Running behind 290-pound tackle Chris Knights is all-league back
Kyle Coulter
The last time the San Benito High School football team lost to
Aptos was in 2003. It also was the last time the two teams faced
each other.
All of the seniors on the current Baler roster were just
freshman back then. Most probably don’t have any recollection of
that 23-12 defeat at the hands of the Mariners.
Running behind 290-pound tackle Chris Knights is all-league back Kyle Coulter
The last time the San Benito High School football team lost to Aptos was in 2003. It also was the last time the two teams faced each other.
All of the seniors on the current Baler roster were just freshman back then. Most probably don’t have any recollection of that 23-12 defeat at the hands of the Mariners.
None of the coaches on the Baler staff likely would have remembered that loss either, which was to a nonleague opponent, had it not occurred in the championship game of the Division II Central Coast Section playoffs that year.
Since then a lot of things have changed.
Aptos, a perennial powerhouse in the Santa Cruz Athletic League, is no longer the CCS champion, and is hungry to reclaim the title. San Benito High, thanks to its 27-21 victory over Oak Grove in last year’s CCS final, is now considered the powerhouse public school of the section.
Tonight in Aptos the Balers will seek to avenge that stinging loss to the Mariners. But more important than that, the Balers will begin their quest to repeat as section champs.
Beating the Mariners at their house won’t be easy, especially now that every team the Balers face will have added incentive to knock them off. But one thing is certain, Baler coach Chris Cameron will have his team fired up and ready to go.
“It’s a big game,” Aptos coach Johnny Lopez said. “We all know it’s a big game. It’s going to be determined in the trenches by the offensive and defensive lines. Hollister is a big team with big physical lineman. We do match up pretty well with them size wise. How we match up and what we are able to take advantage of remains to be seen.”
One player that the Baler coaches will have their players keying in on is Aptos senior offensive tackle Frank Knights.
At 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, Knights is the key to opening up holes for the Mariners’ running game, which is led by Kyle Coulter, an All-League rusher on last year’s squad that went 7-4. Last season Coulter ran for 740 yards and had eight touchdowns.
Knights could also make things difficult for the Balers when they have the have the ball if the Baler offensive lineman can’t contain him at the line of scrimmage.
“He’s one of or senior captains,” Lopez said. “Last year he played offensive tackle only but this year we are going to play him at defensive tackle too because he’s so good.”
This year the Balers take the field without All-League quarterback Karson Klauer, who graduated in May along with Art Esparza, the player that caught Klauer’s game-winning touchdown toss with :17 ticks left on the clock in the dramatic win over Oak Grove.
This season junior Ronnie Fhurong will be calling the plays in the huddle behind an offensive line that is less experienced than last year’s squad but showed promise in a recent scrimmage against Gilroy High via its ability to protect the developing quarterback.
Despite losing several key players like Klauer, the Balers have a number of solid returnees that will be in the starting lineup against Aptos, including All-League linebacker Johnny Sanchez, who will anchor the team’s strong, aggressive defense.
Senior running back Tim Lango also gives the Balers experience on the offense side of the ball courtesy of his proven track record. Last season Lango ran for nearly 400 yards and scored six touchdowns.
Kickoff for tonight’s game is 7:30 p.m.
