The San Benito Haybalers opened the 2009 campaign with a 17-7
victory over visiting Andrew Hill Friday night at Andy Hardin
Stadium in Hollister. San Benito came back strong from an early
deficit and scored the game’s final 17 points to close out the
Falcons in impressive fashion.
HOLLISTER
Part of the mystery surrounding the 2009 San Benito Haybalers may have been lifted during Friday night’s season opener against visiting Andrew Hill.
A team riddled with injuries all through last season, the Balers had few chances to showcase what a healthy, collective unit could actually produce last year; up and down the roster, bumps and bruises, tweaks and twinges had left San Benito, especially on offense, a shell of its former self.
But at Andy Hardin Stadium on Friday, while hosting a Falcons squad that went 10-1 last year and qualified to the CCS Large School Division playoffs, the Balers peeled back last season’s injury shroud en route to an impressive 17-7 victory over Andrew Hill.
And what was revealed was a defense that was up close and personal with Hill’s attack, delivering punishing hits on countless plays, and an offense that grinded its way to the end zone for 17 unanswered points.
Having been shutout in its last four games of the season in 2008, the Balers (1-0) not only snapped a four-game losing streak on Friday night, but also a 13-quarter scoreless stretch.
“It feels really good,” said senior fullback Nick Acosta, who had 14 carries Friday for a game-high 60 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown in the second quarter.
“We haven’t scored points in the last three games we’ve had (dating back) to last season,” Acosta said. “It’s really a momentum-booster. I think we’re going to go into our next couple of games feeling really good.”
Despite being held to just 188 total yards of offense, San Benito’s run-now-run-often approach – the Balers took to the ground in more than 80 percent of their offensive plays – was certainly a familiar sign. Head coach Chris Cameron reintroduced the run-heavy triple option formation this season, which the Balers previously ran back in 1998, but slowly moved away from with frequent offseason adjustments.
Although the Week 1 film is sure to highlight several miscues on the offensive side of the ball, the 17 points San Benito posted is a strong sign, especially in the season opener.
“It felt really good to get the ball in the end zone,” Cameron said. “We’re not quite there yet, obviously. But it was a start, and it was better than how we finished last year and how we progressed.
“I’ll take this as something positive.”
And why not? Friday’s point-total was the most the Balers have scored since Nov. 9, 2007, when the team posted 27 in a loss to Gilroy. Furthermore, the Balers had standout performances on both defense and special teams, a fact that only aided San Benito’s comfortable 10-point victory.
“I’m just kind of awestruck right now … (with) the way we played,” said senior linebacker Taylor Coustette, who helped lead a brutal Baler defense, which forced three turnovers and racked up four sacks on Hill quarterback David Floris. “We definitely played as a team, and I’m just hoping next week we can improve on that and make ourselves a bigger family and make ourselves even better.”
Some of the Balers were expecting Hill, which is known for a spread offense, to come out with a heavy passing attack. But the Falcons instead opted for a ground game more than 60 percent of the time, which played right to the Balers’ strength.
Andrew Hill ran the ball 32 times on Friday for just 60 yards.
“Hollister’s got a really great defense,” Andrew Hill head coach Jeff Borges said after the game. “We thought we could run a little bit, throw a little bit, and maybe spread them out …
“In the first half, I thought we were doing a pretty good job. I think we had them on their heels. But when they returned that kickoff, that was a big momentum breaker.”
The momentum was first gained, though, when Hill orchestrated an 18-play, 77-yard drive that ate up nearly nine minutes of clock time early in the second quarter. The drive finally culminated when Floris threw a dart to receiver Richard Meek on a 7-yard out route to give the Falcons an early lead.
The high spirits were short lived, however. On the ensuing kickoff, return man Jordan Ashford wedged his way 92 yards to the Falcons 1-yard line. Although the play was brought back to the Falcon 16 after San Benito was flagged for a celebration penalty, the Balers found paydirt three plays later when quarterback Trevor Fabing ran off left tackle for a 7-yard score.
“It was good blocking up front,” said Ashford of the kick return. Ashford, at cornerback, also picked off a Floris pass during Hill’s opening drive. “It was perfect execution. I just found my hole and got to where I got to go.”
