If it weren’t for another team on the field at Felton, a team
dressed in black with a Cougar paw on their helmet, one might
suspect that the San Benito Haybalers lost to the referees on
Saturday.
Felton – If it weren’t for another team on the field at Felton, a team dressed in black with a Cougar paw on their helmet, one might suspect that the San Benito Haybalers lost to the referees on Saturday.
When it was all said and done, the ‘Balers lost 25-8 to San Lorenzo Valley. They also lost 141 yards to 14 penalties, compared to SLV’s five penalties for 55 yards.
While not all the penalties called against San Benito were, well, uncalled for, there were some flat-out comical ones.
The highlight was an 18-yard rush by ‘Baler Anthony Padilla that brought the ball to SLV’s 24-yard line. After the play, San Benito was flagged for a dead ball, block in the back.
Realizing the penalty is impossible (since you can’t block someone in the back after the play is over), it was changed to a dead ball, personal foul, and the ball was spotted on SLV’s 39-yard line.
I’m not a believer that penalties can win or lose ball games for certain teams. While they can change the momentum of the game, and even make the penalized team frustrated and divided, for a moment on Saturday, standing along the sidelines, the slew of penalties nearly revived the ‘Balers.
Quite the opposite effect of what a penalty normally does.
After hitting paydirt in the third quarter, and cutting SLV’s lead to 16-8, the San Benito sideline seemed to get a second wind.
After the penalty that placed San Benito on SLV’s 39-yard line, quarterback Ronnie Fhurong hit David De La Cruz for 37-yards down the left sideline. Running back Abel Jacquez then went right up the middle for a 2-yard touchdown, and a pass to tight end Miles Sanchez for the two-point conversion suddenly had the ‘Balers breathing life.
During a period of about six minutes – from 7:31 to 1:48 – in the third quarter, the ‘Balers seemed to come together.
But SLV’s 80-yard drive, ending in a 20-yard quarterback keeper from Cougar Ian McGinnis, squashed the hopes for the ‘Balers.
After the game, the ‘Baler players spoke of team unity.
“There were a lot of questionable calls, but we should have been able to win that game,” said junior running back Mitchell Cook. “The (first) win will be big, but just for the team to come together is what we need to worry about right now. Once that starts to happen, then we’ll start winning.”
“We didn’t come together,” said junior running back Sebastian Cathirell. “Football is a team sport. We need to come together as a team and just work hard … We need to man-up and start winning some games.”
Senior offensive linemen Wade Jacobson also spoke of the team.
“We have a young team,” he said, adding that the squad needs to play “11 as one.”
The ‘Balers did seem to hit the rejuvenation button after Jacquez’ score that had San Benito down by eight points with almost six minutes left in the third quarter. They seemed like they were going to take those penalties and reverse them on their head.
But this is where the team unity comes in – in moments like those when everyone needs to step up together. Like Jacobson said, 11 as one.
Of course, it’s easy to point at the penalties, no matter how comical or questionable they are, and I applaud the ‘Balers for looking beyond that.
For a moment, after Jacquez’ score, the ‘Balers seemed like they were coming together, and it didn’t matter how many penalties the refs called, they were going to win this game.
As we all know, that’s not how it happened. But the team is at least on the path of figuring out why their record reads 0-2.
Team unity. Leadership. Coming together. Eleven as one.
That’s what the preseason is all about.
At a Glance
Player of the Game
Quarterback Ronnie Fhurong. Although Fhurong was only 5 of 13 for 50 yards in the air, on the ground, he ran 16 times for 92 yards, good enough for an average of 5.75 yards per carry.
Stat of the Game
While the 4-0 turnover margin in SLV’s favor stood out, the penalties were a telling factor in Saturday’s game. The ‘Balers were called for 14 penalties for 141 yards, compared to SLV’s seven penalties for 55 yards.
Hit of the Game
In the second quarter on a third-and-five, SLV’s Ian McGinnis hit Philip Salibi with a 3-yard pass. But before Salibi could advance the ball for a first down, the 6-foot-2-inch 190-pound wide receiver was stood up by ‘Baler defensive back Zach Canez and drilled to the turf. End result? Fourth-and-two and SLV was forced to punt.
Play of the Game
Quarterback Ronnie Fhurong’s 37-yard pass to David De La Cruz. After an 18-yard rush by running back Anthony Padilla that brought the ball to SLV’s 24-yard line, a penalty called on San Benito spotted the ball back to the 39-yard line. The ‘Balers rebounded, however, as Fhurong connected with De La Cruz for 37 yards, which set up a 2-yard score by Abel Jacquez.
Quote of the Game
“There were a lot of questionable calls, but we should have been able to win that game. The (first) win will be big, but just for the team to come together is what we need to worry about right now. Once that starts to happen, then we’ll start winning.”
– Mitchell Cook, junior running back.
