San Benito hopes to spoil Lincoln’s season-opener
HOLLISTER
The last time the San Benito coaching staff was able to witness the Lincoln Lions was at the Team First Football Camp in July, and as head coach Chris Cameron says, that was a long time ago.
“That means absolutely nothing,” Cameron said. “It’s really different. There’s no scheming going; you’re not preparing for the other team; you’re just throwing your guys out there, the ball is snapped, and you see them play.
“They have that on us, but we don’t have anything on them.”
Cameron, stemming from his days at Andrew Hill High, is close to Lincoln head coach Kevin Collins, so the ‘Balers are aware of how the Lions operate, most notably running a Wing-T offense and an eight-man front defense.
“We just haven’t seen them play yet,” Cameron added. “They’re gonna throw some middle screens, spray the ball around and they’ll throw the football.
“Primarily, they want to establish a run game, and that’s what they’re gonna do. And they’re good at it.”
That will hopefully play to San Benito’s strong suit, as the ‘Balers boast a stout rush defense.
Last week against Milpitas, the Trojans ran for just 56 yards on 32 carries – less than two yards per carry.
“Defensively, we’ll have to play them differently than we played Milpitas,” Cameron said. “Milpitas, they never have a tight end … they’re spreading the field out. We’re not gonna see stuff like that with Kevin. If we do, then we’ll adapt.”
San Benito is perhaps more concerned with their own personnel after they lost 24-12 at Milpitas, a game in which the ‘Balers had five turnovers and lost running back Mitchell Cook with a broken collarbone.
Cameron said Christian Maravilla filled in for the injured Cook last week, and he’ll look for him to do much of the same tonight.
“We’ve got to raise the level here a little bit,” Cameron said.
With too many turnovers and too many mental mistakes leading to too many penalties last week, the ‘Balers are hoping it was a case of first-game jitters and nothing more.
