David Stanton and his teammates got the play call.
Rattle.
“It was actually a new play,” Stanton said. “We kind of put it in the game plan last week, and we had only practiced it a few times. I don’t ever remember running it in a game.”
No matter. It was now or never for the Haybalers, who saw a 21-point lead turn into a four-point deficit in Friday’s crucial game at Seaside. With just seconds left on the clock, San Benito had time for one play from the Seaside 20-yard line — a play that could potentially make or break its season.
The play called for tailback Zak Hicks to line up as a receiver in the slot position, then run a corner route to the left side of the end zone.
“We figured Seaside would suck (its coverage) to the middle,” Stanton said. “Things were kind of crazy, of course, but Seaside called a timeout before our final play, which helped us huddle and figure out what we were going to do.”
Stanton dropped back to pass, and then got leveled immediately after he released the ball. Hicks, who had gotten behind the Seaside defense from the opening steps of his route, made a leaping catch with no time on the clock to seal one of the most exciting wins in school history.
“The emotion was kind of similar to winning the CCS championship last year,” Stanton said. “Everyone was jumping around and amazed things worked out for us.”
Stanton was actually flat on his back when Hicks made the catch, so for a split second the senior signal-caller didn’t know if Hicks was able to secure the ball.
“But once I heard the crowd go crazy, I knew,” Stanton said. “And then I got really excited.”
Making last week’s finish all the more impressive was the fact that San Benito started the game’s final drive on its own 10-yard line with just 1:32 left on the clock. The Balers aren’t exactly a quick-strike, passing offense, but when they needed to be, they delivered.
Aided by a couple of crucial Seaside penalties — one of which was a roughing-the-passer penalty on a third-and-long situation — San Benito methodically marched down the field.
Stanton, who had completed only three or four passes until the final series, completed five on the final drive alone, capped by the game-winner to Hicks.
San Benito’s playoff chances increased exponentially with the victory, as the Balers improved to 4-4 overall and 2-2 in the Monterey Bay League Gabilan Division. With just two games left in the regular season, San Benito is tied for third place in the division with Seaside.
The top three teams in the Gabilan earn automatic berths into the section playoffs, and the league almost always gets a fourth team in as an at large. The Balers will probably still be on a high when they host Alisal on Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The Trojans (2-6, 0-4) are in last place in the Gabilan, but Stanton knows his team can’t take anyone for granted.
“My experience with Alisal is no matter what sport it is, they never give up,” he said. “They’re a team that’s been able to stick with some of the tougher teams in our league, but they haven’t been able to find a way to win. But they work hard and play hard, just like us, so we can’t look past them.”
Indeed, it wasn’t too long ago when the Balers were winless in league action, only to find their rhythm. While there wasn’t a single moment that turned San Benito’s season around, Stanton said after the team’s disappointing 35-21 loss to Monterey on Oct. 18, the players said enough was enough.
“We were tired of losing,” Stanton said. “That type of mentality helped us on our final drive against Seaside. We just let things go and took chances, and we’re not allowing ourselves to lose basically.”
ANZAR ROLLS
Playing in its second to last game of the season, the Hawks (5-3 overall, 3-3 8-man league football) rolled to a 58-32 non-league win over Rincon Valley Christian-Santa Rosa last Saturday.
Anzar piled up a season-high 448 yards on the ground, averaging a hefty 9.74 yards per carry. Marcos Galvan and Sergio Gonzalez led the way with 219 and 156 yards, respectively.
Both players carried the ball 15 times, and quarterback Sam Jimenez was also a force in the run game, rushing 14 times for 65 yards. The trio combined for all seven Anzar touchdowns, four from Gonzalez.
After a slow start — Anzar started the season 0-2 after having five key starters out for the first three games of the season due to grades — it has won five of its last six contests.
“It feels good to be on the streak we’re on, and it’s something to be proud of,” Hawks coach Luis Espinoza said. “We needed this type of season for our program to continue to improve and get it to another level.”
Anzar literally beat up on a thin Rincon Valley squad, as the game was called with five minutes left in the third quarter due to the Eagles having only eight players available to play after two starters got hurt in the first quarter.
Despite the lopsided nature of the final score, the game was actually somewhat competitive at halftime, with Anzar holding a 28-12 lead. However, the Hawks put up a 30-spot in the third to win going away.
They also made some key defensive adjustments, double-teaming Rincon Valley’s top receiver, and making him a non-factor the rest of the way. Rincon Valley threw for 150 yards in the first half, but was limited to just 25 passing yards after halftime.
The Hawks figure to receiver a much stiffer challenge in their season-finale playing at Alma Heights Christian of Pacifica at 1 p.m. Saturday.
“It’ll be nerve-wracking, but a very competitive game,” Espinoza said.
Anzar’s third-year coach knows Alma Heights quarterback Josh Cayetano is the real deal. Cayetano is a multi-purpose threat who can beat teams throwing or running the ball, and he’s got two outstanding running backs in Gabe Bautista (451 yards) and Matthew Ross (351 yards).
Espinoza said he’s got the more physical team, but Alma Heights’ passing attack could pose a major issue for the Anzar defense. Not only is Saturday’s game Anzar’s season finale, but it gives the team a chance to put an exclamation point on a breakthrough year.
In just its third year as a program, a sixth victory would triple the amount of wins from the first two years’ combined.
