, San Benito had chances to defeat the 2010 Division I state champs, and last year’s Central Coast Section’s Open Division runner-up. But early-season errors – a season-opening kickoff return in 2011 – cost the Balers.
Coming off a thrilling 24-21 victory over Pioneer, the Balers enter the 2012 game beaming with confidence.
“We play the No. 1 ranked team in the section next week,” San Benito’s Cody Cameron said after Friday’s Pioneer win. “And this game really, really helps us. These guys are a great team and Paly is going to be an even better team. It’s going to prepare us really well for Paly.”
Against Palo Alto, which enters the Friday’s contest as the No. 5 ranked team in the CCS according to calpreps.com, San Benito will have to slow down an explosive passing attack led by junior quarterback Keller Chryst, the son of 49ers quarterback coach Geep Chryst. The 6-foot-3, 215-pound quarterback threw for 2,165 yards and 28 touchdowns a year ago.
Friday, San Benito will replace quarterback Josh George, who left last week’s opener with a dislocated shoulder, with junior David Stanton. Against a strong defense, the Balers will rely on backs Zak Hicks and Damien Botelho to control the line of scrimmage.
Once again, the game will act as a barometer for San Benito in the early season.
“That’s why I scheduled teams like this,” head coach Chris Cameron said last week. “We are going to have a very good league opponents. Our league should be really good … That’s why I scheduled them.”
The goal is to boost the team’s confidence with good play and show the team’s holes during a non-league contest, Cameron said. Against the top-rated public school in the region, San Benito could accomplish both.
“I expect them to be pretty darn good,” Cameron said of the team’s non-league schedule. “The early stages for us, we are going to make mistakes but it is a lot more glaring against teams that are good.”
