‘Balers know Trojans pose a stiff challenge; TCAL second place
and CCS positioning at stake tonight
Hollister – Homecoming or not, the San Benito football team takes the field against Alisal at Andy Hardin Stadium with a clear mind-set. In a three-way tie with the Trojans and Gilroy for second place in the Tri-County Athletic League at 2-1, the ‘Balers know tonight’s outcome will go a long way toward determining their league and playoff future.
“It’s a must-win game,” San Benito quarterback Ronnie Fhurong said. “Our records are the same. Gotta win it.”
Just like the ‘Balers, who suffered a hard-fought loss to Palma after overcoming a 14-point deficit last Friday, Alisal (5-2) enters the game riding a big emotional swing from its last game. But for the Trojans, it was the huge morale boost of recovering from a 22-0 hole at Gilroy to win 29-22, handing the Mustangs an embarrassing defeat on their Homecoming.
And the ‘Balers (5-2) are well aware Alisal is quite capable of doing the same to them.
“They are a no-quit football team,” San Benito head coach Chris Cameron said. “They’re going to be tough, aggressive, physical, and they play with a never-say-die attitude. … I think this is going to be a total war, a total battle for the whole game.”
In addition to leaning heavily on its standout defense, which largely contained Palma until surrendering a bruising, fourth-quarter drive last week, San Benito looks to pound the Trojans off the ball to keep their offense on the sidelines.
“Offensively, we need to take care of the football and sustain drives,” ‘Balers offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said. “If we’re fortunate enough to get a lead, we need to continue to be aggressive in terms of trying to score because they don’t ever quit and, as the Gilroy game showed, no lead is too safe.”
Asked to pinpoint a few areas of focus for his team, Cameron listed playing well in the special teams game, winning the turnover battle and converting third downs. Not incidentally, those were the three areas the ‘Balers struggled the most in while falling 28-21 to Palma.
With the Chieftains (6-1, 4-0 TCAL) set to play Gilroy tonight, the San Benito–Alisal winner appears to have a strong shot at holding sole possession of second place in the TCAL by night’s end. Regardless of the Palma-Gilroy outcome, the ‘Balers know they can ill afford a two-game losing streak.
Only the top-two teams in the league are guaranteed Central Coast Section playoff bids. While the ‘Balers should earn an at-large bid based on the strength of their overall record, they need to finish the regular season strong to receive a high seed and the resulting first-round home game.
San Benito and Alisal, former Monterey Bay League rivals, will face off for the first time in a TCAL game tonight.
Their most recent contest was a first-round CCS game in 2005, a game the ‘Balers won 34-10.
