After outscoring Christopher and Gilroy 132 to 14 over the past two weeks, the Balers will attempt to win its third consecutive Monterey Bay League game Friday when they travel to play Alvarez.
With a win, San Benito will be above .500 for the first time since the season’s first week. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. at Everett Alvarez High School.
The Eagles have struggled in their first year in the MBL, going winless through the season’s first eight games.
Behind Damien Botelho, Zak Hicks and a strong SBHS defense, the Balers will enter the game with the upper hand.
The Balers (2-2 in the MBL, 4-4 overall) need to win at least one of the next two games to have a chance to make the Central Coast Section playoffs. The team will likely need both games – they close the 2012 season against Palma at home – to make the playoffs.
In the past two games, the Balers have limited their turnovers, while forcing 12, including eight during the Prune Bowl.
Senior defensive back Cody Cameron leads the team with five interceptions, including three in the past two weeks.
San Benito will need to continue that type of pressure on Alvarez, which has struggled to put up points all year. In eight games, the Eagles have scored more than two touchdowns only once. They’ve scored only 86 points all year long.
Anzar Football
The Hawks will go for the school’s first ever back-to-back wins Friday, when they travel to Portola Valley to face undefeated Woodside Priory in the season’s final game of the year.
Anzar (2-4 overall, 2-2 Mission Trail 8-man football league) is coming off the school’s most impressive win in two years. The Hawks dominated Alma Heights Christian on their way to a 56-24 win.
Thanks to the development of Gabriel Hatcher and Jeremy Cedeno, the Hawks look to continue that momentum against Priory, who defeated Anzar 44-14 a year ago.
The Panthers (6-0 overall, 4-0 in MTAL) bring a strong running game and defense. Woodside has defeated teams by an average of nearly 30 points per game.
Junior running back James McDaniel leads the attack for the Panthers, with 1,070 yards on 119 carries.
Friday’s game will be the last time on the field for seniors Cedeno, Hatcher and Jacob Imlay, who started on last year’s debut team.
