High School Sports

Kayla King received her first yellow card when she was 4. She hasn’t let up ever since. The San Benito High senior continued her aggressive ways and stayed dedicated to soccer, and all of the hard work paid off when she verbally committed to play for Jacksonville University, a Division I program in Florida.

When a San Benito High athlete gets hurt, Danielle Techner is first on the scene. Techner, 29, is the school’s athletic trainer and teaches four sports medicine classes. Techner is present at every home sports event; if there are multiple games going on at the same time, Techner attends the contest that has “the most contact level.”

San Benito High wrestling coach Steven Salcedo had plenty of reasons to be excited after the team hosted the Fehlman/Baxter Tournament on Dec. 12. The Haybalers went 3-2 in the six-team tournament, with each team facing off in a dual format. San Benito recorded wins over College Park-Pleasant Hill, North Salinas and Ripon while dropping matches to Atascadero and Clovis.

Shraee Harrison knows there’s some decent talent on the San Benito High boys basketball team. That’s why the 6-foot-3, 200-pound forward said he feels confident the team can turn things around despite being 0-5 entering the Palma Tournament on Thursday.

A year ago, the Anzar High boys basketball team had one of its best seasons in recent memory, finishing 13-12 and earning a spot in the Central Coast Section playoffs. But things are fluid at the high school level, especially at a small school like Anzar, where change is constant.

The San Benito High boys soccer team didn’t exactly enjoy its time in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division last year. The Haybalers tied with Salinas for last place in the MBL’s upper division a year after they won the lower Pacific Division. San Benito enters its second year in the Gabilan expecting to show it belongs with the league’s elite teams.

It wasn’t that long ago when the San Benito High wrestling team regularly competed for Central Coast Section championships and had individuals vying to reach the CIF State Meet. First-year coach Steven Salcedo believes the program can get back to its once coveted position as one of the elite teams in the section.

The San Benito High girls soccer team opened the season with a 2-0 non-league loss to Leigh on Dec. 1. Despite recording just two shots on goal in the second half, the Haybalers showed flashes of potential that gave fourth-year coach Becky Bonner-Leland plenty of reason for warranted optimism.

A year ago, the San Benito High boys basketball team had a season to forget. The Haybalers finished 6-18 overall and 3-9 in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division. Only Seaside had a worse mark in the Gabilan. A rash of injuries and other issues exacerbated San Benito’s problems, making for a long season.

Despite returning just one starter from a team that finished second in the Monterey Bay League’s Gabilan Division a year ago, San Benito High girls basketball coach Mitch Burley expects good things for the upcoming season.