Norm Kabbani never met a football team he didn
’t want to coach. And Kabbani, at the ripe old age of 72, has
coached a fair amount of football teams in his day, which include
nearly every high school in the San Jose area.
Norm Kabbani never met a football team he didn’t want to coach. And Kabbani, at the ripe old age of 72, has coached a fair amount of football teams in his day, which include nearly every high school in the San Jose area.
So that may explain why in the name of Vince Lombardi he accepted the head post of the Central Coast Barnstormers, a Gilroy-based amateur football team which participates in the Golden State Amateur Football League.
“I took the job because it was available,” said Kabbani, who retired from teaching high school in 1988. “We found each other. Coaching adults is a joy. They’re much more grateful than high school kids.”
Kabbani and the Barnstormers, at 10-1 and ranked 14th in the United States, meet the Elk Grove Wolverines this Saturday at South Valley Junior High in Gilroy at 2 p.m. in a GSAFL playoff contest.
The winner Saturday takes on the winner of South Bay Buccaneers vs. Capital City Fury next Saturday for the AFC championship. The Golden State Bowl, the league’s version of the Super Bowl, will be played at Kezar Field in San Francisco on August 2 with the best of the AFC tackling the best of the NFC. The Barnstormers will have to get through the Wolverines first.
The two teams met earlier in the year in Gilroy with the Barnstormers prevailing 27-18. There is a big however, however, to that game. While the Barnstormers were missing starting quarterback Bryan Smith, who was out with a flu bug, the Wolverines (8-4) were missing several key players. Out were three starting linebackers, No. 2 receiver Booker Pannell, who has 23 receptions for 454 yards, and, most importantly, running back Tony Bray.
Bray holds the league record for most yards in a single game with 276, set vs. the San Jose Raiders in April of 2002. Bray scored a last-minute TD to scalp the Solano Chiefs in last weekend’s first round playoff game with the Wolverines stealing a 27-22 victory. Besides Bray, the Barnstormers defense will have to contain wideout Justin Reber.
Reber leads the league in receptions with 70, out-distancing the second best receiver by 30 catches. Reber, who played at Sacramento City College and Montana State, doesn’t run just five-yard out patterns. He has totaled 1,404 yards for an average of 20.1 yards per catch and has 12 TD’s, good for second in the league in scoring.
“We have a balanced offense,” said Wolverines coach Tom Patrick, a graduate of Homestead High in Cupertino, 1972 and a former assistant coach under George Elder at De Anza College in Cupertino.
The Barnstormers defeated the Wolverines on the strength of two interceptions that went for touchdowns. “We need to control the football with no turnovers,” said Patrick on the keys for a Wolverines’ victory.
“Turnovers have been our problem during our losses.” Meanwhile, the key for the Barnstormers Saturday could be their defense. Leading the pack is defensive end Jeff Hewitt, a JC All-American while at Gavilan College. Other key defenders are linebacker Joe King, who played at Hartnell College, and linebacker Alfredo Echauri, out of Gilroy High. Kabbani especially likes the play of defensive backs T.J. and Duffy Moran and free safety George Plaza.
“Plaza has a nose for the football,” said Kabbani. “He plays a lot bigger than he is. He’s big, strong, fast and smart.” Offensively, the Barnstormers are led by Smith, who leads the league in passing with 22 touchdowns in eight games.
The lone back is Tommy Jimenez, who is built low to the ground and is tough to bring down. Jimenez played three years with the Redwood City 49ers, winning two national championships. “I like the Barnstormers better,” said Jimenez. “They’re more of a family.”
While Jimenez is more of a short-yardage man, Arvin Silvestre or Ed Wynn — the two fastest players on the team — are often brought in should the running game desire to get outside. Silvestre, along with Slade Williams, are Smith’s two favorite targets. Former Hollister High running back Michael Reyes has 21 catches as backup.
David Gittens has caught 18 balls and is also a threat. Juan Rios, who has a 35-yard field goal range with four field goals, handles the placekicking duties for the Barnstormers. Lance Goularte handles the punting chores.
Along with Kabbani, a big reason for the Barnstormers’ success this season has been Jeff Borges, the team’s defensive coordinator. Kabbani and Borges used to coach together at Andrew Hill High at one point in time.
“Those two coaches have made the difference,” said Smith. “They’re well-organized and well-structured.” Kabbani also serves as the team’s offensive coordinator. “I’ll call the plays, but Bryan has the option of checking off at the line of scrimmage,” said Kabbani.
Smith knows he’ll be a marked man on Saturday. “They’ll be trying to get me,” said Smith. “They’re an excellent team and have a good defensive line. I expect them to blitz a lot. If our offensive line can pick up the blitz, we’ll be fine. They’ve done a great job of it all year.”
Should the Barnstormers prevail, they are to play the AFC championships at a neutral site, tentatively scheduled for Los Medanos College in Pittsburgh.
