GILROY – From a 1-3 to start the season, to a Prune Bowl
victory, to the Central Coast Section playoffs; it has been quite a
journey for the 2009 Gilroy High football team.
GILROY – From a 1-3 to start the season, to a Prune Bowl victory, to the Central Coast Section playoffs; it has been quite a journey for the 2009 Gilroy High football team.
In a season that designated little rest for the weary, the Mustangs and their coaching staff have endured a tumultuous battle not only on the field, but on the sidelines with each other. There was a need for a serious character check.
Things were not always rosy. Questions about play calling and integrity and the lack of effort have now all fizzled with the help of two enormously important victories the last two weeks.
Now, it’s playoff time. The regular season is a thing of the past. A new chapter for the Mustangs is about to be written and the initial paragraph includes a match-up against Milpitas in the opening round of the Division I playoffs Saturday night.
“We have to keep focus on what we are doing,” head coach Greg Garcia said. “There’s multiple teams in Gilroy High School history that have made it to the first round of the playoffs. There are only a couple that have made it to the second round and there is only one that has made it to the final. We don’t have one that has won a championship. Which team do you want to be?
“That approach makes sure that just because you had the big win, it’s behind you and it’s about our future.”
The last Gilroy team to make it to the finals was two years ago where the Mustangs lost to Oak Grove 46-35 in the Open Division.
Last season, the Mustangs were knocked out in the opening round by Serra.
Beside the 2007 season, the last team to make it out of the first round was the 2004 squad, who beat Independence in the first round.
The third-seeded Trojans are just three years removed from an Open Division championship. Their 8-2 overall record and 4-2 mark this season in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League De Anza Division placed them in second behind Palo Alto.
They boast a 4-1 record at home this year, averaging 30 points an outing on their turf. They, like the Mustangs, were winners in their final two games of the season, including a 20-19 thriller over Los Gatos. Their season has landed them at No. 7 in the San Jose Mercury News top 15.
“They’re all-around very athletic,” head coach Greg Garcia said. “They have a great quarterback that is very mobile. He’s really the No. 1 threat that we’ve seen.”
The Trojans quarterback is 5-foot-11, senior Cameron Hernandez.
For the Mustangs the objective seems fairly straight forward; keep doing what they have been doing because it is working.
Gilroy’s 88 combined points over its last two games is more than the 85 they put on the board in the five games previous – a span where the Mustangs went 1-3-1.
In the last two games, the Mustangs have scored off of a blocked punt, two kickoff returns, as well as through the air and on the ground via their offense. Once again, they are going to need equal production from every area.
“We try to accomplish the same things but using different looks and take advantage of what we are going to get,” Garcia said. “Hopefully everything plays into our cards.”
Balance on offense will play a major role for the Mustangs. Assistant coach Steven Lo has handled the play calling duties the past two games and has managed to bring a simple game plan to execute, yet difficult for opposing defenses to combat.
Although the Mustangs have racked up nearly twice as many yards through the air as opposed to on the ground (401-221) in the last two games, they have also had 18 more rushing attempts than passing – which coincides with the emergence of running back Tommy Silvas as an effective every-down back. That, in turn, has opened up the field for quarterback Nick Marra to find receivers.
“The kids have been having a good time,” Garcia said. “The coaches have come through in getting the kids prepared.”
Saturday’s game is set for a 7 p.m. start at Milpitas High.
