The goals for the San Benito Haybalers start simple.
”
Beat Milpitas!
”
they scream while doing 30-yard sprints at the end of practice
on Wednesday night behind Andy Hardin Field.
Hollister – The goals for the San Benito Haybalers start simple.
“Beat Milpitas!” they scream while doing 30-yard sprints at the end of practice on Wednesday night behind Andy Hardin Field.
Then, just as the players seem to be getting winded, the goal is upped, and the howls get just a little louder.
“TCAL!” the team yelled, in reference to winning the Tri-County Athletic League.
Before the end of the 30-yard sprints on Wednesday, the team’s ambitions were vocalized one more time.
“CCS!”
No matter what year or what stage they’re at in development, the expectations are always high and the destination is always the same for the ‘Balers.
Last year, the ‘Balers finished 8-3 overall, 5-1 in the TCAL behind 6-0 Palma. They were owners of the TCAL’s stingiest defense, allowing just 156 points over the course of 11 games (14.18 points per game allowed).
However, after going to the Central Coast Section championship in six of the last seven years, the ‘Balers were shocked in the first round last year in the Large School Division, falling to Piedmont Hills 21-14.
The team that won the Large School Division last year, Milpitas, will battle the ‘Balers tonight at Andy Hardin Field.
‘Balers Head Coach Chris Cameron said after the CCS playoffs last year, he called all four championship schools – Palo Alto, Milpitas, St. Ignatius and Seaside – trying to schedule a game for this season.
Milpitas was willing and able.
“I want good measuring-stick games,” Cameron said. “We’re playing solid football teams … If we win, great. It’s a big deal. We’re out to win every single game.”
Some of the ‘Balers are seeing tonight’s game against Milpitas as possibly a shot at redemption. Although no game film exists of the Trojans from this year, they were running the spread option last season, the same spread option that Piedmont Hills ran.
“Some people are saying this is the closest thing we have to a rematch against Piedmont,” said center Zach Johnson of tonight’s game against Milpitas. “This is gonna be a chance to put the demons to rest. We’ve had to think about the Piedmont game for [almost a year]. All we’ve done is run and practice. All we really have is that game against Piedmont to dwell on. This will kind of be our shot at redemption.”
Added junior defensive back Ryan Shorey, “I think this game against Milpitas will be the toughest game of the season. If we’re able to win against Milpitas, and if we play like the way we can, we’re gonna come out the rest of the season blazing.”
Looking further into the season, San Benito will play at San Lorenzo Valley, at Wilcox and at Bellarmine, three teams that have made the CCS playoffs at least once in the last two years, before they open the TCAL at Alvarez.
Hopefully, by the time the ‘Balers travel to Salinas to battle Alvarez, the decision making will be quick, and the players will be equally as fast.
“This year, our decision making doesn’t come as fast,” Cameron said. “We have a lot of inexperience, so it takes us longer to make decisions.”
The ‘Balers were dealt with some youth after losing the services of linebacker Johnny Sanchez, who was last year’s TCAL Defensive Player of the Year. The team will also miss all-TCAL selections Dru Blake (DB), Danny Gallant (OL), Tim Lango (RB), Nate Mendoza (LB), Brett Pirtle (DL) and Chris Reynolds (OL), as well as Chad Kakebeen (ILB) and Ricky Correa (OLB).
While it’s not an all-out youth movement for the ‘Balers, there are some positions that both coaches and players feel will only get stronger as the season progresses.
“We’ve got a young team,” Johnson said. “To a certain extent, they don’t really know what to expect on game night. Once we get into the season, we’re gonna lose those jitters that we have early on…”
Returning quarterback Ronnie Fhurong will be lined up behind the center on Friday night, running the Wing-T formation offense. Behind him, however, Cameron said he has possibly six to eight players for three positions at the running back slot, although Abel Jacquez will likely see the bulk of the carries.
As for the defense, which was San Benito’s bread and butter last season, last year’s sophomore of the year Sam Doty (DT), along with Kevin Burley (DT), Zach Canez (CB/S), Ricky Sanchez (S) and Robby Sanchez (NG), will be looking to stifle opposing teams offenses.
“We have a lot of stuff,” Cameron said of the defensive coverages he plans to use against Milpitas. “Zone coverages, zone blitzes, man coverages, we’re not going to line up with a vanilla defense. They’ll pick us to shreds.”
The ‘Balers will also be looking to make a big play on special teams as well, as three plays likely cost them two games last season, one of those games being against league rival Palma.
“It’s the one game that’s on everyone’s radar,” Cameron said of Palma, who San Benito will play on Oct. 19. “They want that game to mean something. We have to be playing for a league championship when we play those games.”
And while the goal of the ‘Balers every season is to be competing for a league championship, they know the way to get there is to be improving every week, every game.
First test? Milpitas.
“For us to accomplish that, we need to be getting better every single week,” Cameron said. “We’re going to make mistakes. We just don’t want to make the same mistakes over and over and over again … You either get better or you get worse. You don’t stay the same.”
