As the Central Coast Section playoffs start on Friday, the question for the San Benito High football team is this: Can the Balers defend their Division I championship and finish off another season in magical fashion?
“We already have the mindset that we can take everyone down even though we’re not favored to win it, just like last year,” said tailback Zak Hicks, who rushed for a team-high 74 yards on nine carries in last week’s 14-0 loss to Palma-Salinas.
San Benito (5-5) earned the No. 4 seed in the Division I bracket and plays host to No. 5 Independence-San Jose (5-5) on Friday at 7 p.m. “We like to think of the playoffs as a fresh start, where we’re 0-0. Everyone has a new mentality because we’re just a better team than we were from the start of the season.”
Despite being 0-3 against some of the best teams in the section — Palo Alto, Los Gatos and Palma — the Haybalers have to feel confident entering the postseason because only one team in the Division I field — No. 2 Milpitas — would be considered a strong favorite over them in a head-to-head matchup.
Top seed Alvarez, despite its gaudy 10-0 record and a team San Benito could face in the semifinals, was actually demoted to the Monterey Bay League’s lower Pacific Division this season after taking a beating in the Gabilan in 2012. Granted, Alvarez is much improved but hardly a team that’s going to scare anyone else in the field.
The Balers actually scrimmaged Independence before the season started, and even though a lot of things have changed since then, Hicks feels the Balers’ linemen are more than capable of controlling the action up front again.
Independence finished in a tie for fourth place in the Mount Hamilton Division, behind Pioneer, Leland, Piedmont Hills and in a tie with Oak Grove. Among common opponents, the 76ers went 0-2 against Pioneer and Oak Grove, while San Benito was 2-0 against them.
The 76ers feature a potent rushing attack led by Marcel Johnson, who totaled 592 yards rushing in nine games. However, Independence isn’t one-dimensional offensively, as quarterback Norel Booker has shown the ability to beat opponents through the air.
Booker has completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 621 yards, a hefty 19.4-yards per completion. San Benito counters with one of the most balanced ground games in the section, with Hicks (638 yards on 93 carries) and quarterback David Stanton (571 on 98) leading the charge.
The biggest difference this year from an offensive standpoint is that San Benito’s passing game hasn’t been as productive as it was last season. That comes down to a combination of factors, including pass protection, the receiving core and the quarterback.
Palma stifled the Balers’ passing game last week, as Stanton finished just 4-of-13 for 51 yards. However, there is no Palma to contend with in the D-I field.
“When I saw the brackets come out, my initial reaction was ‘sweet, we’ve got home field advantage in our first game,’” Hicks said. “That’s everything for us.”
The playoffs will have extra-special meaning for Hicks, who played sparingly in last year’s championship playoff run after suffering a right foot injury in the opening round against Alisal, a 28-0 victory.
“I was heartbroken,” Hicks said. “I didn’t even purchase a (championship) ring because I didn’t feel like I contributed enough. This year I’m looking to change that.”
