Five ‘Balers earn spot on league’s first-team
Hollister – The sound of bat meeting ball. The crack of the starter’s gun. The furious splashes in the water. Yes, the spring sports season is upon us.
But before we completely immerse ourselves in the school year’s final offerings, let’s take a moment to look back at some of highlights from the winter season.
With wrestling still coming down from the high of the CIF State Championships last weekend, we’ll turn back the clock even further to review how San Benito teams and athletes fared in basketball and soccer.
Boys Basketball
In head coach John Becerra’s return to the varsity sidelines, the Haybalers had to adjust to the loss of star Kyle Sharp to the University of Montana.
San Benito played through some tough stretches at the beginning of the season to meet its goal of a Central Coast Section playoff appearance. The ‘Balers earned the No. 12 seed in the Division I playoffs, but fell on the road to No. 5 Milpitas in the first round, 57-38.
Despite being undersized in nearly every contest this season, gritty San Benito battled to a 7-5 record in the Tri-County Athletic League, tied for third place with Live Oak behind Gilroy and Palma.
“At the beginning of the year, we were getting beat, but at the end, we were battling,” said Becerra, whose team enjoyed a late-season, four-game winning streak. “I thought we held our own against other teams.
Guard Daryl Baladad was selected to the First Team All League squad thanks to his well-rounded senior campaign. Joining Baladad with TCAL honors were fellow seniors Vince Bautista and Dean Wilkins, who received Second Team recognition.
Becerra knew those three were key cogs, but pointed to the depth of the ‘Balers and quality of play from his entire roster as instrumental in the team’s success.
“I’m never going to be satisfied, but looking back on the year, really they did a tremendous job, said Becerra.”
San Benito finished the season with a record of 13-14.
Girls Basketball
Returning just two players from the 2004-05 varsity team, San Benito knew it faced a steep learning curve. The new Lady ‘Balers made the most of their opportunity, forging an unusual combination of freshmen paired with seniors in the lineup to qualify for the CCS playoffs for the ninth consecutive year.
San Benito started its TCAL season with three losses, but rallied to finish tied for fifth in league play at 4-8. The ‘Balers completed the year at 13-15 overall.
The leadership of the returning duo, seniors Ari Romero and Ashley Patton, proved invaluable as San Benito struggled through long stretches of turnover-prone, frustrating basketball. But as the young ‘Balers grew, better results soon followed.
Players called the team’s victory over longtime TCAL power Notre Dame one of the year’s best moments, perhaps topped only by an emotional victory over Alisal in the first round of the playoffs.
Leading the entire game, the visiting ‘Balers had to play through a disastrous sequence that saw No. 8 Alisal catch them and send the game into overtime with two seconds left on the heels of an officiating blunder. But No. 9 San Benito rallied behind the strong play of freshman Vanessa Farias and sophomore Elena Fata to score an emotional overtime win.
The ‘Balers found No. 1 Menlo-Atherton too much to handle in the quarterfinals, but that hardly put a damper on the team’s season.
The unusual make-up of the team was noted in the league’s award selections. Romero earned First Team All League honors and Farias was selected to the Second Team. Fata and Patton both earned an Honorable Mention nod.
Boys Soccer
Though this year’s turnaround didn’t land the Haybalers a berth in the postseason, the San Benito boys soccer team knows it stands a far cry from where it finished last season.
A year after wallowing in the cellar of the Tri-County Athletic League, the ‘Balers regrouped to point their program in a positive direction.
“I think we improved a lot,” said San Benito head coach Juan Carlos Martinez. “It’s a big difference. It takes time. They played way, way different than last year.”
The results began showing up in the win column toward the end of the season. After challenging the TCAL’s top programs throughout the season, but falling just short, San Benito won two of its last three games to finish at 3-8-1 in league, good for fifth place.
Martinez lamented his team’s season-long struggles in finishing out games. Too often, the ‘Balers lost games they were leading at the half.
“We were playing at a good level, but we were giving up in the second half,” said San Benito’s coach. “They played aggressive and physical, but we just needed 40 more minutes.”
Armando Espinoza and Christian Mercado, both junior midfielders, earned First Team All League honors. With youth reigning supreme–junior Jose Carlos Vasquez and sophomore Javier Nieto received Second Team recognition for their play as San Benito defenders–the ‘Balers look primed to continue their improvement on the field next year.
San Benito completed its season at 4-10-1 overall.
Girls Soccer
The Lady ‘Balers’ season went south, but their attitudes never did.
Despite a year in which both wins and goals were few and far between, the San Benito girls soccer team never lost its enjoyment of the game and should emerge all the better for it as nearly the entire team returns next year.
The ‘Balers suffered through a 12-game winless stretch to end the year, all league games, but found themselves landing just short of the elusive TCAL victory on a number of occasions. Falling victim to its inability to find consistent offense, San Benito scored just twice in its last eight games and lost four times by a score of 1-0.
The ‘Balers finished the season at 4-13-3 overall
Nevertheless, with just four seniors set to graduate, head coach Mike Schurig likes the look of next year’s squad.
“I’m looking forward to the future,” said Schurig, whose team was 0-10-2 in TCAL play. “Our season didn’t dampen anyone’s hopes or feelings. There’s a lot of excitement for the future.”
Indeed, San Benito’s TCAL honorees lend credence to that notion.
Junior Brittany Huth made the First Team All League after an outstanding season in which she played both midfield and forward, and sophomore forward Rachel Maheu, the team’s leading scorer with 12 goals, earned Second Team honors.
Schurig also gave special commendation to the play of versatile junior Ashley Perreira.
“She was my No. 1 goalie, but she was also my No. 1 sweeper,” said San Benito’s coach.
The ‘Balers held their year-end banquet over the weekend and Schurig was happy to report the sunny outlook of his players.
“They’re all pumped for next year,” said Schurig.
