As the final seconds ticked down Friday night at Seaside, some
Baler fan (hopefully the bus driver) on the team’s bus, which was
parked on the track adjacent to the field, let loose a few times
with the bus’ behemoth-sounding horn.
It sounded a lot like that high-decibel train whistle which
blows at Stanford University football games when the Cardinal does
something good.
As the final seconds ticked down Friday night at Seaside, some Baler fan (hopefully the bus driver) on the team’s bus, which was parked on the track adjacent to the field, let loose a few times with the bus’ behemoth-sounding horn.
It sounded a lot like that high-decibel train whistle which blows at Stanford University football games when the Cardinal does something good.
The Balers probably feel they have reason to toot their own horn with a 14-0 victory over Seaside, which had gotten off to an impressive start this season. This was the best win by the Balers since the final regular season game of 2001 when they stopped highly-rated Palma 10-7 at Andy Hardin Field.
When I cover a game, I stand on the sideline. It’s like 3-D football. I can hear the popping of pads. I can’t see every block, especially in the interior, but I have a nice view of blocks on my side of the field on wide running plays.
The Balers can run the old Green Bay Packer sweep with the best of them, implementing stalwart guards Jonathan Lopez and Ty Doty. Halfbacks Gabe Gaitan and Manny Hinojos and wingback Nick Bailey are very smooth at following blocks, zigging off them at the precise moment.
I liked what I have seen from the Haybaler gridders this season. They have a chance to win the Tri-County Athletic League. They’ll need to fine-tune some things, like the passing game. And they’ll need to make sure they don’t turn the ball over. The Balers fumbled twice on kick returns, but luckily got the ball back. They won’t always be so lucky. The ball needs to be secured like a carton of eggs.
The defense and special teams are doing a good job of creating turnovers by the opposition. This is vital to give the Baler offense ideal field position, so important in the wing-t attack.
The Balers have a solid chance to win their next two games for their next two opponents – Monterey and Live Oak – have a combined record of 1-7. Then it gets hairy with 4-0 Gilroy, North Salinas and Ronnie Drummer, Salinas and Palma. Four doozies to end the T-CAL slate.
So there are plenty of challenges ahead. No real reason for complacency.
“This team seems like it wants to work hard to get better at practice every day,” said Baler offensive coordinator Rick Dukes.
Seaside coach Alfred Avila felt that complacency led to his club’s defeat Friday.
“We had a bad weak of practice,” said Avila. “We were ranked No. 1 in mbaypreps.com and the kids starting feeling too good about themselves. San Benito wasn’t that much better than us.”
After the game, a Spartans lineman warned his team about reading too much into their clippings.
“No more newspapers!” said the Spartans Stephan Rasul to his teammates after the game.
Well, let’s not get carried away. We all need to make a living. And writers don’t play the game. We can provide bulletin board material, though. There was a piece in a Monterey paper which had Avila out of sorts because he felt that Baler head coach Chris Cameron was trying to shed playing Seaside in lieu of San Jose powers. It appeared Avila was playing the ‘No respect’ card to his team in an effort to get them fired up.
Not the case, according to Cameron.
“Unfortunately, Seaside is in a ‘B’ league,” said Cameron. “We get more points playing teams in an ‘A’ league. It’s not that we don’t want to play Seaside.”
One of the San Jose teams Cameron wants to put on his schedule is Bellarmine, which plays out of the West Catholic Athletic League, an ‘A’ league. The Bells are eager to solidify a contract with the Balers, but currently, San Benito must play teams out of the Montere Bay League as part of a cross-league contract. That contract won’t be changed until the end of the year, if at all.
“All the other coaches in our league hate that cross-league contract,” said Cameron emphatically. “Pete Noble, who coaches Monterey, despises that cross-league contract.”
And the ‘Dores play in the MBL.
So, for now, the 2003 Balers have to play the hand which is dealt them. After Friday night’s game, I made a genius statement to Dukes.
“You control your own destiny,” I said to him.
“Well, every team in our league controls their own destiny,” he replied.
Who could argue with that? Just win your league, Balers, and you’ll be in the CCS Division I playoffs. Then, if you become the CCS champ, you can really toot your own horn.
