San Benito victimized by big plays
&
amp; turnovers as Bellarmine hands hosts first loss
Hollister – As thrillers so often do, this one came down to big plays. And Bellarmine had nearly all of those Friday night at Andy Hardin Stadium.
Despite outplaying the visiting Bells for long stretches, the San Benito football team fell victim to both a pair of highlight-reel plays and two of its own turnovers, losing 21-17 in its final preseason contest.
In a game that had three lead changes in the fourth quarter, it was the outstanding athleticism of Bellarmine senior Kevin Gonzales that tipped the scales in favor of the Bells. But as spectacular as Gonzales’ 67-yard interception return for a touchdown and sure-handed receptions that included the game–winning catch were, the ‘Balers could only look to themselves for allowing Bellarmine back in the game.
Leading 10-0 late in the first half, San Benito (3-1) was forced to punt from deep in its own territory after the Bells (2-2) finally found a way to stop the ‘Balers’ offensive engine. But just as a special teams disaster spelled doom for the ‘Balers against Bellarmine a year ago, a critical mistake in the kicking game cost San Benito again.
After struggling with the snap close to the goal line, punter Dru Blake had his kick blocked by Spencer Pollard. Bellarmine’s Andy Mullen fell on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown, pulling the Bells to within 10-7 with 4:41 left in the half.
And in the third quarter, after San Benito’s defense had already twice stopped Bellarmine drives, the ‘Balers drove deep into Bells territory and looked primed to pad their lead. But quarterback Ronnie Fhurong was intercepted by cornerback Gonzales, who ran the length of the field untouched for a touchdown that gave Bellarmine its first lead at 14-10 with 10:30 left to play.
After tempting fate with turnovers in the early season, but nonetheless pulling into the game with a record of 3-0, the ‘Balers finally were victimized by their own mistakes.
“We lost tonight on two plays,” San Benito head coach Chris Cameron said. “We lost the turnover battle and we lost the game. You can’t afford those mistakes against a team like that.”
“I think the interception kind of got us going,” Bells coach Mike Janda said. “If we can’t do it on offense, we’ll do it on defense. And I think that was a critical play for us.”
Even so, the ‘Balers rallied to retake the lead on their next possession, bulldozing over the Bells with their running attack to go up 21-17 on Abel Jacquez’s 1-yard scoring plunge with 6:15 left.
But after the San Benito defense looked poised to again carry the team to victory, Gonzales stepped up to stun the ‘Balers again, this time on the offensive side of the ball. With Bellarmine in desperate straights in facing a fourth-and-four with just over 4 minutes remaining, quarterback Jordan Vargas threw to his senior wideout on the right sideline, but San Benito defenders Nate Mendoza and Zach Canez both got a hand up to tip the ball. With the ball still floating in the air, Gonzales reached up to pluck it down for an 11-yard gain that kept Bellarmine’s hopes alive.
After Vargas found Gonzales over the middle on the next play for a 26-yard gain, the Bells’ duo connected again, with Gonzales pulling in the game-winning, 19-yard touchdown pass in the right corner of the end zone with 3:13 left despite great coverage by safety Canez.
Offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said the ‘Balers were one play away from a likely victory against a formidable foe. “That double-tipped pass at the end of the game there, that was fourth down,” he said. “(With a stop) we get the ball back and we probably run out the clock. The game’s over.”
‘Baler senior Kevin Medeiros said Gonzales went a long way toward winning the game for the Bells. “Every time the ball went to him, it’d end up in his hands,” said Medeiros of Gonzales, who finished with eight receptions for 155 yards. “Whether it was tipped or what, he’d catch it.”
San Benito drove to the Bells’ 30 in a last-ditch effort, but the hosts’ drive fell short with two straight incomplete passes and a delay-of-game penalty helping the Bells to a defensive stand when they needed it most.
For the second straight week, the ‘Balers took an early 10-0 lead on their opponent. San Benito shredded Bellarmine’s defense on its first two possessions, marching 79 yards on 11 plays to cap 4-minute, 35-second drive with Fhurong’s 20-yard scoring pass to Ricky Sanchez.
Blake connected on a 23-yard field goal with 8:32 left in the second quarter, completing a 16-play drive that ate up nearly 6 minutes on the clock.
In the first half, San Benito ran the ball on 26 plays, while Bellarmine rushed just 10 times. On the game, the ‘Balers’ defense limited the Bells to just 38 yards on 24 carries.
Fhurong looked the most comfortable he has all season, completing 10-of-21 passes for 120 yards. Five different ‘Balers pulled in receptions, with wide receiver Carlos Ramos leading the way with four grabs for 38 yards.
Lango again led San Benito’s ground attack, rushing 10 times for 110 yards. Jacquez finished with 54 yards on 16 carries.
Vargas completed an efficient 11-of-16 passes for 190 yards.
The Bells’ victory marked the second straight year the West Catholic Athletic League team defeated San Benito.
Janda, the Bellarmine coach, said the ‘Balers gave his team all it could handle. “It’s a big win because this is a good football team,” he said. “Hollister is very, very good. Their defense is very aggressive. We just couldn’t crack it, and finally, we made a couple of big plays.”
With San Benito opening its Tri-County Athletic League season next Friday against Alvarez, Cameron was hopeful that his team can atone for its first loss quickly.
“I think this team’s going to rebound fast. Sometimes it takes something like this,” he said, “to really turn around. … “We’re right there. We’re a couple of knocks away from beating a West Catholic league team.”
JV Note: The San Benito JV team (3-1) played a strong defensive game against visiting Bellarmine, but suffered its first loss in a 14-0 shutout Friday. “We just shot ourselves in the foot every time we tried to sustain a drive,” coach Luis Espinoza said, bemoaning a second-quarter fumble that led to the Bells’ first score. “I want to see how we come out of this loss. Will we fold and put everything away? Or will we fight and come back to win?”
Freshmen Note: The ‘Balers’ freshmen football team (2-1-1) played with a tough Bellarmine squad for long stretches Thursday in Hollister, but fell short as the Bells pulled away in the second half to win 32-8. “It was a close game for three quarters,” coach Randy Logue said, “but they basically wore us down.” San Benito QB Kyle Vallejo scored on a 1-yard plunge in the first quarter, and kicker Nick Acosta found Robert Pinedo for a 2-point conversion moments later.
