Gonzales, Reyes look to remain in the 100-yard club when
Mustangs visit Woodside High
By Marc David Sports Editor
Gilroy – When Justin Sweeney graduated from Gilroy High School last year, the 1,549 yards he gained and 17 touchdowns he scored went with him.
There is nobody at GHS who will replace those numbers. However, the Paul Gonzales-Travis Reyes tandem just might better them if they remain healthy.
Gonzales and Reyes got off to a good start against Burlingame, combining for 223 yards and three touchdowns. But they are more than just good backs. They are good friends who pull for each other.
“It’s good to know that you have another guy who is as good as you,” said Gonzales, a senior who had 110 of his 120 yards rushing before halftime and then was slowed by a hip injury. “He plays a great game when you need him to step up.”
“He helps me at practice,” said Reyes, a junior. “We’ve gotten better because we push each other.”
Coach Rich Hammond is pleased about the relationship between Gonzales and Reyes. He knows that having depth at running back will pay dividends down the road. Both Gonzales and Reyes can play with a little more abandon knowing that one can spell the other.
“At first, I was disappointed,” Gonzales said of his injured hip which has healed enough for him to be ready for tonight’s game. “You never want to get hurt. At the same time, it was good to see Travis do his thing.”
“You never wish bad on someone else,” Reyes said, “especially when he is a friend. When he went down, I knew I had to step up so we wouldn’t miss a beat.”
While Gonzales and Reyes were happy with the outcome of last Friday’s opener, they know that a similar effort tonight against a big, talented Woodside team will not be enough.
“We have to be mentally stronger,” Gonzales said. “Subtract the penalties and little mistakes we made, and that will help us a lot. We have everything we need. We just have to put it together.”
The numbers 250, 300, 260 and 245 are written on the blackboard in the coach’s office.
Those numbers represent the size of Woodside’s offensive line. It’s just another week in a season where GHS will be battling a size deficit. But as coaches will tell you, it’s not the bark of the dog but it’s bite.
The Wildcats, a Central California Section winner two years ago, are a top contender in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division. Coming off a 6-5 season, Woodside brings back a lot of experience and adds Serra Juniper transfer Lopeti Taufoou, the West Catholic Athletic League Sophomore of the Year after the 2004 season.
Senior Matt Pelesasa is one of the biggest quarterbacks the Mustangs will face this season. At 6-3, 215 pounds, he runs and throws with equal proficiency and will have to be watched constantly. Speedster Anthony Mendoza is a favorite receiver.
Defensively, the Wildcats are led by safety Zach Test, who led the PAL with eight interceptions, and two-way lineman Jordan Carr, who had five forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and led the team in sacks and tackles for loss.
“We saw them in a scrimmage,” GHS head coach Rich Hammond said. “They’re dangerous and bring back a lot of players. I am very impressed with them. I think they are a notch above Burlingame.”
If there is one advantage the Mustangs enjoy is that they got the opening-game jitters out of the way last week in the one-point win over the Panthers.
“The thing that helps us is we have the opening game out of the way,” Hammond said, “and it’s their first game, which plays to our advantage.”
It’s a good bet that the Wildcats will have good memories as well. While they made the playoffs, one of their losses was 35-8 to Gilroy. It was Woodside’s worst loss of the season and the least amount of points the Wildcats scored.
