Coaches preach need to secure ball; ‘Balers defense draws rave
reviews
Hollister – As rousing as its
2-0 start to the season is, the San Benito football team knows it has work to do.
Yes, the ‘Balers defeated visiting San Lorenzo Valley 30-10 on Friday night, but six fumbles have a way of leaving a lasting impression despite the rout.
“We fumbled probably more times in that game than we did all last year,” San Benito offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said.
“It’s just a matter of time ’til an opponent takes advantage of all the opportunities we give them,” head coach Chris Cameron told his team after practice Monday, “and I think that starts this weekend.”
Veteran ‘Balers know all too well how turnovers can impact a game against the team’s next opponent. With Wilcox (1-0) coming to town, San Benito needs only to look back to last year when a fumble on its first series led to a quick Chargers’ lead that spurred their eventual win.
While a muffed punt and a missed PAT also muddied the ‘Balers’ performance against SLV, the fumbles were the team’s most visible and constant setback. Even though the Cougars managed only three points off San Benito turnovers, the ‘Balers know they can ill afford such gaffes in future games.
“I think we’re fortunate to be 2-0 when you play sloppy and come out with a win,” defensive coordinator Tod Thatcher related. “It doesn’t happen too often, especially with the schedule we play.”
Or, as Cameron said: “We’re not going to beat anybody really good turning the ball over, bottom line. Good teams don’t turn the ball over like that.”
Nevertheless, the ‘Balers dispatched SLV with ease, largely because their defense came up with six takeaways. San Benito kept the pressure on the Cougars the entire night, recording five interceptions (with linebackers, defensive backs and even nose tackle Brett Pirtle all getting in on the goodies), two sacks and one fumble recovery.
“We played awesome on defense. We limited them to hardly anything,” Cameron said. “Up front, we’re doing extremely well against the run. The defensive linemen are doing a pretty good job containing the pass.”
Linebackers Johnny Sanchez and Nate Mendoza led the way for the defense, notching 11 and 10 tackles, respectively. Sanchez recorded his second interception in as many games in the first half, while Mendoza halted a Cougars’ drive with a third-down sack. Cornerback Zach Canez intercepted his third pass of the young season early in the third quarter, and his 32-yard return set up Abel Jacquez’s second rushing touchdown, good for San Benito’s 20-3 lead.
Dukes, the offensive coordinator, was encouraged by how his unit responded from its first-half woes. The ‘Balers scored on their first four possessions of the second half to build up a 30-3 lead.
“Not playing a very good first half, I thought we came out with a sense of purpose, a mission in the second half,” Dukes said. “It showed me in a close game, we can execute and play the way we’re supposed to.”
Even though SLV suffered a narrow, 17-10 loss to Valley Christian in its opener, San Benito coaches said their players will not fall into the trap of believing that they thumped a powerhouse despite all of their mistakes.
“They know we’re going to play a lot better people,” Dukes said. “They know how tough our league is. They know.”
PLAY OF THE GAME
Center Lenny Silva made sure the ‘Balers’ sixth turnover of the night wouldn’t be a disaster by falling on a fumble and taking his recovery 20 yards for a touchdown early in the third quarter. Two plays after Dru Blake gave the team superb field position with his 76-yard kickoff return, the ‘Balers appeared to turn the ball over again with a fumble at the line of scrimmage. But Silva pounced on the ball and scampered to the end zone looking more like a fullback than an offensive lineman. “I bet everyone in the crowd noticed an offensive lineman for once,” offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said. Not only did his score lead to a 14-3 San Benito lead, but his post-touchdown celebration gave his teammates, coaches and ‘Baler fans a good laugh.
HERO OF THE GAME
The ‘Balers’ defense. When your team’s offense commits five turnovers and you still win by 20 points, you know your defense has played a stout game. Even though San Benito lost four fumbles in the first half, the team still took a 7-3 lead into the locker room. The reason? The ‘Baler defenders recovered a fumble, notched two interceptions and received a monster third-down sack to thwart the Cougars. On the evening, the ‘Balers intercepted SLV quarterbacks five times and sacked them twice, leading to a 30-3 advantage seconds into the fourth quarter. “I think we earned our turnovers,” defensive coordinator Tod Thatcher said. “We covered down well, we had pressure on the quarterback, we forced the quarterback to make a bad decision.”
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAY OF THE GAME
After the turnover-filled first half, Dru Blake gave the ‘Balers a huge surge of momentum by returning SLV’s second-half kickoff 76 yards to the Cougars’ 21-yard line. The senior took advantage of solid blocks to hit the right sideline with a head of steam and made it all the way to midfield before turning in to try to beat the kicker. Losing his balance, Blake nearly fell, but righted himself only to head around an official and, seemingly unknowingly, at the ‘Balers’ sideline. Once he got straightened out, Blake rumbled deep into Cougars’ territory before finally getting pushed out of bounds. Two plays later, center Lenny Silva recovered a fumble and raced for a touchdown to help the ‘Balers to a 14-3 lead. “We came out after kind of a sloppy first half and we said we need to come out and score,” offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said, “and (Blake’s return) makes it a lot easier. It was a wild runback.”
UNSUNG HERO OF THE GAME
Senior outside linebacker Nate Mendoza. The ‘Balers’ weakside or ‘Willy’ linebacker, Mendoza was a constant thorn in SLV’s side, forcing the Cougars’ quarterbacks into awkward places and hunting down opposing ballcarriers. He finished with 10 tackles, and also recorded a sack and two quarterback hurries. Mendoza’s third-down sack on SLV’s second possession of the game pushed the Cougars back nine yards and forced them to punt, setting the tone for the ‘Balers’ defensive dominance. “The kid was all over the field,” defensive coordinator Tod Thatcher said. “I think other teams are definitely going to want to know where Nate Mendoza is on the field.”
