With the Central Coast Section playoffs less than a month away, it’s never too early to start looking at playoff projections, especially when it comes to the San Benito High football team.
Here are the vitals: The top three teams in the Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division earn automatic playoff berths. Traditionally, the Gabilan’s fourth-place finisher earns an at-large spot since the Gabilan is considered an ‘A’ league, meaning teams get more points for playing each other than say, the MBL’s Pacific Division, which is a B league.
San Benito (3-4 overall, 1-2 in league) currently is in fifth place in the Gabilan, but only a half a game back of slumping Salinas and one game back of third-place Seaside. For the Balers, the simplest route to the postseason would be to win their remaining three games against Seaside, Alisal and Palma.
In that scenario, San Benito would finish among the top three teams in the Gabilan — along with having an outside shot of winning the outright league title.
If the Balers win two of their last three contests, they would still be in excellent shape and have enough points to earn an at-large berth. Again, a lot depends on what other teams in their division and other leagues do — Sequoia High-Redwood City out of the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division is also vying for an at-large berth and is one of the Balers’ chief competitors for an at-large bid assuming they don’t finish in the top three in the Gabilan.
In the worst-case scenario — San Benito beating a last-place Alisal squad but losing to Seaside and Palma — it would be on the outside looking in. Simply put, the Balers control their own destiny.
Balers coach Chris Cameron said while it would be easy to think about the team’s playoff chances, the focus has to be on the practice field and staying mentally focused.
“Our emphasis is always trying to get better week by week,” he said. “If we do that, the playoffs will take care of itself.”
A quick reminder from last week: San Benito did what it was supposed to do against a clearly overmatched Monte Vista Christian-Watsonville team, rolling to a 48-10 victory.
The Balers totaled their second highest rushing output of the season, gaining a whopping 310 yards on 41 carries. Quarterback David Stanton led the way with 109 yards, most of which came on a 71-yard touchdown run.
Tailback Zak Hicks finished with 88 yards on 13 carries, consistently gaining yards after first, second and sometimes even third contact. Cody Freitas had four receptions — the most by a San Benito player in a single game this season — for 50 yards.
San Benito also had a great night on special teams, as it blocked two punts, one of which Austin Cascio returned 22 yards for a touchdown. Kicker John Canes connected on field goals of 27 and 42 yards, the latter being a career best.
San Benito’s defense held Monte Vista Christian to 164 yards of total offense, including just one yard in the entire second half. The Balers figure to get a much tougher test at Seaside (4-3, 2-1) on Friday.
Actually, they’ll have their hands full with a Seaside squad that has gained nearly three times as many yards through the air as on the ground. The Spartans, who are coming off a 34-5 win over Salinas, have totaled 1,428 yards passing and 574 rushing.
San Benito has been particularly vulnerable against the pass this season, as it has been overwhelmed at times against teams with a capable quarterback and a quality corps of wide receivers — losses to Palo Alto, Los Gatos and Monterey serve as the clearest examples.
“Seaside will be very, very tough,” Cameron said. “They’re extremely skilled and can beat you in a lot of ways.”
