After trading punts to start the game, the Balers consistently
broke big play after big play. The win was the Balers’ third
straight victory and gives them a 3-1-1 record going into the
Tri-County Athletic League opener Friday at Live Oak.
”
We got better every week, said coach Chris Cameron about the
team’s non-league success.
”
We played a solid game our first week against Valley Christian.
We played two good quarters against Wilcox. We’re going into league
on a roll.
”
After trading punts to start the game, the Balers consistently broke big play after big play. The win was the Balers’ third straight victory and gives them a 3-1-1 record going into the Tri-County Athletic League opener Friday at Live Oak.
“We got better every week, said coach Chris Cameron about the team’s non-league success. “We played a solid game our first week against Valley Christian. We played two good quarters against Wilcox. We’re going into league on a roll.”
San Benito set the tempo in the first half with its five rushing touchdowns after picking up 235 of its 296 total rushing yards.
“They ran the option on us,” said Monterey coach Pete Noble, whose team is 1-4. “We stand there and watch the play, and the option is our play.”
The solid Baler defense didn’t give Monterey starting quarterback Michael Phillips, a sophomore, much room to make anything happen. He completed just three of seven passes for 28 yards.
To make matters worse for the Toreadors, both inside linebackers, the center and the guard were not able to play. It wasn’t until the third quarter that Monterey picked up its first first down of the game.
“It is always tough to start a rookie quarterback against a team like this,” Noble said. “We’re playing teams like Palma and Hollister. It is a mismatch for us. They got a good team. They play like we used to when I was coach before.”
Noble coached at Monterey from 1985 to 1994 and was voted the Mission Trail League coach of the year after leading Gonzales into the playoffs last season.
“Lot of the football oomph we had back in the 80s has been beaten out of us,” Noble said. “This is not the Hollister teams I used to play. I never lost to Hollister in the eight times I have played them. It is unusual being on the other side.”
Monterey, at times this year, has been able to put up some good numbers.
“He’s going to turn that thing around,” said Cameron of Noble. “He has got great looking kids, but he is playing a lot of young guys. That program is going to come a long ways. You won’t recognize it next year.”
On the other hand, Baler quarterback Karson Klauer, also a sophomore, continues to post MVP-type numbers. He was three for seven for 89 yards. As a rusher, Klauer picked up 60 yards and two touchdowns – one from 23 yards out and one from 28 yards away.
San Benito scored on five of its seven drives in the first half. On one drive that eventually ended with a fumble, Alex Gonzalez came up with a nice 23-yard reception as he stayed with the play and dragged both feet to complete it as he was pushed out of bounds.
The Balers got on the board with 7:20 left in the first quarter. On a tackle trap for the wing back, Nick Bailey weaved his way through to score the 84-yard touchdown, beating the pursuing defender down the left sideline.
“The line did a great job,” Bailey said. “I just cut back and followed the block. Our offense played its best game today.”
“We were just trying to execute the play correctly,” Cameron said. “When it breaks for a touchdown, you usually can’t draw it up better than that.”
Klauer scored the second touchdown with 1:53 left in the first quarter and the fourth Baler touchdown with 4:19 left in the second. Francisco Aviles muscled in from the 10-yard line after the Balers received good position at the Monterey 33-yard line.
Bailey scored his second touchdown on a 16-yard run with under a minute left before the half as the Monterey defender tried to grab the jersey to keep him from diving in.
With the second string in for San Benito, the Toreadors had a good chance to score after recovering a fumbled punt in the third quarter, but Jeff Hawks came up the interception for the Balers on the 13-yard line.
The lone touchdown came on a one-yard dash by Jamel Quimby with 1:31 to go in the game.
“The kids are getting confident,” Cameron said. “They are getting better on a weekly basis. They are practicing well. It is paying off on game nights.”
Junior Varsity note: The San Benito JV team defeated Monterey 7-0 Friday night behind a touchdown run from Armando Guzman in the second half. Guzman took the ball on an inside run and dived into the end zone on a broken play.
The Balers (2-3) came up with a big play to hold the lead and save a touchdown. Defensive back Eddie Gutierrez chased down a runner, who turned a 12-yard pass play into a 60-yard gain. Gutierrez was able to knock the Monterey runner out of bounds at about the four-yard line.
Outside linebacker Jose Lopez also contributed to the goal-line stand to keep the Toreadors scoreless.
