Milpitas quarterback Cameron Hernandez threw three touchdowns
and ran for another on Saturday at San Jose City College, where the
No. 3 Trojans built a 14-0 lead early in the game and held on to a
28-10 victory over the top-seeded Balers for the Division I
title
— Milpitas’ second CCS title in four years.
SAN JOSE
Michael Murphy could barely stand to watch. The San Benito linebacker squatted on the field following Saturday night’s Central Coast Section Division I championship against Milpitas, his hands placed over his facemask.
Fellow linebacker Robert Pinedo, with his hands on his hips, stood behind Murphy in silence and stared across the field at a jubilant Trojan team.
For those on San Benito, especially the seniors, it was certainly a difficult image to watch. But as good a season as San Benito had — winning 10 games and returning to the postseason after a two-year absence — claiming the Division I title just wasn’t meant to be.
“Not good at all,” said Pinedo, a senior, when asked how he felt afterward.
Milpitas quarterback Cameron Hernandez threw three touchdowns and ran for another on Saturday at San Jose City College, where the No. 3 Trojans built a 14-0 lead early in the game and held on to a 28-10 victory over the top-seeded Balers for the Division I title — Milpitas’ second CCS title in four years.
“They were a better football team than us; that was the difference tonight,” San Benito head coach Chris Cameron said. “Defensively I thought we played pretty well. We really couldn’t sustain anything on offense … but they’re just a better football team than us. Hats off to them.”
While San Benito (10-3) is certainly no stranger to the finals — this was its sixth trip to a CCS championship this decade — few perhaps penciled in the Balers for a postseason bid this year, let alone a championship appearance, after they combined for just seven wins the previous two seasons.
“No one actually expected us to come all this way, and that alone is a small victory,” senior offensive lineman Courtland Thompson said. “But being on varsity since I was a sophomore, I’ve always dreamed every year that we’d come here, especially after two losing seasons, and make it this far.
“There was a couple of missed assignments left and right, but we played our hearts out. Sometimes you end up on the losing side.”
Milpitas’ meaty offensive and defensive lines helped set the tone up front, and although the Balers did have their moments, the San Benito offense was held to just 152 yards, while the Trojans racked up 254 yards — 187 in the first half alone.
Saturday’s final was far closer than what the 18-point margin of victory may suggest, however. While Milpitas jumped out to a two-touchdown lead in the first quarter, the Balers grabbed the momentum when they pulled to within four points, at 14-10, heading into the final stanza.
But turnovers, of which San Benito had four, proved to be costly in the end.
“I think we weathered their storm,” Milpitas head coach Kelly King said. “We saw them play last week (against Salinas). They gave some points up, then came storming back and got it done.
“They did the same thing tonight. They held us down with our field position, but I think we weathered the storm and just started playing Trojan football.”
During last week’s semifinal round, No. 4 Salinas held a 13-0 halftime lead over San Benito only to see it evaporate in the third quarter when the Balers deposited 14 unanswered points on the Cowboys and stole a one-point win.
San Benito found itself in a similar hole on Saturday when Milpitas took a two-touchdown lead less than 10 minutes into regulation. While both scoring drives were set up by the deep ball, Hernandez stretched his way across the goal line for a 1-yard rushing touchdown on Milpitas’ opening drive just two minutes into the game, then scrambled out of the pocket to deliver a 22-yard lob pass to Michael Van Damme over the middle some eight minutes later.
“That was on me,” said free safety Sal Ornelas, who picked off a Hernandez pass later in the game. “I was supposed to be in man (coverage) and I saw the quarterback running and I stepped up and made a mistake. I count that on me.
“But overall, I think our defense held our own, just like we’ve been holding it all season.”
And while San Benito struggled with field position early on — its best start in the first half was from its own 37 — the Balers offense caught a break late in the first half when a fumbled snap on a Milpitas punt was recovered by Conner Stevens, resulting in a first-and-goal from the Trojan 9.
Fullback Nick Acosta then ran three straight times up the middle, the third burst equaling a 1-yard, second-effort touchdown that cut the deficit in half, and just before the half.
“They’re a great team and a great staff,” King said. “You’re not gonna walk through a game like this. You’re gonna be tested.”
Despite the halftime deficit, San Benito began to build upon its newfound momentum early in the third quarter when Ornelas’ interception provided another defensive stop, and the Balers took over at the Milpitas 38 as a result.
Three plays later, the Balers appeared they would tie the game at 14 when quarterback Trevor Fabing, who was playing in his first game since Nov. 13 when he suffered a type II shoulder separation against Gilroy, delivered a 35-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Rodriguez in the end zone. But a holding penalty was called on San Benito, voiding the touchdown, and the Balers would later punt.
“That changed the whole game right there,” said Fabing, who felt about 80 percent with the shoulder injury on Saturday night. “And I wish I had that throw back, that fingertip throw to Andre (Cornell).”
Fabing’s throw to Cornell came on the next offensive drive. After a short Milpitas punt gave San Benito the ball at the Trojan 22, Fabing found Cornell in the end zone, but lofted the ball just out of the senior wideout’s reach and incomplete.
