There’s an old saying that when the going gets tough, the tough
get going. And it’s tough for you gridders of Hollister High right
now.
There’s an old saying that when the going gets tough, the tough get going.
It’s tough for you gridders of Hollister High right now. You must achieve a split of your final two games just to have a smell at a Central Coast Section playoffs. The past few years, that wouldn’t have been much of a problem for you. This year is different. You face Salinas on Friday and Palma on Nov. 15 to end the Tri-County Athletic League season and you’ve lost confidence in yourselves. Though new rankings are released today, the Cowboys and Chieftains are ranked No. 2 and No. 3, respectively, in the CCS behind No. 1 Valley Christian. Valley Christian was your first game of the year, if you recall. You tied Alvarez, which is ranked 11th. Your two other losses came against North Salinas and Seaside. Both of those teams should be ranked somewhere. Don’t you think?
You’ve had as arduous a schedule as anyone in the Section. Woe is you.
And you’ve lost your starting quarterback and a starting lineman to injuries. Now you’ve lost your leading rusher – who contributed 800 yards of offense and six touchdowns – for the rest of the year due to undisclosed reasons.
Poor, poor Baler boys. There are plenty of reasons for you to hang your heads. Plenty of reasons to phone the rest of the season in. You could cash in what little chips you have and quit while you’re behind. You could just turn in your uniforms and get ready for next season. Hey, that freshman Klauer is looking pretty good at quarterback on the junior varsity. Do you think he’ll start at QB on the varsity next season?
Or you can come out and fight. You could come out swinging from the heels, like an unleashed pitbull that hasn’t had a piece of meat in weeks. Fight fire with fire. That’s what a Master chess player does. Back against the wall? Here comes the queen. Check. Right in the stunned opponent’s face. The chess Master puts his opponent on the defensive when he gets in trouble. That’s what you need to do.
Onside kick the opening kickoff. You’ve got nothing to lose. Keep the Cowboys on high alert. Don’t let them know what’s coming.
There is a high percentage the good Lord is blessing you with some of Mother Nature’s finest. A downpour is expected today and, perhaps, Friday. That would make Andy Hardin Field mud city for Friday night’s homecoming game with Salinas. That’s your break. Use it to your advantage.
As soon as the JVs clear out, get on the field and get yourselves muddy. Roll around in it. Rub it all over your face. That goes for everyone. Even the fellas who won’t get in. Do it together. Do it as a team. Send a message to the Cowboys that you’re here to play some football. As a team. Not as individuals. If the ship’s going down, you’re all going down together.
Go ahead and get your mind right. Hey, Cowboys! Your speed is hereby neutralized tonight! Not here. Not in our house. Not on our homecoming, with our alumni, many of them former players, watching. Some seniors of last year’s team, which lost to the Cowboys in heartbreaking fashion in the D-II title game will be there. They won’t forget that game the rest of their lives, to say nothing of what happened that fateful night last Dec. 1 at Gilroy High. Nor will anyone on your team who was part of that 2001 team.
“Some of those guys will be looking for payback,” said Baler offensive coordinator Rick Dukes.
Payback’s just a small part of it. There’s a lot more than that at stake. You see, you may not realize it, but the glass is half-full for you Balers. Drink up. All you have to do is win the next two games and you gain a tie for the TCAL championship. That’s the beauty of this five-game slate. Another break for you. Take the ball and run with it and hang on with all your might for it will be slippery.
Live Oak coach Glen Webb was quoted before the season that, “I don’t think anyone is going to win all of their league games”. Time to prove Mr. Webb correct.
You’ve got the talent. You have the best coaches in the CCS. You have to believe in yourselves. No one can do it for you. You’ve got the cause, now you need to find the fire in your bellies. Get psyched up on the sidelines and on the field for 48 minutes. From second one to second 2,880. Make the Cowboys earn their TCAL title, if that’s what is meant to be. Don’t give them anything.
Then one week from Friday, repeat the same act against the Chieftains. If you do, no matter what is showing on the scoreboard at game’s end, you will be victorious. And you will be victorious as a team.
And every player on the roster will feel a part of it, and therein lies the beauty of it all.
