Looking to reclaim the coveted VFW Memorial Trophy after two
years and march into the postseason with a full head of steam, not
to mention shake off last week’s difficult loss to Palma, the
Balers lost their second straight game Friday night at Andy Hardin
Stadium when the visiting Gilroy Mustangs stunned a capacity crowd
and stole a 35-30 victory in the 53rd annual Prune Bowl.
HOLLISTER
Stranger things have happened on Friday the 13th, but perhaps not for the San Benito Haybalers.
Not this season, at least.
Looking to reclaim the coveted VFW Memorial Trophy after two years and march into the postseason with a full head of steam, not to mention shake off last week’s difficult loss to Palma, the Balers surprisingly lost their second straight game Friday night at Andy Hardin Stadium when the visiting Gilroy Mustangs stunned a capacity crowd and stole a 35-30 victory in the 53rd annual Prune Bowl.
“It’s quiet,” said sophomore linebacker Ryan DiSalvo, who had two sacks and a fumble recovery Friday. “It’s really quiet.”
It’s the Mustangs’ third straight victory over San Benito, which still carries a 29-23-1 edge in the series. However, the loss will send the Balers (8-2, 4-2 TCAL) to the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs – and not the Open Division – while the rusted cup will remain in Gilroy for at least one more year.
“All the seniors that were on the team as sophomores, we watched the trophy go away and this was our last chance to get it back,” said senior offensive lineman Courtland Thompson, who, along with Nick Acosta, Trevor Fabing, Taylor Coustette, Michael Murphy and Robert Pinedo, represent the few three-year varsity players on San Benito this season.
“We missed our opportunity,” Thompson added, “but we’re still going to the playoffs and we still need to pick it up.”
Despite out-gaining the Mustangs 371-255 in total offensive yards, the Balers committed three turnovers, allowed two touchdowns on special teams, and even trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half — its largest deficit of the season.
“It’s character time right now,” San Benito head coach Chris Cameron said. “The old thing about sports building character – I don’t think sports build character, but sports sure do reveal a lot about character, and we’re gonna find out about the character of our football team real quick.”
The somber mood afterward may not have been representative of a team on its way to the postseason, but a late-in-the-game touchdown from your archrival has a tendency to stifle spirits.
“The team’s taking it really hard,” Thompson said.
Trailing 30-27 for the entire fourth quarter, the Mustangs finally found the spark they would need when upback Nico Sandoval took a direct snap from a punt formation on fourth-and-eight, and darted 12 yards toward the left sideline to extend the drive.
Two plays later, Mustang quarterback Nick Marra rolled out right and found tight end Thomas Harrington wide open for a 15-yard touchdown with just 2:33 remaining, capping an eight-play, 80-yard drive. Gilroy would take a five-point lead moments later when Sandoval, now at the holder position, corralled a bad snap on the point-after attempt and ran around the left side for the two-point conversion.
“We had the punt safe unit out there,” said Cameron, who was expecting Gilroy to fake on its crucial fourth-and-eight conversion. “They ran the punt team on the field, but we had our defense on the field in punt safe. So we were expecting it, but we just didn’t get the job done.”
San Benito’s offense, which was led by backup quarterback Tyler Decker after starter Trevor Fabing left the game early in the fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury, had one last series to find the end zone. But starting at their own 38 with zero timeouts, the Balers were unable to move the ball downfield in the closing minutes.
Fabing’s status was unknown after the game. Despite not playing the majority of the fourth quarter, though, the San Benito quarterback finished with 104 yards passing and 117 yards rushing.
“We wanted to blaze into the playoffs and not take a step back and limp into the playoffs,” Cameron said. “Right now we’re limping in, emotionally and physically. We’ve got some guys banged up.”
While the Balers, who had won eight straight to open the season, were guaranteed a spot in the CCS playoffs coming into Friday night’s game, Gilroy (4-5-1, 3-2-1 TCAL) needed the upset victory in order to have any chance at a postseason bid. Coupled with the fact Gilroy’s non-conference opponents in Mitty and Palo Alto won their respective leagues on Friday night, the Mustangs earned additional bonus points as a result and could very well wind up with a Division I berth.
“We just need to bounce back,” Thompson said. “We can’t keep our head down. We’re about to go into the playoffs and we need to step it up and come together as a team.”
And who knows, there could just be a Prune Bowl rematch later this season. Stranger things have happened.
The run-first Balers opted to pass on the very first play from scrimmage Friday night when Fabing hit Andre Cornell on a 63-yard throw to give San Benito first-and-goal at the Gilroy 10. Two plays later, Fabing ran the quarterback option off the left tackle from four yards out to give the Balers a 7-0 lead just one minute and 35 seconds into the game.
