Through four games, the Balers are still looking for four
straight quarters of strong play, but Friday they might have come
the closest to reaching that goal.
San Benito finished off its non-league play Friday at Andy
Hardin Field by tying Willow Glen 21-21 to enter league play
1-2-1.
HOLLISTER
Through four games, the Balers are still looking for four straight quarters of strong play, but Friday they might have come the closest to reaching that goal.
San Benito finished off its non-league play Friday at Andy Hardin Field by tying Willow Glen 21-21 to enter league play 1-2-1.
Despite the close game, and lack of a loss, the Balers let one go, allowing 15 straight points to Willow Glen after taking a 21-6 lead in the second quarter, turning the ball over three times in the process.
The defense held strong through all four quarters, though, limiting the Rams offense to only three scores despite great field position throughout the game.
“The defense played great,” coach Chris Cameron said. “We need to work on some things on offense.”
For a story on a delay to the game caused by lightning, go here.
After allowing six points early, the San Benito defense shut down the spread attack from Willow Glen and quarterback Mitchell Ravizza, who threw the ball 40 times for 227 yards.
Linebacker Jonathan Huaracha led the way for the Balers, contributing one of the Balers’ three sacks. Huaracha’s sack, though, might have been the biggest play of the night for the Balers.
With the Balers still holding a 21 to 13 lead, Willow Glen was attempting to tie the game with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter. Driving down the field at the Balers 17-yard line, the Rams faced a fourth down needing two yards to keep the drive going.
Ravizza dropped back and attempted to run for the two-yards but Huaracha blazed through the line on a delayed blitz to end the threat.
Sadly, though, the offense stalled on its next possession to set up the tying score for Willow Glen.
With a little more than six minutes left in the game, the Rams tied the score on second down play from the Balers’ 12-yard line.
In the final six minutes, the Rams and Balers traded possession but neither could break the 21-21 tie.
Through the first quarter and a half, things looked bright for the Balers, as San Benito held a 21-6 lead.
The big San Benito play came late in the second quarter on a fade pass from quarter Michael Bocksnick to receiver Robert Soto.
In the bottom-left corner of the end zone, Soto leaped over the Rams defender and grabbed the ball and kept a foot in bounds. The play was short lived, though, as the Rams quickly scored points, thanks to a 40-plus yard pass play.
At halftime, with the score 21-13, the game was delayed an extra 30-minutes because of a lightening sighting.
After the delay in the second half, the Balers offense struggled to keep momentum going.
Bocksnick finished the game going 4-10 for 43 yards and a touchdown. The speedy quarterback also rushed for 113 yards on 13 carries.
Sophomore running back Zak Hicks ran for 90 yards on 18 carries to lead the running backs. Following in last week’s footsteps, where the Balers had nine ball carriers, San Benito handed the ball off to seven backs – including Bocksnick.
Look for a complete game breakdown soon.
Below is the latest edition of the San Benito Score web show, profiling the plethora of backs used by the Baler offense:
