San Benito, Live Oak play in final TCAL game between both
squads
Hollister – San Benito and Live Oak will be matching up for one final time tonight as Tri-County Athletic League opponents. With Live Oak moving to the Blossom Valley Athletic League, the history between the two teams comes to an end.
“Both teams are in a must-win situation,” said San Benito coach Chris Cameron. “It is at their place, so they should come out blazing. Hopefully, we’ll be up to the challenge.”
Last year, San Benito (4-4, 2-1 TCAL) won 23-8. Only a late touchdown pass kept San Benito from walking away with a shutout in the homecoming game.
Although Live Oak (3-5, 1-2 TCAL) hasn’t beat San Benitio since 1998, the Acorns are never an easy opponent. The Acorns have a deep playbook that keeps opponents guessing.
But Live Oak isn’t the only one with a deep playbook. Last week in the 17-13 loss at Salinas, San Benito pulled out a nifty double lateral pass to score late in the game.
Both teams are coming off of tough losses and are looking to gain some momentum in their final two games to make a playoff push. The Acorns were hammered 55-14 against Palma, who San Benito will see in the season finale.
Live Oak also was narrowly defeated by Salinas. A touchdown with 5:57 left tied the game, and then a field goal with 50 seconds left gave Salinas the victory.
“Hollister is always a very good football team,” said Live Oak coach Rick Booth. “We got to do our best to stop their running game and their passing game. The basic thing is to have the athletes to do it. We’re going to try to move the ball a little and take some time off the clock.”
The Acorns are lead by Justin Sweeney, who earlier this year surpassed Gilroy’s Justin Sweeney as the league’s leading rusher. Currently he has almost 1,200 yards and 20 touchdowns on 199 attempts. The Acorns also have Kevin Abbot, who can also turn in a quick play from the back field.
“They complement each other well,” Cameron said. “That gives them a lot of balance. They are something special. They hit the hole well then turn it up an extra gear and accelerate. We don’t have the speed they possess in back field, but I think we’re pretty well balanced.”
San Benito and Live Oak are right in the middle of the pack along with Salinas and Gilroy. All four teams are contending for second place in the league, which would earn them an automatic playoff spot.
“It’s a very physical league,” Booth said. “Last week we were just outmatched. All I ask is they come out and play hard, and they’ve done that all year, even against Palma.”
If San Benito could win its final two games, the Balers could still finish tied with Palma for the league title. And if Salinas defeats Gilroy this week, there could be a three-way tie.
“If we win our last two games, we would be the league’s No. 1 seed,” Cameron said. “But we can’t think past this week.”