With each team exchanging its next offensive possessions, though, Gilroy showcased its first of many big plays on the night. After a bad snap resulted in a loss of 10 yards, followed by illegal motion and false start penalties that furthered their distance 10 more yards, the Mustangs had a third-and-30 at the San Benito 37 when Marra “played catch” with receiver Jordan Holler, who was uncovered down the left sideline and easily pocketed the tying touchdown.
“Blown coverage,” Cameron said. “The quarterback just played catch.”
The wild first quarter continued just 33 seconds later when San Benito reclaimed the lead on a Nick Acosta 16-yard touchdown run up the middle. The senior fullback burst through the line of scrimmage and shed the one Mustang in the secondary to give the Balers a 14-7 lead.
Acosta finished with 66 yards on 11 carries.
But having difficulty keeping momentum all night, San Benito’s lead was short lived when the return man Holler went straight up the middle on the ensuing kickoff before bouncing out toward the left sideline for a 90-yard touchdown return.
And while Baler Tino Granados supplied a 30-yard field goal in the second stanza to give San Benito a 17-14 edge — a lead that appeared would hold until halftime — Gilroy struck back once again in the last minute.
Aided by an interception from Holler, the Mustangs started from their own 37 with 49 ticks remaining in the half. On the very first play of the drive, Marra connected with running back Tommy Silvas on a short swing pass to the right side, who appeared to have little room to run. But a quick cut-back by Silvas opened up a hole in the defense, and the senior back scooted 63 yards to the end zone as a result.
“Turnovers killed us,” Thompson said.
Things nearly got even worse for the Balers just before the half when Gilroy lineman Eric Vegas picked off a Fabing pass and rumbled 60 yards to paydirt to give the boys in blue a 10-point lead at the break. But the Mustangs were called for a clipping penalty, voiding the touchdown.
“That would have been another shot,” Cameron said.
On the opening kickoff in the second half, however, Holler made sure Gilroy garnered a two-score cushion when he returned the kick 85 yards down the left sideline — his second return touchdown in the game.
Just 10 seconds into the half, Gilroy wouldn’t score again until Marra and Harrington hooked up in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.
“You preach it, you preach it and you practice it and they start believing,” said Gilroy head coach Greg Garcia, whose team started the season 1-3. “It’s better late than never. The kids started answering and taking practice seriously and understanding the importance of where we are at.”
Down 10, San Benito quickly cut into the deficit on the following drive, however. After two runs by Fabing netted San Benito 29 yards, and brought the Balers to the Gilroy 23, the senior signal-caller optioned right to Bryan Gutierrez on a 23-yard dash to the end zone — a scoring drive that took all of 55 seconds off the clock.
And when Gilroy was unable to move into San Benito territory during its ensuing possession, the Balers got the ball back at their own 40 and delivered another quick strike.
“They got the kick-off return, but we answered right back — twice,” Cameron said.
After a short pass to Cornell, Fabing faked the hand-off up the middle before running off the right tackle. With one man to beat on the right sideline, Fabing lowered his shoulder and delivered a ferocious hit, spinning around and away from the Mustang defensive back before sprinting 60 yards to the end zone and the lead.
“At that point they completely had the momentum and our kids could have folded,” Gilroy defensive coordinator Chris Vasseur said. “These kids fought and they kept fighting and fighting even when it didn’t look good. It was a total team effort.”
Granados tacked on the extra point to give San Benito a 30-27 lead at the 6:09 mark in the third quarter, and although Gilroy was kept silent for nearly 22 minutes in the second half, the Mustangs found their spark at the very end.
“We never gave up in this game. We always had some momentum,” San Benito offensive lineman Mark Starritt said. “It was just frustration that got to us.
“Last week was a heartbreaker, and I think it was in the back of everyone’s mind a little bit.”
San Benito will now await its CCS seeding, which is expected to be announced Sunday. With the regular season over, the Balers will need to bounce back immediately, especially now with single elimination playoffs.
“We’ve got to tighten everything up and cut the little mistakes,” Starritt said. “The little mistakes almost lost us the Salinas game. The little mistakes lost us the Palma game. And the little mistakes and the lack of mental focus lost us this game.
“We need to come back Monday. It’s gonna show our true character.”
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
GILR 14 7 6 8 35
SANB 14 3 13 0 30
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
RUSH (10:25) — SANB, Trevor Fabing, 4-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 7-0, SANB.
PASS (1:12) — GILR, Nick Marra to Jordan Holler, 37-yard touchdown, PAT (Ben Vega) is good; 7-7.
RUSH (:30) — SANB, Nick Acosta, 16-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 14-7, SANB.
KICK RETURN (:18) — GILR, Jordan Holler, 90-yard touchdown, PAT (Ben Vega) is good; 14-14.