With a little help from special teams on its first score, San Benito’s offense got a boost from the defense for its second score when lineman Marcos Silva recovered a loose football at Hill’s 33 late in the first half. Two minutes and eight plays later, Acosta burst up the middle for a 5-yard touchdown, giving San Benito a crucial 14-7 lead heading into the half.
“The defense helped us out and the special teams helped us out with good field position,” said Fabing, who ran for 40 yards on nine carries. “We just need to finish our drives.
“But we’ll work out the kinks and we’ll get better.”
Hill provided little pop in the second half. With San Benito holding on to a one-touchdown lead, the Falcons only entered Baler territory once in the third and fourth quarters, and it came after a Baler turnover. Otherwise, it was San Benito providing much of the pop, with hard hits delivered by Coustette, Robert Pinedo and Isaak Ramos, who hit Floris while he was throwing the ball, resulting in an interception by Baler Sal Ornelas.
“Gang-tackling,” cornerback Alex Alvarez said, “that’s what we do.
“I know everybody had a lot of doubts about (the secondary), and I think we showed them. It boost our confidence and we feel like we can play with all the high-flying teams.”
Andrew Hill compiled just 175 yards of total offense.
San Benito tacked on three more points late in the third quarter when the defense supplied outstanding field position once again. Following a botched punt attempt from its own end zone, Hill turned the ball over on downs and gave the Balers the ball at the 18. Although San Benito was unable to find the end zone, kicker Celestino Granados punched in a 33-yard field goal to ice the win.
“We’re not perfectly there and in sync, execution-wise,” Cameron said of the offense. “But we’ll get better. I’m confident we’re gonna get better. We just need some more time, need some more time.”
The Balers will look to make it two in a row next Friday when they will visit Lincoln in San Jose.
Team 1 2 3 4 F
AH 0 7 0 0 7
SB 0 14 3 0 17
SCORING SUMMARY
Second Quarter
PASS (9:16) – AH, David Floris to Richard Meek, 7-yard touchdown, PAT (Victor Lopez) is good; 7-0, AH.
RUSH (7:47) – SB, Trevor Fabing, 7-yard touchdown, PAT (Celestino Granados) is good; 7-7, tied.
RUSH (:26) – SB, Nick Acosta, 5-yard touchdown, PAT (Celestino Granados) is good; 14-7, SB.
Third Quarter
KICK – SB, Celestino Granados, 33-yard field goal; 17-7, SB.
ANDREW HILL STATISTICS
Passing: David Floris – 12 of 19, 115 yards, 1 TD, 2 INT; Stephon McConnon – 0 of 1, 0 yards. Rushing: Ronnie Isles – 7 attempts, 26 yards; Arturo Rodriguez – 13 attempts, 46 yards; Thomas Everett – 4 attempts, 13 yards; David Floris – 5 attempts, -21 yards; Manuel Pablo – 3 attempts, -4 yards. Receiving: Jacques White – 2 receptions, 13 yards; Ronnie Isles – 1 reception, 8 yards; Manuel Pablo – 1 reception, 6 yards; Ugochukwu Kas-osoka – 4 receptions, 46 yards; Thomas Everett – 1 reception, 8 yards; Richard Meek – 3 receptions, 34 yards, 1 TD.
SAN BENITO STATISTICS
Passing: Trevor Fabing – 2 of 9, 10 yards. Rushing: Cody Hendricks – 5 attempts, 30 yards; Nick Acosta – 14 attempts, 60 yards, 1 TD; Andre Cornell – 1 attempt, 11 yards; Trevor Fabing – 9 attempts, 40 yards, 1 TD; Tyler Decker – 1 attempt, -2 yards; Felipe Davila – 1 attempt, -3 yards; Wayne Urbina – 6 attempts, 16 yards; Nathan Castro – 3 attempts, 26 yards. Receiving: Josh Brooks – 1 reception, 7 yards; Felipe Davila – 1 reception, 3 yards.
TOTAL OFFENSE
Andrew Hill – 175 yards (115 pass, 60 rush)
San Benito – 188 yards (10 pass, 178 rush)
JV Note: More to come.
Frosh Note: The San Benito freshmen team did not play on Friday night. The Haybalers will open at Lincoln next Thursday.
Kick-off is at 4:30 p.m.
