If the Gilroy varsity football team keeps it up, playing the
”
no respect
”
card will be nearly impossible.
If the Gilroy varsity football team keeps it up, playing the “no respect” card will be nearly impossible.
On Wednesday, the San Jose Mercury News named the Mustangs the 14th best team in the section, leap-frogging 15th ranked North Salinas.
With a 3-2 record and having won both of its Tri-County Athletic League games, Gilroy is ranked for the first time in three years, according to GHS coach Rich Hammond. The team’s two defeats were considered admirable by the pollsters since they came at the hands of Oak Grove (currently ranked 7th) and Serra (No. 5).
The TCAL currently has three teams ranked, second only to the West Catholic Athletic League, which boasts six squads. A reasonable assumption to be made then is the TCAL is the second best conference in the section.
“Well, (our league) has won six section titles this decade and (the WCAL) has won six titles, so, I think that speaks for itself,” Hammond said. “I think our league is the second best (in the area), top to bottom.”
Senior running back Travis Reyes, who has made a point of saying this season is all about earning respect for Gilroy football, said the ranking doesn’t change a thing.
“It’s just a ranking, we haven’t proven anything,” he said, “We lost to the two best teams we’ve played and beat who we were supposed to. So this (next) game is a statement game.”
The game Reyes was referring to is Friday night’s matchup with Pacific Grove (5-0). PG has not lost a game in the Mission Trail Athletic League since 2002 and showcases one of the best defenses in the section, giving up less than eight points per game.
Regardless of how long or how high Gilroy is ranked as the season progresses, Hammond, in just his second year at the helm, now has an accolade to show his players on how far they’ve come.
Still, the coach noted a ranking isn’t the final goal.
“Winning a TCAL title or a section title, I think that would be the benchmark,” Hammond said.
You can bet North Salinas will be checking athlete attendance on Friday. The Vikings didn’t improve upon their ranking or record because the school was forced to forfeit last Friday’s 30-9 win over Alisal. Several players cut classes the day of the game, making them ineligible to participate. Rules dictate that a student-athlete must attend two-thirds of classes on game days.
Having to forfeit is not only embarrassing, but also hurts the team’s chances at a TCAL title. After losing 7-3 to Palma in its first league game, the team is now 0-2 (4-2 overall).
Gilroy coaches have had similar fears in the past, but having several coaches also work as teachers at GHS has made it less of a problem.
“We have kids in (our) class, so that (makes it easier),” said Hammond, who also teaches math.
Gilroy native and Palma quarterback Connor Farotte will not play again this season after suffering a severe concussion in his team’s win over North Salinas two weeks ago. The good news is Farotte is recuperating and will be back at school on Monday, according to his father Greg.
The team captain collapsed on the sideline during the game with the Vikings, suffering a seizure before being taken to the Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital by ambulance. Doctors discovered bleeding on the brain and Farotte spent the next two days in the intensive care unit.
Since that time, he was released from the hospital and has been resting at home. Farotte has also been undergoing an array of tests and meeting with doctors to determine how the injury occurred and if there will be any long-term ramifications.
“Talking to the neurologist, (the timing of the injury) is something that will never be determined,” Greg Farotte said. “We’ve watched the film over and over, repeatedly, but it could be anything.”
As for his future, doctors have told the quarterback he should be able to play contact sports within a year.
