If Gilroy has its way at home tonight, all of the Tri-County
Athletic League’s football teams will no longer be hailing to the
Chieftains.
If Gilroy has its way at home tonight, all of the Tri-County Athletic League’s football teams will no longer be hailing to the Chieftains.
Palma (7-1 overall, 4-0 TCAL) has won or shared a league title in 22 of the last 23 years, and has been crowned champ every year it’s been a part of the TCAL except 2002, its first season in the league. The team’s lone defeat this year was a 55-0 thrashing at the hands of De La Salle, the No. 2 team in the state.
The game is so big no coach or player from Gilroy (5-2, 3-0) can think of a recent regular season contest with more implications. Win, and the hope for a league title remains alive while securing a place in the postseason. Lose, and that chance all but evaporates with two tough contests against North Salinas and San Benito remaining.
As is often the case, there are distractions. This one, however, can’t be avoided: Homecoming.
“I think it’s a mental test for us more than anything else,” GHS Coach Rich Hammond said, “because we gotta deal with Homecoming distractions. We have to deal with all the hype because it’s a big game.”
The Chieftains are ranked fourth in the section while Gilroy enters with a No. 13 ranking, according to a San Jose Mercury News poll.
Running back Nate Ramirez leads Palma with 455 yards rushing (third in the TCAL), an average of 6.3 yards per carry and 12 touchdowns scored. Ramirez is also a threat to be avoided on defense, having picked off five passes so far this season.
Another player that could give Gilroy problems is fullback/linebacker Chad Davis.
“He’s probably the most talked about Division I prospect in our league,” Hammond said.
While the game could have been billed as the ultimate shoot-out on offense, an injury to Palma quarterback and Gilroy native Connor Farotte against North Salinas on Sept. 28 has forced the Chieftains to scrap their spread-option attack and revert to the Fly. The Mustangs secondary won’t be able to relax, however, with backup quarterback David Fales (518 yards, 4 TDs, 1 Interception) filling in well for Palma so far.
“The offense is just extremely different (than it was),” Hammond said. “In some ways, it’s an offense that were a little bit more familiar with.”
GHS’ coach said Palma’s system is somewhat like the offense Gilroy ran last season, which could be a positive or a negative depending on how you view the Mustangs’ defense. Switching to a Nickel package before a 47-0 win over Alvarez on Oct. 5, Gilroy has been much more stout against the run but has yet to face a team of Palma’s caliber with the system in place. Losses to Oak Grove and Serra earlier in the year exposed holes in stopping the ground game, causing the shift to the Nickel.
“I think one of the biggest things is coming in with confidence, and were a very good team,” Hammond said. “You gotta carry yourself with confidence. But the thing is, our juniors have never lost to Palma as JV or freshmen, and I think that helps us.”
