San Benito football team takes in first full-pads practice last
weekend at Team First Football Camp
SALINAS
Bob Rawles had a goal entering last weekend’s Team First Football Camp in Salinas. The newly appointed offensive coordinator for the Haybalers was searching for some players who can properly block linebackers.
It might sound relatively easy — finding a person who likes to block, and who’s good at it, on a football field. But in football, and especially under San Benito’s triple-option attack, finding proper blockers perhaps carries more weight than its on-the-surface simplicity.
It’s arguably the biggest key to the triple option, a three-pronged run-first attack that allows the quarterback to pitch the football to the halfback, the fullback, or keep it himself while zigging and zagging upfield. Blocking at the line and out near the numbers is the only thing that moves the chains, and is the reason for the offense putting points on the board.
In other words, it’s important. And Rawles found a trio on offense — Tyler Decker, James Sanchez and Anthony Cervantes — that stood out last weekend by standing up to the defense.
Watching players lift weights during the offseason can only reveal so much.
“I came into this looking for people that can block linebackers, and we found some guys that could,” said Rawles, who will take over the OC position this year for Bryan Smith, the team’s coordinator from the last three seasons. Smith is trying to complete classes at Cal State – Monterey Bay, but will remain on staff as San Benito’s quarterbacks and fullbacks coach next season.
“We also found some guys that need practice,” added Rawles, who coached special teams last season for the Balers. “We’re improving on offense from where we were at this point last year. But we need to work just as hard, if not harder, than last year’s team to keep improving.”
And that is where last weekend’s Team First Football Camp can act as a bit of a reference point.
Last year’s team, already with plenty of varsity experience under its belt, was still undergoing the process of learning its new triple-option attack, while this year’s team, which is lacking in the experience department, is said to be on schedule with the offense, if not further along in the learning process, due to those returning players.
It’s the classic give-and-take situation.
In a way, San Benito is at a similar point in the learning curve as it was this time last year, although the circumstances are far different.
Said Rawles, “This year we’ve learned how to do all the basic stuff, as well as add a few wrinkles because we are that much more educated (with the offense).”
Friday and Saturday’s camp at North Salinas High, where North Monterey County, Lincoln, Everett Alvarez, Clovis and host North Salinas were all in attendance, was the first full-pads experience for the incoming varsity since December.
Naturally, with the calendar month still reading July, coaches weren’t ready to sign off on anything just yet, although finding key pieces on offense and simply lining up against actual competition never hurts.
“There were times we looked real sharp pounding the ball and there were times that we didn’t, and that was what I was expecting on July 9 and 10,” San Benito head coach Chris Cameron said. “Overall, we’re getting better as a team out here, and we learned a lot about some of the guys.”
With only three returning starters, San Benito’s vaunted defense from a year ago perhaps had the most to show last weekend.
“I thought it went well,” said Ryan Di Salvo, an incoming junior who played mostly at defensive end last year. “I think we have some areas to work on, but we have a long time to work on them.”
Di Salvo, who, along with Marcos Silva and Conner Stevens, represents the three returning starters on the Balers, said the team needs to improve on its defensive assignments as well as playing more physical — the latter of which tends to be synonymous with San Benito defenses by Week 1.
Rawles said at this point last year, though, San Benito upped the intensity toward the start of the season, working “pretty darn hard” from Team First to their first game. It will take a similar effort this offseason as well, especially if this new crop plans on replicating last season’s success.
At the very least, the blue print is there.
“When school starts, that’s when we get into pads and that’s when we figure out who’ll be able to hang and do good for us this year,” Di Salvo said.
“We had a lot of good players that left as seniors and we need to fill those spots. But I think we have the guys that can do it. I think we’ll be all right.”
