When spring training began Monday, Sobrato football coach Nick Borello made a deal with his players: If they put in five solid practices this week, they could have Memorial Day off.
“Pretty much every upperclassmen went, ‘Can we practice anyway?’” Borello said. “Maybe I’ll come to the weight room or run some plays with them. I’m sure my wife will love that – ‘I tried to give the boys a day off, and they wouldn’t have it.’”
Borello and his staff aren’t in the least concerned with having to replace eight starters on offense and nine on defense after the best season in program history. While the 2011 Sobrato Bulldogs were talented and cohesive, this year’s group has put in a better offseason, Borello said. The Santa Teresa Division champions have been itching to get faster and stronger for their first season in the Mount Hamilton Division.
“We lost a good group last year. That is true,” Borello said. “We’re replacing it with another good group, and they’re good in different ways.
“I’ll tell you right now, this group is far stronger than that one. Last year’s group was football savvy, good on the field, good football players. This group by far [is] physically stronger. Last year, maybe had a handful of guys that were power cleaning more than 200 pounds, bench pressing more than 200 pounds, just a few guys. This year, there’s 19 guys.”
Running back Miguel Redmond is a case in point. The junior has put on about 35 pounds this offseason and has looked a step faster in noncontact drills.
“I needed to get bigger, so I decided to get bigger,” he said. “It’s the A league.”
Junior guard/outside linebacker Brad Cachopo has been a weight-room warrior, having missed one of the Bulldogs’ 80 workouts since January.
“And he let me know he wasn’t going to be there about seven days in advance,” Borello said. “He missed one, and then he was back the next day.”
San Benito transfer Michael Bocksnick has been nothing short of impressive at quarterback. The right ankle he broke during a Nov. 11 game against Palma hasn’t limited him, although he did wear a brace.
“There’s a lot of parts to improve on, like getting the chemistry down with the other guys,” Bocksnick said. “But I feel comfortable. I have a good supporting case around me. I have some good linemen and some good [skill] players. I’m excited.”
So is offensive coordinator Rick Dukes, who is replacing a league-MVP quarterback in Jerry Jacob, plus second-team all-league running backs in Obi Mbonu and Derrick Taylor.
“Michael’s picking up stuff,” Dukes said. “It’s going to be a slow process, but I can tell he’s gonna be just fine. He’s got really good arm strength and feet. I’m looking forward to do it. It’s gonna be lots of fun.”
As expected, Bocksnick has fit right in to the Bulldogs’ wing-T offense, which varies little from the one he ran at San Benito.
“You can tell he’s got the experience under his belt,” Borello said Wednesday. “He’s a leader; he’s sharp. … If this was his third year in the offense, he’d be looking really sharp. This is his third day.”
Second-year starting center Blake Porzio added, “He’s got potential. We haven’t seen him in pads, but I’ve seen his highlight film; he looks really good. The first day we met, we got our snaps down in two minutes.”
Jacob stopped by practice on Wednesday and marveled at the Bulldogs’ size up front. There were the regulars, Porzio and junior all-leaguer William Puna, but also a fresh assortment of big bodies such as Cachopo, Dresden Redfield and South Valley Rugby star Vince Fanua, a 6-foot-4, 280-pound junior.
“This group seems to truly enjoy the training part of it,” said Borello, who coaches the linemen. “As a coach, you can’t ask for more than that, because that means they will be good.”
Among newcomers at the skill positions, Andrew Mesa has put in quality time at wingback; JoJo Nunn has shown great hands and quickness at receiver; and Nick Hardy has filled in well at tight end.
“This is where the fun part begins,” associate head coach Albert King said. “It’s a challenge finding the right guys, but you build them up.”
One of the most entertaining part of Sobrato’s practices is the seven-on-seven drill, when the Bulldogs’ one-two punch of running backs Drew Glines and Redmond switch in to the defensive backfield and go against Bocksnick.
“We have fun out here,” Redmond said. “We all want to practice and get better.”
