The situation looked bleak as usual.
The San Benito High football team trailed rival Palma 13-0 early in the third quarter, and all signs pointed to another demoralizing loss to one of the top-tier teams in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division.
Perhaps the Haybalers were simply sick and tired of losing games in the last minute in agonizing fashion. Perhaps the energy inside their stadium got them to play at a level many knew they were capable of.
Whatever it was, the Haybalers changed the script on Friday night, earning a pivotal 17-13 victory that all but clinched a Central Coast Section playoff berth. Just as important, San Benito (5-4 overall, 2-3 league) regained its mojo, something that had been absent since a Sept. 26 win over Oak Grove.
“This feels amazing,” junior two-way standout Andrew Sotelo said. “We’re just learning from our mistakes from the previous games, and that helped us overcome adversity in this game.”
Did it ever. Against a powerful Palma (8-1, 4-1) squad that entered the contest undefeated, the Balers beat their rivals for the first time since 2011. And they did it impressive fashion, overcoming a 13-0 deficit by playing smashmouth defense and utilizing a power run game that wore out the Palma defense as the game went on.
In other words, the Balers did what they couldn’t do in league losses to Alvarez, Monterey and Salinas—they finished. There comes a time in every playoff-type game—it can be a moment that defines a season—when a play just has to be made.
Enter Sotelo. On the opening series of the third quarter, San Benito was driving when Sotelo—a strong safety, cornerback and receiver—caught a pass near midfield before getting wrapped up by two Palma defenders.
Instead of going down, Sotelo tried to fight for more yardage before a third Palma defender came in, and Sotelo’s left leg twisted awkwardly. One of the team’s most inspirational players, Sotelo had to be helped off the field.
And that lit a fire under the San Benito players who simply played at a higher level in the second half. Five plays later, Justice Felice scored on a 9-yard touchdown run, cutting the Balers’ deficit to 13-7 with 7:18 left in the quarter.
Quarterback R.J. Clark had a pair of 13-yard runs to help set up the score. The Balers scored the go-ahead TD on a Sotelo 41-yard run coming off a reverse sweep. Sotelo, who was lined up on the left side of the field, came around to his right as the Balers faked a run to the left.
The play fooled the Palma defense, and Sotelo had a huge lane in the middle of the field before he sprinted down the right seam to the end zone, accounting for the final TD of the game with 9:32 remaining.
“I came around on the sweep and it threw everyone off,” Sotelo said. “That was a well-timed play, and it gave us the momentum we needed. We’ve had that play for a while, but it hadn’t been executed to our best. Tonight we got it done.”
Speaking of getting it done, the San Benito defense pitched a shutout in the second half, limiting Palma to a paltry 62 yards in that span and 241 for the game, well under the Chieftains’ season averages.
The Balers, meanwhile, finished strong, totaling 291 yards of offense after being held to a season-low 78 yards in the first half. Carlos Miranda hit a crucial 30-yard field goal with 1:47 to go, forcing the Chieftains to score a TD for the win.
They couldn’t get it done. Palma reached the Balers’ 35-yard line on the game’s final play before San Benito made the tackle as time expired. Pandemonium ensued, as the players rushed the field to celebrate what could be a season-changing victory.
Balers coach Chris Cameron told his team afterward how special it could be, and only time will tell if that statement comes to fruition. Felice had 88 yards on 17 carries, 86 of which came in the second half.
Behind a surging offensive line, Felice repeatedly went up the gut of the Palma defense, and Clark found room on the option keeper, finishing with 68 yards on 17 carries. Entering the game, Cameron said his team would need to play perfect to knock off Palma.
Well, the Balers did play perfect—in the second half when it mattered the most.
“It feels great to put it all together,” Felice said. “I could hear the crowd the whole time, and it pumps you up. The energy of the fans gets you ready just to hit people—and I love hitting people.”
As San Benito was driving in for its first score, there was a feeling on the sideline that it could do what it hadn’t done against a winning team in league all season—finish. One player shouted, “We can do this.”
An assistant coach implored everyone they had to believe they could get it done. And then, for the first time in over two months against a team with a winning record, the Balers did more than finish—their second-half comeback sent one of the best teams in the section down to defeat.
“Because it was Palma, it made the win that much sweeter,” said Sotelo, who missed only a couple of plays after he was helped off the field. “In the fourth quarter when there was so much action and the crowd was going wild, I said, ‘This is what we live for.’”
