Bryan Smith had to think a little when asked why he plays
football for the Central Coast Barnstormers, an amateur football
team he has toiled at quarterback for the past four seasons.
Bryan Smith had to think a little when asked why he plays football for the Central Coast Barnstormers, an amateur football team he has toiled at quarterback for the past four seasons.
“I love coming out and playing football because 11-man football is the ultimate team sport,” said Smith, whose Barnstormers face Elk Grove in a Golden State Amateur Football playoff game this Saturday at South Valley Junior High in Gilroy. “This team has a chance to win a championship. And a championship is a championship.”
Smith, like the team itself which is 10-1, is having a banner season. Taking into consideration that two of the Barnstormers’ victories were forfeit wins, plus having missed the Barnstormers’ game with Elk Grove during the regular season due to the flu bug, Smith has played in just eight games. He leads the league in passing with a rating of 102.8, completing 125 out of 216 attempts, nearly 58 per cent. Smith has thrown 22 touchdown passes, five coming in a game against the Sonora Sting on April 6. He set a league passing record for most yards in a game with 433 yards vs. the Twin City Cougars on April 19. In the Barnstomers’ only loss, which came at the hands of the South Bay Buccaneers, Smith set the league record for most passes in a game with 43.
“Bryan is one of the best quarterbacks in the league,” said Barnstormers second-year head coach Norm Kabbani. “He’s an excellent leader, physically, mentally and socially. I have complete confidence with him running the offense.”
Elk Grove head coach Tom Patrick didn’t see Smith this year, but remembers him from last year’s game.
“He has a very accurate arm and has good reads,” said Patrick of Smith. “He’s the top-rated passer in the league.”
Smith’s strengths may lie inside the brain.
“I’m probably best reading defenses,” said Smith. “I can tell what’s going to be open. I know where my receivers are at all times. We have anywhere from three to five wideouts on any one play. This is a sophisticated offense with a lot of terminology.”
Smith, a Hollister High alum of ’93, throws to four or five receivers and doesn’t particularly have a go-to receiver. The leading Barnstormers receiver is former Baler Slade Williams, a ’95 grad of Hollister High. Williams has 23 receptions, one more than teammate Alvin Sylvestre.
“Sylvestre is my big-play guy,” said Smith. “Slade is more my possession receiver on third down plays.”
“We think a lot a like,” said Williams of his relationship with Smith. “We’re on the same page. We both look at the defense and see what will work. When Bryan is relaxed, he can do some things that you don’t think he can do. He’s really effective when he’s relaxed and settled down. He sometimes gets excited during big games.”
Credits his props
Smith is the first to give credit where credit is due.
“I have to give credit to my props,” said Smith about his offensive line. “They’re the best. I don’t like to scramble, but I might have to make something happen in the playoffs.”
Smith wasn’t sacked in the first three games of the season and estimates he has been dropped behind the line about ‘seven or eight times’ this year.
The Barnstormers’ offensive line consists of two ex-Balers – center Joe Rodriguez and left guard Jason Russell – right guard Joffre Longoria, left tackle Jessie James, right tackles Brian Cortez and Ralph Jessen, who rotate. Tight end Steve Sisko blocks most of the time, but flares out on occasional pass plays.
Smith is also dependent on lone setback Tommy Jimenez, out of Fremont High and Sunnyvale.
“Bryan is the perfect quarterback,” said Jimenez, who comes all the way from Los Banos. “He’s smart and knows how to take control of the team. I’d lay blocks for him anytime.”
Starred as a Baler
Smith was a pioneer of sorts for Haybaler football. He started at the helm his junior and senior seasons (91-92). The school had joined the Monterey Bay League in 1987 and hadn’t won a league game until Smith’s junior year, a five-year drought for league wins. When he was a senior, he was tabbed the Most Valuable Player in the MBL.
“We didn’t run the option then like we do now, but I would have to say Bryan was one of the best quarterbacks we had in the ’90’s,” said Rick Dukes, who was defensive coordinator of that ’92 team. “He’s one the most accurate quarterbacks we have ever had. His arm strength average, but he has the ability to look off defenders and lead the receivers on the money.”
Smith has worked out with prospective Hollister varsity quarterbacks Karson Klauer and Jeff Hawks the past few weeks, mostly concentrating on footwork. Dukes has been along, as well, to call the plays.
“I let him run some drills he has learned over the year,” said Dukes.
“Bryan is real good. He knows his stuff,” said Klauer. “He knows a lot and is teaching me a lot about reading defenses.”
Out of high school, Smith attended Gavilan College then enrolled at Chico State.
“They dropped the football program the year I was there,” said Smith. “A lot of the guys transferred to Sac-State or places like that, but I stayed at Chico.”
Since becoming a Barnstormer, Smith’s biggest thrills have come at the hands of the Solano Chiefs.
“We had our first playoff win against them two years ago,” said Smith. “And we beat them again this year. They’re one of the teams in the league that is highly-regarded and you want to beat.”
Should Smith guide the Barnstormers to their first amateur football title, he’ll have a bigger thrill than just beating the Solano Chiefs, who were eliminated by Elk Grove last week.
Three more wins and Smith and the Barnstormers will have notched a championship. For after all, a championship is a championship, which is why he plays the game.
