Mustangs coming off a 36-14 win over Salinas in league
opener
Gilroy – Salinas is not a bad football team. And yet, after facing Oak Grove and Serra in the previous two weeks, Gilroy players thought they were ready for anything the Cowboys might throw their way.
“That’s why we played Serra; that’s why we played Oak Grove,” GHS assistant football coach Craig Martin said, “so we can do this.”
Convincing the coaches wasn’t the problem. How would the players react after a 49-0 pummeling by the Eagles and being blitzed 40-14 by the Padres?
No problem, coach. The Mustangs’ Tri-County Athletic League opener was a showcase for their running game, which accumulated 409 yards on 47 rushes and paved the way to a 36-14 win that halted Gilroy’s three-game skid.
“Without a doubt, those games toughened us,” senior Vince Giacalone said of Oak Grove and Serra. “If we go to the playoffs, the teams we run into won’t worry us. We know a lot about ourselves after those games.”
They know a lot about themselves after keeping cool heads after Salinas made a run at the Mustangs in the third quarter. Backed up at its own 2 in the third quarter of a 14-14 game, it was time for GHS to show its character.
Travis Reyes wasn’t available because of a toe injury. It was Danny Contreras’ chance to show his stuff. And the junior tailback did just that on an 84-yard touchdown run that put GHS ahead for good. By the end of the game, Contreras’ 159 rushing yards were exactly three times the total (53) he brought into the game for the season.
“Danny is a kid with big-play potential,” coach Rich Hammond said. “It was good to see him make some plays for us. If he’s on all cylinders, we’re tough to stop. I’ve been telling him all year he is going to help us win a game.”
Nobody was happier for Contreras than Paul Gonzales, who again handled a big part of the rushing load with 25 carries for 183 yards, four touchdowns and a 2-point conversion run.
“Danny’s an awesome player,” Gonzales said. “He got the job done. He carried the load so it wasn’t all on my shoulders. And the offensive line did a great job.”
Both head coaches had plenty of praise for Gonzales, who established career-highs in yards rushing and scoring (26 points).
“The second half is the best he has run for us all season,” said GHS coach Rich Hammond of Gonzales, who had 107 yards on 12 carries after halftime.
“We made adjustments at halftime and still he was able to make plays,” noted Salinas coach Steve Goodbody, who said the Cowboys were aware of Gonzales’ abilities and keyed the defense to stopping him. “He’s got strength and broke tackles well. Coach Hammond had them well prepared. They did a great job against us and showed us things we need to fix.”
The Mustangs hit the halfway point of the regular season at 2-3, a far cry from the way things were the last two seasons. Gilroy started 3-0 last year before a one-point defeat at San Lorenzo Valley started a four-game tailspin. The Mustangs started 5-0 two years ago before losing by a point to San Benito.
And yet, those GHS teams didn’t have to deal with a brutal non-league schedule. Judging from the performance and attitude during the Salinas game, the players are treating the early-season schedule as a positive more than a negative.
“I haven’t seen more of a team victory ever,” said Giacalone, who saw two-way action, of the Salinas game. “We had maybe 15 guys who made big plays. Now that we’ve made it through a tough preseason, we are extra pumped.”
Up next for the Mustangs is a 2pm game Saturday against Everett Alvarez in Salinas. GHS will be a big favorite for the first time all season, and yet it’s interesting to note that the Mustangs have never beaten Alvarez.
