Hollister High’s Lee Osborne didn’t mess around.
Hollister High’s Lee Osborne didn’t mess around.
On his first option carry out of the quarterback position in three years, Osborne scampered around left end and skated 45 yards. The senior Osborne, filling in for an injured Gordon Ross, was a blur to the Monterey defense all night long.
After a 68-yard gallop right before halftime, Osborne had 174 yards rushing on nine carries, an average of 19.3 yards per carry. On his first carry of the second half – an option off left tackle – Osborne took it 41 yards to the Monterey Peninsula College house for 26-0 Balers. That gave Osborne 215 yards on 10 carries, a 21.5 per carry average. For the night, he netted 191 yards on 16 attempts with two touchdown runs.
Heck, he even completed 2-of-3 passes for 33 yards.
Have a debut, Mr. Osborne. Why haven’t you volunteered for QB duty earlier, young man?
With Osborne enduring some leg cramps, Baler offensive coordinator Rick Dukes stopped calling Osborne’s No. 34 early in the third period.
“We threw a lot of stuff at Lee this week,” said Dukes. “He picked it up beautifully. Another week of practice and he’s going to get better.”
As expected, there were a few mishaps in the backfield as far as timing went, but for the most part, Osborne was a joy to watch. From the first time he got outside and his 11.1 100-meter speed was turned on, one had the feeling Osborne could break it every time. And every time Osborne turned it upfield, it opened up the middle for fullback Trenton Young.
Young had a career-high 232 yards on 26 carries, which had to have been one of the highest totals ever for a Hollister running back. Osborne’s total may have been the school record for a Hollister quarterback.
Four more practices before Friday night’s Tri-County Athletic League opener with 0-4-1 Live Oak at Andy Hardin Field. Back for this week’s game is tackle Clay Peer, who sat out the Toreadores’ contest with a knee injury.
Bring extra salt tablets, Lee, for there will be no more leg cramping the rest of the season, or should one say, ‘Second Season.’
The Balers, at 2-2-1, can now forget about that 2-2-1. Nice to have five practice games with a young team. All the Balers have to do is win five straight and the TCAL championship is theirs. O.K., the Toreadores weren’t Valley Christian. But, Young and Osborne’s combined output of 423 yards can not be discarded lightly.
On the defensive side of the ball, Baler linebacker Mike Villanueva looked twice as good as he did the week before in his first game of the year. Add the emergence of linebacker Chris Stephens and the Baler defense is improving as I speak.
So after beatable Live Oak it’s Gilroy and North Salinas, two more winnable games. The Balers, who just over a week ago looked inept in a 21-3 loss to Seaside, could very well be 3-0 in the mighty TCAL. That would, in all probability, place the Balers in a tie for first with whichever team wins the Palma-Salinas showdown on October 25. The Balers merely need to be undefeated going into the November 8th game with Salinas, which is their homecoming. And if comparative scores are any indication, Hollister tied Alvarez 14-14, while the Eagles shocked the Cowboys 32-20 just two weeks ago. That’s tidbit was thrown in just so
the Balers won’t feel outmatched vs. the Cowboys.
As far as Palma goes, the Balers have defeated the Chieftains three consecutive times, four out of the past five years. When it comes to Palma, the Balers somehow find a way to get it done.
I have two not-so-pretty visions of the midway point of the football season that I will share with you. The first was a glance of the Baler stands in the latter minutes of their loss to Seaside. The stands were half empty. Three consecutive Central Coast Section appearances, something virtually every other school would trade in a heartbeat, and the fans had left the sinking ship.
Speaking of throwing over a life preserver, my second vision to share with you stemmed from my standing on the Toreadores’ sideline during the second half of Friday night’s game. Throughout much of the final two quarters, someone’s dad kept barking, “Let M—– run the ball!” (The name will be changed to protect the innocent.) “Let M—– run it! Give it to M—–!” After about 20 of those, it was one big “Coach, go home!”
There were only about 70 fans in the Monterey grandstands so every word was loud and clear.
Late in the game, a Monterey player was down after he blocked a Baler field goal attempt. All of the Monterey players opted to take a knee while the player was attended to. On the Haybaler side, players stood around a couple of coaches and received instruction.
“Take a knee Hollister!” yelled a different person. “Show some respect, Haybalers! Take a knee! Come on, Haybalers!”
What was this guy, the knee police? As long as the Baler players are minding their own business and not taunting the injured player or the rest of the Toreadores, they can do what they very well please. They could go have a polish dog, if they want, hold the mayonnaise. Last Tuesday, the Monterey players, many of which have yet to win a varsity game (the ‘Dores have lost 15 straight), called for a player’s only meeting. No practice was held that day. The program is in disarray.
So don’t abandon ship so soon, Haybaler fans. Count your blessings. Feel blessed to have an athlete on the team like Lee Osborne, who can come in cold and do what he did against Monterey.
The Second Season is upon us and “Lee the Flea” is at the helm and “Sir Trenton of Young” is feeling young again.
A new day has dawned.
