Barnstormers Set Sights on League Championship

Semi-pro football team joins new league; will play at
Garcia-Elder Field
Gilroy – The sound of clashing shoulder pads and banging helmets echoed its way into the Gilroy High School parking lot Wednesday night. And the beaming lights at Garcia-Elder Field along with the barking chants from within, confirmed the obvious, football season was back.

But a quick check of the calendar would leave the average passerby confused by the commotion on the corner of Princevalle and 10th Streets.

With the Mustangs summer practice still several months away it was the Central Coast Barnstormers, a semi-professional football team that had taken up residence on the newly built Garcia-Elder gridiron. The Barnstormers, made up of mostly former Gilroy Mustang and San Benito Haybaler players, are part of the newly formed Northern California Amateur Football Federation.

In this, the NCAFF’s inaugural season, each of the 12 teams will play an eight-game schedule with the top three teams from both the North and South Conference competing in a AAA tournament. The two winners will advance to the NCAFF championship game on June 17 and the All-Star game will be held on June 24. The NCAFF champion will then compete on July 8 in the Western Regional States championship game.

Thanks to Gilroy High School the Barnstormers will be playing all four of their home games in style at Garcia-Elder Field, something that the team, which has been in existence for seven years, hasn’t been able to do in year’s past.

It’s great, it’s awesome,” exclaimed former Gilroy Mustang Joffre Longoria, who co-owns the team with Hollister’s Bryan Smith, after being asked about playing at Garcia-Elder Field. “The field turf is perfect. I man look at all the rain we’ve had and the field was bone dry. Even when you’re out here and it’s raining the field holds it so well.

“We’ve really been given a great opportunity to play here and can’t thank the Gilroy High School administration enough for this privilege,” Longoria continued. “(Jack) Daley has been nothing short of amazing, absolutely amazing. He’s given us everything we need and more. We can’t thank him enough for all of his help.”

Daley confirmed that they are receiving monetary compensation for the use of the facilities and that it is comparable to what the school receives from Gavilan College for their use of Garcia-Elder Field.

“It’s a modest amount, a little money, not a lot. But it’s a positive thing for us to be a part of,” Daley confirmed. “There are a lot of kids, former players and even some of our current coaches, that are a part of the team. It’s a combination of good community service with a small return financially as well.”

Some of the current coaches that are members of this year’s Barnstormer team are Mustangs varsity line coach Steve Lo, Willie Gamboa, who coached as part of the freshmen staff and used to play on the offensive line at GHS and Moses Aquilar, the junior varsity team’s linebacker and quarterback coach.

Longoria, who graduated from GHS in 1995 and then played two years at Gavilan (where he was part of the Rams team that won the 1996 Fresno Dairy Bowl game) before moving on to Northern State University in South Dakota, admitted that this Saturday night’s opener will have special meaning to a lot of the players.

“It’s going to be real emotional for a lot of us. Coming back here to play at our old school,” Longoria explained, “Yeah, that’s going to bring out a lot of emotions. It’s definitely going to be a night to remember.”

The Barnstormers are led by head coach Jeff Borges who also shares the defensive coordinating and defensive backs coaching duties with Jeff Parsley, who also serves as the defensive line coach. The offensive coordinators are Dave Clampham and Bryan Smith, the offensive line coach is Dave Clampham and the receivers coach is Mike Reyes.

Game time for Saturday’s game against the Manteca Thundercats is 7pm and ticket prices are $5 for adults, $3 for students with ASB cards and free for children under 12 years old.

On Saturday night the lights will once again be lit at Garcia-Elder Field and the football grunts and clashing pads will be even louder as former Mustang and Haybaler players suit it up for real, proving that they’ve still got the skills that made them gridiron stars of the Friday Night Lights not that long ago. The NCAFF President of Operations, James A. Clarke adopted a league motto that sums it up best, namely, “Play the game as it was intended to be played. Play for the love of it.”

Barnstormers Schedule

4/1 Manteca Thundercats 7pm

4/8 Stockton Trojans 1pm

4/15 Solano Chiefs  

4/22 Modesto Raiders 7pm

4/29 San Jose Predators 2pm

5/6 Peninsula Panthers 7pm

5/13 Soca Sharks 2pm

5/20 Alameda Co. Knights 7pm

6/3 PLAYOFFS

6/10 CONFERENCE FINALS

6/17 NCAFF CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

6/24 NCAFF ALL-STAR GAME

HOME GAMES IN BOLD

Central Coast Barnstormers Roster

*Listed by number, player, and position.

1 Jeff Hewitt FS, DE, LB

2 Moses Aguilar LB, DB, QB

3 David Gittens WR

4 Aaron Muro RB, WR, KR

5 Lance Goularte CB

6 Rigo Munos WR

7 Daniel Libed FS, LB, CB

8 Rhett Van De Mark QB

9 Isaiah Gonzalez RB. LB

10 Ajene (AJ) Palmer  WR

11 Joe Barnes 

12 David Amaya

15 Johnathon Garcia DE, WR 

16 Bryan Smith QB

17 Joe King LB, DE

18 Larry Plaza

19 Adrian Onate DB 

20 Derrick Morrison RB, KR, DB

21 Arvin Silvestre RB

22 Anthony Gonzales  REC

23 Joshua Bermea FS

24 Dwayne Stewart RB, SS

25 Mike Sandoval CB

27 Bobby Jones CB, WR

28 Amiel Silvestre HB, WR

29 David Flores FS

31 Adams Ramos TB, FS

32 George Plaza

34 Tommy Jimenez FB

37 Victor Muddleton  WR

No. Player Position

39 Steven Lo  DL

41 Willie Gamboa LB, TE 

42 Gil Barry FS, LB

44 Tony Beal  LB, FB

45 Jiame Iracheta LB

48 Gus Hernadez FB, G

50 Jose Rodriguez C, WR 

52 Ben Murdoch LB

53 Sebastian Cabrera DL

54 Theodore Stilwell  DL, DE, OL

56 Kenny Hopf  

58 Brian Cortez  DL, OL

59 Jessie James DL, OL

64 Eric Allen DL, OL

68 Jeason Russell OL

69 Steven Soto DL, OL

70 David Crandall OL

71 Issac Hernandez  DL, OL

74 Joffre Longoria DL, OL, FB  

76 Travis England OL

77 Lyle R. Gilbert Jr.   TE

80 Steve Sisko TE

81 Will Lawrence TE, WR

87 Mark Azzarello WR

90 John Conley  DL, OL

99 Benigo Morales DL, DE

Tyrone Ward CB

Daniel Hosler DL

Mark Torres DL, OL

Patrick Mogaw DB