Gilroy football’s depth chart could be turned upside down
depending on who comes to play at tonight’s scrimmage being held at
San Benito High School. Starting positions will also be won and
lost depending on who doesn’t come to play.
Gilroy football’s depth chart could be turned upside down depending on who comes to play at tonight’s scrimmage being held at San Benito High School. Starting positions will also be won and lost depending on who doesn’t come to play.
“It’s our first evaluation,” coach Rich Hammond said at practice Wednesday. “Guys lose jobs from that scrimmage each and every year.”
Facing off against the Haybalers of Hollister and the Vikings of North Salinas, Gilroy will have its first opportunity to see what double-days, numerous offseason workouts and passing camps have produced.
One reason above all others should make the event a fun time.
Until the season starts on Sept. 12 against Archbishop MItty, “it’s the only time we get to hit somebody else,” Hammond said.
Maybe not the only time, but the scrimmage will be the first time the Mustangs’ have their coach’s blessing.
“Whenever we hear about (playing) another team we get hyped for it,” said Richie Sotelo, a senior safety. “We can’t hit our own players and if we do, coach Hammond gets mad.”
Hammond will only be mad this time around if his players don’t hit hard enough.
The three schools will play 11-man offense against defense for 10 plays each before rotating. The junior varsity teams will begin at 5 p.m. with the varsity teams starting approximately two hours later.
While the last 30 minutes of Wednesday’s practice had the best tempo Hammond has seen from his squad all summer, the coach is a bit concerned . It’s possible, he said, that his players are too relaxed, resting on their success from a season ago when the Mustangs reached the Central Coast Section Open Division championship.
“It’s hard because I think I expect more than I did before,” Hammond said. “But expectations (of the team) have changed.
“Our goal is to pick up where we left off.”
Tonight’s scrimmage is the first chance to bridge the two seasons together.