Second Quarter
FIELD GOAL (7:39) — SANB, Tino Granados, 30-yard field goal; 17-14, SANB.
PASS (:34) — GILR, Nick Marra to Tommy Silvas, 63-yard touchdown, PAT (Ben Vega) is good; 21-17, GILR.
Third Quarter
KICK RETURN (11:50) — GILR, Jordan Holler, 85-yard touchdown, PAT (Ben Vega) is no good; 27-17, GILR.
RUSH (10:55) — SANB, Bryan Gutierrez, 23-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is blocked; 27-23, GILR.
RUSH (6:09) — SANB, Trevor Fabing, 60-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 30-27, SANB.
Fourth Quarter
PASS (2:33) — GILR, Nick Marra to Thomas Harrington, 15-yard touchdown, two-point conversion (Nico Sandoval) is good; 35-30, GILR.
GILROY STATISTICS
Passing: Nick Marra — 16 of 29, 204 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception. Rushing: Nick Marra — 14 carries, -6 yards; Tommy Silvas — 11 carries, 25 yards; Julius Travis — 3 carries, 5 yards; Nico Sandoval — 3 carries, 22 yards; Jordan Holler — 2 carries, 5 yards. Receiving: Tommy Silvas — 4 receptions, 65 yards, 1 touchown; Jordan Holler — 5 receptions, 75 yards, 1 touchdown; Julius Travis — 3 receptions, 8 yards; Jordan Mitchell — 2 receptions, 23 yards; Nico Sandoval — 1 reception, 18 yards; Thomas Harrington — 1 reception, 15 yards, 1 touchdown.
SAN BENITO STATISTICS
Passing: Trevor Fabing — 4 of 10, 104 yards, 2 interceptions. Rushing: Trevor Fabing — 10 carries, 117 yards, 2 touchdowns; Nick Acosta — 11 carries, 66 yards, 1 touchdown; Junior Davila — 5 carries, 19 yards; Bryan Gutierrez — 5 carries, 46 yards, 1 touchdown; Cody Hendricks — 6 carries, 21 yards; Tyler Decker — 4 carries, -4 yards; Jordan Ashford — 1 carry, 2 yards. Receiving: Andre Cornell — 3 receptions, 90 yards; Jordan Ashford — 1 reception, 14 yards.
TOTAL OFFENSE
Gilroy — 255 yards (204 pass, 51 rush)
San Benito — 371 yards (104 pass, 267 rush)
TURNOVERS
Gilroy — 2
San Benito — 3
SACKS
Gilroy — 0
San Benito — 6 (Taylor Coustette 2, Michael Murphy, Ryan Di Salvo 2, Adrian Enriquez) for -37 yards.
JV Note:
Quarterback Garrett Avina’s 60-yard touchdown run with three minutes remaining in the game proved to be the difference Friday night at Andy Hardin Stadium, where the San Benito High junior varsity football team defeated visiting Gilroy 27-22.
“A great way to end the season,” San Benito head coach Matt Andrade said.
Although Avina’s go-ahead touchdown provided the Balers with a five-point cushion in the waning minutes, it was up to the San Benito defense to put the finishing touches on Gilroy, which managed to orchestrate a deep drive into Baler territory in the final moments of the game.
But after Gilroy marched down to San Benito’s 25-yard line, the Balers finally stopped the Mustangs after a fourth-and-six play.
“My guys played with heart the whole game,” Andrade said. “We got behind in the fourth quarter, but we kept chugging away and held them on defense.”
While it was Avina who provided the Balers with the game-winning score, the San Benito quarterback also put his team on the board first with a 1-yard sneak early in the game.
Gilroy tied it at 7-all when Anthony Cervantes scored on an option run from five yards out, supplying the Balers with a 14-7 lead. But the Mustangs again tied the game up, then grabbed a 22-14 lead at one point.
San Benito responded when Cervantes carried another option run to paydirt, this time from 20 yards out. The score pulled the Balers to within one point of Gilroy at 22-21, and eventually led to Avina’s 60-yard scamper to the end zone.
San Benito wraps up its regular season at 3-3 in the Tri-County Athletic League, 6-4 overall.
Frosh Note:
Up by 32 points at halftime, the San Benito High freshmen football team cruised past visiting Gilroy 54-20 Thursday at Andy Hardin Stadium in Hollister.
Led by Brandon Sainz, Giano Del Curto and Michael Bocksnick, each of whom had two touchdowns apiece for the Balers on Thursday, San Benito marched out to a 38-6 halftime lead and never looked back.
Cody Cameron also added a rushing touchdown for the Balers.
“It was a great way to finish the season,” San Benito head coach Herb Bocksnick said. “Everyone got to participate. It was a good way to go out.”
San Benito completes its regular season at 3-3 in the Tri-County Athletic League, 5-5 overall.
