Sobrato (4-1 overall, 2-0 league) and Mount Pleasant (3-2, 2-0),
the last two undefeated teams left in the conference standings,
will battle for first place at 4:30 p.m. at Richert Field
MORGAN HILL — Only one type of offense has been tough to stop for Sobrato, and it’s the same one the Bulldogs use.
Sobrato handled itself well against the pro sets of Gunderson, Silver Creek and San Jose, not to mention the pistol fleer adopted by Live Oak. The Bulldogs were not so stellar, though, in stopping Soquel’s wing T, the linchpin of their one loss this year.
Saturday at Richert Field, the Bulldogs will get another stab at the wing T — this time with first place in the West Valley Division on the line.
Sobrato (4-1 overall, 2-0 league) and Mount Pleasant (3-2, 2-0), the last two undefeated teams left in the conference standings, will battle for poll position in the Central Coast Section playoff race at 4:30 p.m.
“They’re a better team than San Jose,” said Sobrato coach Nick Borello, referencing his team’s 27-6 victory last Saturday. “They use a wing T that’s almost identical to the one we use. They do a few different things; they don’t utilize their wide receivers like we do.”
Given this week’s rainfall in Morgan Hill, plus the fact that Richert Field is the site of Friday’s game between Live Oak and Oak Grove, Saturday should be a running slugfest. Winners of two straight, the Cardinals center their offense on two running backs — Joseph Fernandez, Joewell McKenzie — who have averaged close to a first down in 30-plus carries this season. Mount Pleasant utilizes them in the same way Sobrato does with Ralph Jackson, Obi Mbonu and Marcus Patrick.
“They’ve got a couple of running backs that are very gifted; good speed, elusiveness. … If we don’t protect the edge against them, we’re in for a long day defensively,” Borello said.
The Bulldogs’ defense was torched during the 38-19 loss in Week 1. Soquel wore them down with off-tackle runs, which Tyler Evey and Nick Alarcon starting breaking for big gains in the second half.
Sobrato hasn’t yielded a 100-yard rusher since then.
“So far, so good,” Borello said. “At times, we haven’t been sharp against the run. At times, we have. We came through against one of the best running backs in the section [Chris Eke] at Gunderson.
“We have the ability to do things. What our guys come out and do, that will dictate us. We’re just as beatable as anyone else.”
Knowing their play alone determines outcomes is a mark of the Bulldogs’ rebuilt confidence. They are one victory away from matching the program’s longest win streak. Sobrato’s 2007 team won four straight during a seven-game unbeaten run.
“Our confidence comes from our coaches,” linebacker/tight end Vincent Alfonseca said. “They give us assignments and put us where we need to win games. They believe in us, and we just go in there confident. We think we can beat anyone.”
