GHS gridmen suffer first loss in 20-7 defeat at hands of
Cowboys
SALINAS – The Mustang defense lived on the new synthetic-grass field at ‘The Pit’ for Friday night’s league opener against Salinas High as the Cowboys ran the ball 49 of their 50 offensive plays – rumbling for 296 yards and gobbling up nearly 28 minutes of the clock.
When the Mustang offense did get a series, there was not much they could do to move the ball against a massive Salinas defensive front-seven – resulting in a season-low 165 total yards and a 20-7 road loss.
“Those guys were big offensive-wise on the line and they had some pretty good players. We just came up flat once again for another week,” said junior defensive back Shea Lemos, following the Mustangs’ first loss of the season. “I don’t think we were getting tired. We were getting more frustrated that we couldn’t get anything going and it kind of brings you down when you’re just out there 24/7 and you’re waiting for your offense to get something clicking.”
The Mustangs (4-1-1) have thrived on their second-half heroics this season – but a turnover on the opening kick-off did not help matters. Ahead 10-0, Salinas pooched the ball short to the Gilroy up-men and pounced on the loose ball – sending the Mustang defense out on the field instead of their offense.
“If the ball hits the ground and then bounces up, then they can drill us. But he pooched that directly up in the air and we have a right to the ball first. It’s just a halo interference,” said head coach Darren Yafai, who disagreed with the referee’s call giving Salinas possession. “Our lineman turns and runs and is trying to catch the ball and, as the ball is coming down to him, he gets drilled in the back. He never touched it.”
The Mustang defense answered the call – forcing the Cowboys into a 35-yard field goal attempt. Gilroy seemed to escape when the kick sailed wide – but a roughing the kicker call gave Salinas a fresh set of downs at the Mustang 13-yard line. Once again, the defense held strong – limiting Salinas to only a 24-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead. But the Cowboys had already taken more than six minutes off the clock.
“That’s what we call sudden change as a defense. We step up to the plate,” Lemos said. “I think a lot of teams are going to be watching film and are going to be like, ‘Gilroy is a team’ because our defense, we come out to play. I know the score didn’t show much, but I think our defense played their hearts out. I think that’s the heart and soul of this team.”
Three straight incomplete passes turned the ball back over to Salinas and sent the Mustang defense back onto the field after only a 1:09 rest. The Cowboys (4-2) then went on a five-play, 53-yard scoring drive to extend to a 20-0 lead with 2:08 left in the third quarter.
The Gilroy offense finally got something going in response as junior tailback Marty Sustaita broke out for a 17-yard gain on a draw play and senior quarterback Ben Hemeon scrambled for 36 more yards on a great individual effort to bring the ball to the Salinas 22-yard line.
After three Hemeon scrambles forced a critical fourth-and-two, Sustaita exploded for an 11-yard run and a first down. Two plays later, Hemeon broke several tackles on his way to a five-yard touchdown scamper. Sophomore place-kicker Neil Martin kicked the extra point to cut the gap to 20-7 with 8:56 left in the game.
“When we scored and made it 20-7, I thought there is definitely still a chance there,” Yafai said.
But Salinas drained another 4:29 before punting the ball away and giving Gilroy starting field position on its own 18-yard line. A pair of Mustang penalties on their first two plays from scrimmage pushed them back deeper and then a sack for minus eight yards on third-and-21 gave them no choice but to punt. The Mustangs would not see the ball on offense again until there was 25 ticks left.
“They have a really good front seven and they were putting pressure on us and they were blitzing. That kid, Evan Smith, No. 72, is the best lineman we’re going to see. We couldn’t block him. He’s an animal,” Yafai said. “This kid was an amazing football player. He was an athlete. He disrupted everything. He was in our backfield. We couldn’t block him. We tried various schemes. We tried various guys. He was a disruptive force.”
Anchored by their six-foot-four, 240-pound lineman, the Cowboys swarmed on the Gilroy ball-carriers and did not give Hemeon much time at all to find his receivers. Sustaita led the Mustangs with 41 rushing yards despite only four carries, while senior tailback Melvin Bryant rushed for a mere 18 yards on eight carries. Hemeon – who finished 6-of-15 for 64 passing yards and a game-ending interception – was forced to tuck the ball in and run for 36 yards on nine rushes.
“They put a lot of pressure on us. Teams this year really haven’t come after us and they said, ‘hey, Gilroy’s going to try to throw the ball. We’re not going to sit back and let them chuck it,'” Yafai said. “They were bringing it and we didn’t always react well under pressure.”
Trailing 10-0 in the second quarter, Gilroy did threaten. Hemeon hit senior tight end Roger Ortiz for a 27-yard completion and then found senior receiver A.J. Rai for a 21-yard hook-up on third-and-14 at midfield. But on first down from the Salinas 27-yard line, a reverse to Sustaita that went for a big gain was erased with his fumble recovered by the Cowboys at the end of the run.
“If we hold on to the ball right there, we’re probably going to punch it into the end zone in the next couple of plays and it’s a 10-7 game,” Yafai said. “The ball didn’t bounce our way tonight and they outplayed us. It was a combination of the two. If your playing against a very good football team and the ball doesn’t bounce your way, you’re not going to win those games.”
Gilroy – which was limited to 38 offensive plays – could not catch a break. On a Mustang punt in the last two minutes of the half, senior Jimmy Miller sprinted down the field and put a vicious hit on the Salinas return man – forcing a fumble. The ball bounced around, but the Cowboys came up with it and did not turn the ball over the entire game.
“Our defense I think stepped it up. This team is a lot different than last year. We have a lot of guys out here that play with heart and we give it all we’ve got,” Lemos said. “You always got to lose one so I’d rather lose it now. We’re going to come out and play hard the rest of the games. We’re not done yet. There’s a first time for everything.”
The Mustangs’ T-CAL schedule only gets tougher with next Friday’s annual Prune Bowl in Hollister and then a Halloween Night home match-up against private power Palma. Both kick-offs are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
“We talked to our kids after the game and we said, ‘how are we going to handle adversity?’ It’s a gut-check. There’s two things we can do. OK, we lost one game are we going to hang our heads and throw in the towel, or are we going to rise up and toughen up,” Yafai said. “This is the true test of our character. It was our first loss against a good team. We’re really going to see this week if we’re winners and I think we are. I think these kids are going to rebound and play tough.
“We have every reason in the world to come out and play a great game against Hollister, our rival,” Yafai added, “and we get to see if our kids are going to rise up after facing adversity.”
