HOLLISTER
– Fans of Haybaler football will hear a whole lot of new names
bellowed out over the loud speakers at Andy Hardin Field this fall.
Coming off a 4-5-1 season and a rare non-appearance in the Central
Coast Section playoffs, that might be a good thing for Baler
fans.
HOLLISTER – Fans of Haybaler football will hear a whole lot of new names bellowed out over the loud speakers at Andy Hardin Field this fall. Coming off a 4-5-1 season and a rare non-appearance in the Central Coast Section playoffs, that might be a good thing for Baler fans.
San Benito High head football coach Chris Cameron, beginning his 10th season, has had to mold inexperienced varsity players at many key positions during the offseason. Pushing further, Cameron has several players listed at the majority of the starting slots, especially at the skill positions. Take, for example, the lone wide receiver position out of the wing-t offense where there are four Balers vying for playing time.
“There is a lot of comptetition on this team,” said Cameron. “I’ve been real happy with the kids’ attitudes overall. We’re 13-14 players lighter on the roster this year than last. We had a lot of kids standing around at practice last season. We don’t have that this year. We have no attitude problems. These kids feel a sense of urgency.”
Cameron tightened the noose on discipline during his offseason workouts.
“We demanded the returning varsity and junior varsity players that they attend at least 90 per cent of our workouts or we didn’t want them out. So the kids that are here are the kids that attended 90 per cent of our workouts. Last (Friday), we had a ‘helmets only’ practice. We thought the kids would be dragging and taking it easy. Not this group. They went after it and got a lot out of it.”
The Balers were hit by injuries at the quarterback slot in ’02, which didn’t help matters. This year brings the unveiling of sophomore Karson Klauer (6-0, 195) at the helm. Klauer, last year’s JV starter as a freshman, was hindered by a lower back problem this past summer and didn’t get many reps during the camps Cameron has his kids involved in. Most of those reps went to junior Jeff Hawks. Hawks has good straightaway speed, is smart and will be a suitable backup.
“Karson is behind a little because of that injury,” said the fiery Cameron.
“But he’s a real good competitor. He’ll get an eye-opener test in our scrimmage with Live Oak. The game speed is so much faster than in practice.”
Then it’s Valley Christian for real in the season opener on Sep. 5. The Balers had enough of the Warriors when the two teams kicked it off in San Jose last year. Valley Christian won 38-0 and went on to win the CCS Division I title.
“Valley Christian is always going to have the superior talent,” said Cameron. “They have kids sitting on their bench who could start for us. That’s just the way it goes. They have better speed and more of it. It’s a great challenge.”
The Balers will play the same non-league schedule in the same exact order as last year, just the venues will be reversed. The opponents will be Wilcox, Alvarez, Seaside, and Monterey.
The T-CAL starts officially on Oct. 17 at Live Oak. The five-game league season finishes on Nov. 14 vs. Palma in Hollister.
“The T-CAL’s a good league,” said Cameron. “The five-game schedule is stacked with quality teams. Palma is really loaded this year. They’re well-coached and their kids are disciplined. They have a lot of depth at the skill position. They pound away and are physical. Salinas lost some great athletes from last year, but their JV team went 9-1. I don’t see much of a drop off from them. North Salinas always has the best athletes and they have Ronnie Drummer, one of the fastest guys in the CCS. You may stop him 15 times, but he’s going to pop three of them for big yardage. Live Oak and Gilroy I don’t know much about.”
The strength of the Balers could be its offensive line. Two Second Team All-T-CAL performers return in left tackle Phil Leonard and right guard Jonathan Lopez. Both are seniors. Senior left guard Ty Doty is back, also.
“Ty would have made all-league last year, but he got hurt with three games to go,” said Cameron. “He was playing real well up to that point.”
Junior center Nick Kostielney, who had his share of reps at the varsity level last year, takes over for Clay Peer at center. Seniors Cameron Murray and Oscar Correa, two capable linemen, are battling at right tackle for now.
“The majority of our offensive line is solid,” said Cameron. “However, we’re just one or two injuries away from the complexion changing.”
“Our offensive line is bigger, faster and stronger this year,” said the affable Doty. “We bound and determined to not be like last year. We want to get back to the playoffs.”
The tight end position is unsettled, with junior Colin Parker, senior Danny Moyer, a converted tackle, and junior Adam Ruvacalba penciled in there.
Sophomore Breyon Canez, senior Chris Uribe, senior Kenny Romero, perhaps the fastest player on the team, and junior Alex Gonzalez are competing at wideout.
The Baler backfield appears to be tough, if not talented. Junior Gabe Gaitan and seniors Manny Hinojos and Mike Savin will rotate in. Gaitan may be the fastest, but Hinojos, who sat out last year, is showing off some elusiveness. Savin is a natural blocker, very important in the Baler wing-t.
“We’ll be rotating our running backs to keep them fresh,” said Baler offensive coordinator Rick Dukes. “They’re all fairly tough kids.”
“If Manny had come out last year, he’d be ripping it to pieces,” added Cameron.
Junior Chris Brigantino, who had his share of carries a year ago, is back at fullback. Junior Francisco Aviles is a hard-nosed ballcarrier who takes no quorum.
“We have two tough kids at fullback,” said Dukes. “They don’t back off from anyone.”
Wingback is also pretty crowded. Junior Nick Bailey, due to his experience, has first dibs, but he’s being pushed by senior Jason Alameda and junior Eddy Merlo.
Cameron looks to improved play from the defense this season.
“Defense is the key for us this year,” said Cameron. “Last year’s defense was the worst defense I had since I’ve been here. We played like cowards at times last year. We had kids that packed their backs and hightailed it out of there. We’re trying to instill intestinal fortitude in our kids this season.”
The defensive front is set with senior Tony Hernandez and junior Brett Brennan at defensive tackles. Senior Mike Lango is at nosetackle. Leonard, Doty and Correa will also see playing time on the defensive side of the ball.
Strong outside linebacker is packed with junior Courtney Young, Parker, sophomore Ryan Dunn and senior Nick White.
Weak outside backer finds junior Alex Diaz and junior Tim Martinez, a promising transfer from Acalanes High.
Strong inside backer is solid with junior Anthony Vasquez. Senior Chris Stephens and sophomores Chase Graves and Kevin Wilkinson could also see playing time there.
“The first day of practice the defense was a little slow to get moving,” said Vasquez. “As the days wore on, we kept getting better and better. The key for us is to communicate and get all 11 guys to the football.”
It’s a mixture of youth and experience in the secondary. Uribe is an experienced corner, while the speedy Romero will help, too. Senior Andres Olmos, Canez and senior Jacob Larez will get a shot at the DB, as well.
Senior Danny Libed is No. 1 on the depth chart at free safety, while the athletic Hawks is close behind. Jake Buzzetta, a senior with experience, is the strong safety, with Merlo as a backup.
The placekicking duties are up for grabs with Canez and Martin Chapa competing. Aviles is the punter unless proven otherwise. Uribe, Gaitan and a host of players will handle the return chores.
“We have to take the field like we own it,” said Cameron. “We have to be hungry and physical this season and play as a team. That’s how we made our reputation before.”
Despite another tough slate, this Baler team seems poised to make a new name for itself with it’s no-name units.
