San Jose
– San Benito High running back Gabe Gaitan was looking for a
little bit of redemption Saturday night after Wilcox’s Chris Wong
snatched the football away from him as he was being tackled
following a nice run and took it all the way back for a 57-yard
touchdown.
San Jose – San Benito High running back Gabe Gaitan was looking for a little bit of redemption Saturday night after Wilcox’s Chris Wong snatched the football away from him as he was being tackled following a nice run and took it all the way back for a 57-yard touchdown.
Gaitan got his redemption and then some as the Haybalers defeated the Wilcox Chargers 24-10 after scoring 17 unanswered points late in the game to earn a return trip to the stadium at San Jose City College for a shot at the Central Coast Section title.
Gaitan finished the contest with 132 yards on 10 carries, including a 54-yard touchdown run down the left sideline late in the fourth quarter that gave his team a 14-10 lead.
“It feels great,” Gaitan said of his bounce-back performance. “But it feels even better that we’re going to be back here next Saturday. We all have a bad taste in our mouths from last season. We didn’t have our best performance here last year. This year, we just have to come out blazing.”
The Balers should be in good shape if they can keep up the level of play that they displayed against Wilcox. The San Benito ground attack racked up 248 total yards between six different runners, including 37 from quarterback Karson Klauer on four attempts.
The Haybalers were also efficient on defense, holding the Chargers to a mere 82 yards rushing despite their 33 attempts. San Benito also held the Wilcox passing attack, led by the powerful arm of Thomas Russell, to only 50 yards.
San Benito’s Anthony Vasquez chipped in with a huge defensive play for the second-straight week when he intercepted a Russell pass late in the game. Russell fired a pass to an open receiver but the ball just bounced off his fingertips. Vasquez’s eyes locked onto the ball as it headed for the turf and he reeled it in for the interception, stopping a Wilcox drive that could have breathed new life into the Chargers.
“Our defense really started to swarm in the second half. The challenge was put forth to us at halftime and we came out and did what we’re supposed to do,” Vasquez said. “The coaches told us that we didn’t look like we showed up to play. They told us that everything is in our hands, it’s do or die. And we responded.”
The Haybalers will face Oak Grove for the CCS title on Saturday at San Jose City College at 7pm.
