Many of the players who have established the Central Coast
Barnstormers as a semi-pro football power in Northern California
are likely to play their final game in Gilroy on Saturday
GILROY
Many of the players who have established the Central Coast Barnstormers as a semi-pro football power in Northern California are likely to play their final game in Gilroy on Saturday.
The Barnstormers, 9-1 on the season, earned the No. 2 seed in the Northern California Football League playoffs after winning the National Conference South Division. Central Coast will host the No. 3 Bay Area Buccaneers (8-2) at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex in Gilroy at 4 p.m.
The Bucs finished runner-up to the Pacifica Islanders (10-0) in the North Division, a team the Barnstormers would likely face if they earn the victory this weekend, and a team they certainly want to face one more time; the Islanders are the only team to defeat the Barnstormers this season, a 50-28 loss during Week 2.
During Week 3, though, the Barnstormers defeated the Bucs 24-10 at home, a win that sparked Central Coast’s eight-game winning streak to close out the season.
“It’s another rematch,” said Barnstormers head coach Greg Garcia, who will also be leaving the team after the season to focus solely on coaching Gilroy High’s football program. “The Bay Buccaneers are a great team. They’re a little more run dominated.”
Central Coast will continue to play through the air on offense, which has Garcia hoping for a higher-scoring game.
“It was said [Wednesday] night at practice … to come back to win it all,” Garcia said. “That’s still the goal – to win a championship.”
Getting past the Buccaneers, let alone topping the undefeated Islanders, will be no easy task. But history could be on the Barnstormers’ side. The last team to beat the Islanders was Central Coast three years ago, Garcia said.