“We didn’t sustain drives,” Fabing said. “It’s just hard.”
Settling for the field goal, though, San Benito’s Tino Granados punched in a 38-yard kick to make it 14-10 with 3:05 left in the third quarter.
“I couldn’t really throw the balls I needed to throw,” said Fabing, who finished 3 of 11 passing for 41 yards and one interception. “It was hard.”
And it didn’t get any easier for the Balers from there. Although senior cornerback Alex Alvarez picked off Hernandez’ first pass attempt on the ensuing drive, San Benito went three-and-out and lost Acosta to an apparent leg injury on its following possession.
The senior fullback, who finished with 12 carries for 53 yards, did not return.
“We had a little momentum here and there,” Cameron said. “We had great field position at times and they had horrible field position at times, but we never did anything to take advantage of it.
“They gave us opportunities, and we didn’t take advantage of those opportunities.”
All was not lost for the Balers, though. San Benito still trailed Milpitas 14-10 with 9:28 remaining in the game when it began a drive from its own 7. But just the second play in, Trojan Freddy Martinez forced a fumble on San Benito’s James Flook, and Milpitas’ Jon Fullbright recovered at the Baler 11.
Two plays later, Hernandez found Fullbright on a swing pass toward the left side, and the senior running back bulled his way across the goal line for a 9-yard touchdown and a 21-10 cushion with just more than eight minutes remaining.
But the momentum had shifted.
Milpitas put the game away just six minutes later when Hernandez connected on his third touchdown pass of the game. The 5-foot-11 signal-caller rolled out right and found Antonio Douglas for a 5-yard touchdown.
“I’m very proud to say that we made the finals on my senior year when we had losing seasons the past two seasons,” Murphy said. “I’m extremely happy about that. But we can’t do anything about [the loss].”
While defeat didn’t suit anybody on the Baler sideline, the realization of playing your final high school football game didn’t necessarily ease anyone’s spirits either. Murphy is one of 36 seniors on San Benito, which finishes this season with 10 wins — the first time the Balers have reached a double-digit win total since 2001.
“We didn’t get it. It’s crushing, but we’re gonna rebuild — that’s what Hollister does,” Thompson said. “Actually no, we don’t rebuild. We reload.”
Note: See Tuesday’s edition of the Hollister Free Lance for additional coverage of Saturday’s Division I championship.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
MILP 14 0 0 14 28
SANB 0 7 3 0 10
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
RUSH (10:12) — MILP, Cameron Hernandez, 1-yard touchdown, PAT (Alex Tran) is good; 7-0, MILP.
PASS (2:03) — MILP, Cameron Hernandez to Michael Van Damme, 22-yard touchdown, PAT (Alex Tran) is good; 14-0, MILP.
Second Quarter
RUSH (:58.9) — SANB, Nick Acosta, 1-yard touchdown, PAT (Tino Granados) is good; 14-7, MILP.
Third Quarter
KICK (3:05) — SANB, Tino Granados, 38-yard field goal; 14-10, MILP.
Fourth Quarter
PASS (8:33) — MILP, Cameron Hernandez to Jon Fullbright, 9-yard touchdown, PAT (Alex Tran) is good; 21-10, MILP.
PASS (2:46) — MILP, Cameron Hernandez to Antonio Douglas, 5-yard touchdown, PAT (Alex Tran) is good; 28-10, MILP.
MILPITAS STATISTICS
Passing: Cameron Hernandez — 14 of 25, 181 yards, 3 touchdowns, 2 interceptions. Rushing: Cameron Hernandez — 6 carries, 7 yards, 1 touchdown; Jon Fullbright — 14 carries, 25 yards; Ben Pomele — 12 carries, 41 yards. Receiving: Kwanzaa Striplin — 1 reception, 50 yards; Jordan Lockett — 1 reception, 46 yards; Ben Pomele — 3 receptions, 8 yards; Michael Van Damme — 2 receptions, 35 yards, 1 touchdown; Jon Fullbright — 3 receptions, 14 yards, 1 touchdown; Antonio Douglas — 4 receptions, 28 yards, 1 touchdown.
SAN BENITO STATISTICS
Passing: Trevor Fabing — 3 of 11, 41 yards, 1interception. Rushing: Trevor Fabing — 6 carries, 27 yards; Nick Acosta — 12 carries, 53 yards, 1 touchdown; Cody Hendricks — 2 carries, 5 yards; James Flook — 6 carries, 9 yards; Junior Davila — 1 carry, 3 yards; Wayne Urbina — 2 carries, 13 yards; Jordan Ashford — 1 carry, 1 yard. Receiving: Brandon Rodriguez — 1 reception, 26 yards; Andre Cornell — 2 receptions, 15 yards.
TOTAL OFFENSE
Milpitas — 254 yards (181 pass, 73 rush)
San Benito — 152 yards (41 pass, 111 rush)
TURNOVERS
Milpitas — 3
San Benito — 4
SACKS
Milpitas — 1 (Anthony Solima) for -8 yards.
San Benito — 1 (Jacob Benitez) for -5 yards.
