There was an interesting sidenote during San Benito’s run of
eight straight victories to open this season, or maybe it was just
interesting to me. The Balers, after briefly falling behind Andrew
Hill 7-0 in Week 1, didn’t trail an opponent until Week 8, when
Salinas took a brief 10-9 advantage during the second half.
Otherwise, San Benito led early in the game, led late in the
game, and improved to 8-0 in the process, often not raising the
blood pressure much along the way.
But since then, it’s been a bit of a battle.
There was an interesting sidenote during San Benito’s run of eight straight victories to open this season, or maybe it was just interesting to me. The Balers, after briefly falling behind Andrew Hill 7-0 in Week 1, didn’t trail an opponent until Week 8, when Salinas took a brief 10-9 advantage during the second half.
Otherwise, San Benito led early in the game, led late in the game, and improved to 8-0 in the process, often not raising the blood pressure much along the way.
But since then, it’s been a bit of a battle.
Remember, this was the same team that really hadn’t experienced adversity until Week 8, really hadn’t experienced that bad break that had plagued the previous season.
In Week 9, though, it was a one-point loss to Palma, followed by a five-point defeat to Gilroy in Week 10. The Balers backed into the Division I playoffs as the No. 1 seed, and were suddenly without starting quarterback Trevor Fabing (shoulder), no less.
How’s that for adversity?
“When we lost those two games (to Palma and Gilroy),” Fabing said on Tuesday, “I think everyone underestimated us.”
Perhaps. Losing consecutive games to your two biggest rivals appeared to be rather devastating.
But now just four quarters away from its third Central Coast Section title this decade, the Balers have embraced the concept of family, leading to “inspiring” halftime speeches by the seniors during playoff games against Independence and Salinas, and not to mention a pair of postseason victories in those games as well.
Even the word “family” itself has trickled down to practices — the Balers saying the word in almost chant-like fashion following drills on Tuesday night.
“We’ve always been together, but once those two losses got to us, we all needed to get together,” said Fabing, who’s been out with a type II shoulder separation since the fourth quarter of the Gilroy game. “We almost lost to Independence, but we got back together and won two games straight.”
Credit the defense, which has allowed just 22 points in two playoff games, and none in the second half. The Balers have had two significant miscues on the defensive side of the ball — 76er Joe Pauli’s 65-yard touchdown and Cowboy Alvin Jelks’ 76-yard score — but otherwise have been stellar.
Credit the offense, which hasn’t blown the doors off its opponents, but has done what was necessary to earn the win — depositing a combined three touchdowns in the second half when the defense didn’t allow anything — and even capitalized on the opportunities given to them.
And let’s not forget the special teams, which have provided second chances in both playoff victories by essentially kick-starting the offense with recovered fumbles.
While it hasn’t always been pretty, nobody ever said that it had to be in the first place. Staring adversity straight in the eye, San Benito has embraced family, and utilized every phase of the game to complement each other.
“Didn’t they predict we’d lose to Independence? That’s what I heard,” Fabing said.
“Who predicted this, that we’d be in the CCS championship …?”
With the way things were heading after San Benito’s loss to Gilroy, few perhaps predicted the Balers would be around for the title game. Without much adversity during the regular season, who knew how they’d respond when it all finally hit them in the postseason?
But the seniors on San Benito, never wanting to play their last high school game, have willed the Balers to victory. On Saturday in San Jose, though, it will be the final game for roughly 36 seniors — win or lose, no matter what.
Said Fabing, a senior, “Oh, I’m gonna play.”
