San Benito High boys’ soccer
After four straight games in which the San Benito boys’ soccer
team lost by a single goal to Salinas, Gilroy, Palma and Alisal,
the Haybalers finally lit up the scoreboard Tuesday with a
four-goal shutout of visiting North Salinas, and snapped a
five-game winless streak in the process.
Although the final score could have very well reached double
digits – the Balers had countless scoring opportunities – the 4-0
win was certainly satisfying for San Benito head coach Ramiro
Ramos.
”
I really expected us to take more control of the game,
”
Ramos said.
”
We weren’t finishing like we’re supposed to be.
”
We missed three right at the beginning that should have gone
in.
”
Ivan Martinez had a pair of assists in the win, which improves
San Benito to 2-6-1 in the Tri-County Athletic League, 5-10-1
overall.
Thursday’s game at Everett Alvarez was held after The Pinnacle’s
press time.
San Benito High boys’ soccer
After four straight games in which the San Benito boys’ soccer team lost by a single goal to Salinas, Gilroy, Palma and Alisal, the Haybalers finally lit up the scoreboard Tuesday with a four-goal shutout of visiting North Salinas, and snapped a five-game winless streak in the process.
Although the final score could have very well reached double digits – the Balers had countless scoring opportunities – the 4-0 win was certainly satisfying for San Benito head coach Ramiro Ramos.
“I really expected us to take more control of the game,” Ramos said. “We weren’t finishing like we’re supposed to be.
“We missed three right at the beginning that should have gone in.”
Ivan Martinez had a pair of assists in the win, which improves San Benito to 2-6-1 in the Tri-County Athletic League, 5-10-1 overall.
Thursday’s game at Everett Alvarez was held after The Pinnacle’s press time.
San Benito High girls’ basketball
Despite leading by a narrow two-point margin after one complete quarter, the San Benito Balers simply took over the rest of the game and picked apart a visiting and winless Everett Alvarez team en route to a dominating 67-21 rout last Friday night in Hollister.
Vanessa Farias led all scorers with 14 points – all in the first half – and paced the San Benito squad to a 13th straight victory of the season.
Everyone scored for the Balers, who improved to 7-0 in the Tri-County Athletic League and 17-3 overall.
Kelsey Russell had nine points Friday, while teammates Lauren Ademek and Megan Halstead each contributed eight. Jennifer Guerrero, Cassie Pate and Mari Vallejo scored five points apiece in the tune-up win.
San Benito will visit North Salinas tonight, Friday.
Homecoming festivities served as the backdrop to Friday’s game, though, and it may have led to a slow start from the Balers.
“There was a lot going on at the beginning of the game,” San Benito head coach David Kaplansky said. “We had a different lineup out there. We had a delay during warm-ups and we came out in a zone (defense).
“We did a couple of different things at the beginning of the game. But I felt once that first quarter was over, we got into our rhythm.”
San Benito led 15-13 after the first period, but held Alvarez to just eight points for the remainder of the game. The Balers, meanwhile, blew the game open with 52 points over the final three quarters.
Earlier in the week, San Benito defeated Salinas 49-38 behind 20 points from Farias. Erin Glasspool had 13.
San Benito High girls’ soccer
Hannah Cobb turned right and punched in what eventually turned out to be the game winner during the 34th minute last Friday when the San Benito girls’ soccer team turned back visiting Alisal 2-1.
The victory snapped back-to-back losses San Benito previously suffered when they lost to Gilroy 3-0 and Notre Dame 1-0.
“This was big because now we can still beat the next teams coming up and it will give us a boost,” forward Daniela Ocampo said.
The Balers were 4-2-2 in the Tri-County Athletic League as a result of the win. However, the team was slated to play at North Salinas Wednesday, after The Pinnacle’s press time.
San Benito staved off each of Alisal’s attempts early in the game, and went up 1-0 just six minutes into regulation when Cobb delivered a cross pass to Ocampo, who trapped it before depositing into the back of the net.
In the 34th minute, Ocampo returned the favor by setting up Cobb on the short wall pass, giving the Balers a 2-0 halftime lead.
San Benito High boys’ basketball
Led by a season-high 23 points from senior wing Jason Canchola, the San Benito boys’ basketball team survived several scares late and staved off host Everett Alvarez in a wild 70-66 overtime victory in Salinas last Thursday night.
The win was San Benito’s third straight, and improves the team to 3-4 in the Tri-County Athletic League. The team’s scheduled game against North Salinas on Thursday took place after The Pinnacle’s press time.
“I think we’re playing a bit more relaxed out there,” said junior forward Kyle Vallejo, who finished with 10 points last Thursday. “We’re not as stressed trying to go after it. We had nothing to lose, 0-4 (in league) going into it and we’re playing a little more relaxed.”
Playing relaxed certainly helps when you’re on the road and in overtime.
After the Eagles failed on three consecutive game-winning attempts in the final 37 seconds of a 58-all game, San Benito set the tone in the extra four-minute period when Vallejo connected on two of two free throws to start, and Canchola sunk a trey to put the Balers up by five early on.
Alvarez cut the deficit to two points with 1:14 remaining in overtime when Jordan Gomez made a jumper in the paint. But San Benito moved the ball around the perimeter on the ensuing possession, wasting plenty of clock before Canchola drilled the dagger when he hit another 3-pointer with 40 ticks left.
Of his 23 points Thursday, Canchola scored 12 in the fourth quarter and overtime period alone, including a pair of 1-and-1 free throws in the closing seconds that kept the Eagles grounded.
San Benito High wrestling
When the Central Coast Section Championships begin on Feb. 20, the San Benito Haybalers will be somewhat under the radar, outside of the limelight that Gilroy and St. Francis demand.
That’s because despite their high ranking – the Haybalers are ranked as high as No. 3 in some polls – San Benito remains riddled with wrestlers out of the lineup and out of place, leaving questions as to where the team will stack up once everything falls into order.
But San Benito may have provided a glimpse of things to come last Wednesday night, though. With two starters out and two other wrestlers missing weight, the No. 3 Balers broke down No. 4 Palma anyway en route to a 50-23 victory.
Although not as dominating as last year’s 61-12 win over the Chieftains, San Benito won nine of the 14 weight classes on Wednesday, nonetheless, including seven by way of fall.
“It’s a lot better than I expected we’d do,” San Benito head coach Brian DeCarli said. “I sound like a broken record, but with the injuries we had and with our 112- and 119-pounders not making weight today, we actually had wrestled them at 119s and 125s instead of what we planned on.
“Taking that into consideration, and with how we’ve been banged up lately, it’s definitely a good match, a lot better than expected.”
