Spring camp turnout an improvement
MORGAN HILL — Hoping to push his players through a quick final practice of spring training Friday, football coach Nick Borello and his staff at Sobrato High School made a deal with them during pursuit drills.
If three groups of 11 players could complete the workout in less than 14 seconds, they would move on to the next segment.
A simple test of speed? Not quite.
Two of the three groups were up to the test, but the third one failed on three straight tries, prolonging the exercise.
“I see eight linemen in one group and eight skill guys in another,” Borello said. “Let’s try to communicate a little.”
After a quick shuffle, the next three times were 13.8, 13.6, 13.2. And with that, the Bulldogs closed spring camp right where they should be — ready to take on grueling summer weight training and conditioning as a team.
“We’ve only had a little time together at practice, some of us only a few days,” said sophomore Obi Mbonu, who recently rejoined the football team after a solid season running track. “But I can definitely see us coming together. That’s the most important thing right now.”
Sobrato’s average turnout at practice was 35 players, an improvement from last year.
On top of building chemistry, the team was already making adjustments from fall, when the Bulldogs finished a program-best 8-3 and earned their second playoff berth in program history. Borello plans to run the same offense — with a little more passing through first-year starting quarterback Jerry Jacob — and rely more on man-to-man defense.
“We’ve made strides with the guys that were there,” said Borello, now in his third season at the helm. “We made the strides we were looking far as far as getting their memories back on track. We went into spring ball expecting that.
“We’ve made strides with the guys that were there,” said Borello, now in his third season at the helm. “We made the strides we were looking for as far as getting their memories back on track. We went into spring ball expecting that.
“The important thing is not to go into summer completely raw.”
Gustavo Ramirez, a 6-foot-1 250-pound junior led the team in the weight room during spring, and sophomore lineman Skyler King had a great camp until pulling a muscle in the second week. Mbonu needed little time getting back up to speed. He saw time at cornerback and fullback.
Jacob, another promising sophomore, ran the Bulldogs’ wing-T offense well.
“Jerry’s been there every day and has shown from Day 1 that he looks better,” Borello said.
Sobrato is scheduled to take part in several full-contact camps this summer, including one that Live Oak will host with members of the San Francisco 49ers at the end of June. The Bulldogs will also participate in a three-day Competitive Edge Camp at Leland High School in mid-July.
“Spring ball has been a learning experience,” Borello said. “We hope to build on that. We have a good foundation set, but if we had to play a game tomorrow, I wouldn’t like our chances.”
