Friday night was a watershed moment for a group of young men
from Gilroy, showing that a year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears
was time well spent.
Friday night was a watershed moment for a group of young men from Gilroy, showing that a year’s worth of blood, sweat and tears was time well spent.
The Gilroy Mustangs defeated the San Benito Haybalers 57-27 in the 51st edition of the Prune Bowl at Andy Hardin Stadium in Hollister, erasing any doubt who the kings of the Tri-County Athletic League are by going undefeated in six league games (8-2 overall).
The victory also showed that a rivalry can bring out the best in some of its performers.
Junior quarterback Jamie Jensen threw for an arm-numbing 472 yards and eight touchdowns en route to the most lopsided Gilroy victory in the Prune Bowl’s history. He found receiver Danny Contreras seven times for 259 yards and four touchdowns and running back Sean Hale eight time for 116 yards and two touchdowns.
The win also allowed GHS Head coach Rich Hammond, a former San Benito player and coach, to return to his old stomping grounds to stomp his former team into the ground.
“It’s a really emotional game for us, as fine of a win as I’ve ever had, as good as anything I’ve ever done in coaching,” Hammond said. “I feel like a million bucks because I’m so proud of our kids and they did the things we asked of them. And by doing the things we asked them to do, we’re able to have this success. I’m very happy for them. This is a wonderful reward for all the time and effort they put in.”
After the game, Jensen was overwhelmed by the meaning of the game and the way a win was accomplished.
“I don’t know, this is crazy,” he said. “The win is big. I thought Palma was big, I thought North Salinas was big, but this is amazing.”
For a Mustangs squad that hadn’t won a Prune Bowl since 2001, and hadn’t had an outright league title since 1981, the celebration was a combination of redemption and exhilaration.
“Last year, when Coach Cameron said the trophy didn’t know its way back to Gilroy, I mean, that lit a fire under us,” senior running back Travis Reyes said. “The trophy came back this year.”
Reyes caught a thirteen yard fade for a touchdown to complement his 71 yards receiving while junior Dante Fullard also caught a score, the first of the game with 6:11 remaining in the first quarter.
San Benito’s defense chose to fall back into coverage the majority of the contest, sometimes putting all 11 players into zone coverage, which gave Jensen the time to find his athletes in space.
“That’s the best performance I’ve ever seen by a quarterback,” Hammond said. “I’m sure it’s the best game in the Prune Bowl history. The thing that is wonderful about anything Jamie does is there’s 10 other guys that accomplished it. Whether its the guys running routes and catching balls – which doesn’t happen without the guys blocking up front. What I really love about what Jamie does is it’s a reflection of our entire offense.”
The Mustangs defense was also a terror, forcing the ‘Balers into two turnovers, one on the ground (a fumble recovery by Stephen Guitterez) and one through the air (an interception by Tony Travis).
Linebacker Brandon Elam said the win was the way to do their coach proud.
“It feels good because our coach is from Hollister, played for Hollister,” he said. “It feels good for him because he’s taking (the trophy) back (to Gilroy). It’s just …. I’m speechless.”
Hammond agreed that the win was gratifying on a personal level.
“It’s the biggest win of my career,” he said. “I’m here where I grew up, I got former coaches that I played for, former coaches that I coached with, guys that I care about, guys that I love, and they’re coming up and telling me how proud they are of me and how much respect they have for me. That’s a crowning achievement for me. I’m on cloud nine. I’m trying to keep it all together.”
Keeping it together could result in a CCS championship if things go well in the coming weeks.
The team will now be moving on to the prestigious Open School Division of the Central Coast Section playoffs and hosting a first-round game next week.
After taking down every team in the TCAL, players and coaches are curious to see how far they can go.
“I think we can (win CCS),” Jensen said. “We’re playing the best we’ve every played. So, who knows what can happen?”
