The Hollister football team continued 2025’s late-season momentum with a superb performance in the Aug. 28 season opener, drilling Soledad 17-6.
The Balers dominated on offense behind new quarterback Eli Lovejoy and a trio of wide receivers and the defense shined all night. Additional credit goes to the offensive and defensive lines, and linebackers, as Hollister controlled interior play throughout the game.
The trend is inspiring in coach Thomas Sullivan’s second year. The visiting Aztecs are in the Pacific Coast Athletic League, Mission South Division, a level below the Balers in the Gabilan Division, but they have a solid program.
With graduation losses such as 2025 team MVP Tripp Felice, new faces have emerged and they are gelling with some talented returnees.
Lovejoy tossed just 10 passes last year as a backup to Cruz Raquet, now at Monterey Peninsula College. Yet the 6-foot-4 senior stepped into the role with fire in the opener, completing 14-of-17 passes for 212 yards.
Max Cunningham caught six for 119 yards, EJ Jimenez pulled in five for 79, and Damian Aragon had three receptions for 14 yards and a touchdown. Tailbacks Braiden Hernandez and Demetrius Frink and the OL delivered a powerful complement with the ground game.
The defense had a superb night before a lively home crowd. Highlights included three interceptions from the Candelaria family—two by Nate and one by Ben.
Soledad star running back Daniel Garcia was limited to 25 yards on 20 carries, an average of just 1.25 per carry. Soledad quarterback Christian Gonzalez completed just 4-of-12 passes for 56 yards. That is, three passes went to the Candelaria brothers and four went to the Soledad Aztecs.
Lovejoy came out red hot on the opening drive, completing 7-of-7 passes, though the 67-yard march ended in a missed field goal. The defense held and the Balers reached paydirt with a quick 5-play, 56-yard drive.
Lovejoy launched the possession with a 39-yard aerial to the speedy Cunningham and he found Aragon for the score, with the junior receiver breaking a tackle on his way to the end zone. Henry Hernandez converted the PAT and Hollister led 7-0, with 11:07 to play in the second stanza.
The defense was stifling Soledad and the Balers’ fourth possession produced another touchdown. Lovejoy found Cunningham for 10 yards and Jimenez for another 21. Frink got the score with a 4-yard run and Hernandez kicked the PAT.
With 5:39 to play in the third, it was 14-0 Balers.
Soledad replied with their best effort of the night. Garcia scored but the Baler special teams made a key play by blocking the PAT. The tally was 14-6.
Hollister quickly re-established a two-score lead. A 41-yard Lovejoy bomb down the middle of the field to a streaking Cunningham put the Balers deep in the red zone. A holding penalty stifled the drive, but Hernandez nailed a 32-yard field goal for a 17-6 lead that held up.
The Balers scored just 17 points but that was directly due to the minimal number of overall possessions in the game. In fact, four of the first five Hollister drives were lengthy and productive. HHS collected 67, 56, 60 and 41 on them, producing two touchdowns and two field goal attempts, one successful.
The offensive line did a fine job protecting Lovejoy and giving him time to find receivers. Sullivan and his staff rotated a number of players in the trenches, including Luciano LaMonda, Izayah Nicasio, Andrew Benitez, Robert Matuzek, Aaron Culala, Nicolas Quezada, Todd Caloiaro, Gustavo Huerta and tight end Cuauhtemoc Villagomez.
Hollister also deployed a deep roster on defense. Balers with names other than Candelaria included Juan Veloz, Luke Trujillo, Layton Smith, Riley Ostoja, John Cuneo, Michael Hubbard, Elias Nelmida, Jacob Perez, Nathan Baxter, Jason Narvaez, Andre Delgado, Jacob Torres and Kaleb Cabael.
The victory continued last year’s inspiring season close. Though they fell short of the playoffs, Hollister fought hard down the stretch in their last four games. In that span, the Balers won 27-14 at Monterey, smashed Aptos 27-6 and extended powerhouse Palma, with a 14-14 tie after three quarters on the way to a 28-14 defeat.
Hollister looks to build on the fine season start with a Friday, Sept. 4 game at Everett Alvarez. The contest starts at 7:30pm. The Eagles got a good jump on the campaign themselves, as they bashed Alisal 13-2 in their opener. The two schools last met on a chilly November night in 2024 in Salinas, as the Eagles dealt the Balers a 24-10 defeat.
Signs are pointing to the PCAL, Gabilan Division being fairly wide open this year. Powerhouse Soquel was clocked 24-0 by Los Gatos and fierce Salinas lost at home 44-14 to Clovis. Palma looks solid again, as they blasted North Monterey County 42-0. And keep an eye on North Salinas, who ripped powerful Live Oak 41-28.
Flag football launches season with a win
The Balers’ flag football team launched the 2026 season in a winning way. On Aug. 31, Hollister shut out visiting Notre Dame of San Jose 20-0. The Balers followed that with a competitive effort a day later against Monterey, falling 20-14 to the Toreadores.
Hollister will get back on the gridiron on Sept. 7, with a 5:15pm road game at Carmel. Two days later, they hit the highway again, with a 5:45pm battle at rival Salinas.
