Defense and offense shine in 60-0 blowout against Del Mar
MORGAN HILL — Patrick Bacciarelli trotted up to the line of scrimmage and was greeted with confused looks from the Del Mar defenders.
It’s not every day you see Sobrato’s 6-foot-1 senior quarterback split wide. Bacciarelli, who started at tight end a year ago, showed he can still catch a football as well as he can throw one. He was credited with the Bulldogs’ only reception during their 60-0 romp over the Dons, a 15-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Jerry Jacob in the second quarter.
“That’s what it was all about tonight: getting the younger guys some experience and just having fun,” Bacciarelli said afterward.
Every active player wearing a Sobrato jersey enjoyed themselves Friday at Richert Field. Each can say they played in their program’s first shutout victory.
“It’s a milestone for this team; a tribute to the dedication and hard work our guys put in this offseason,” said second-year coach Nick Borello, whose team improved to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in West Valley Division play. “It’s nice to see the guys do something special like this and make history.”
Normally a one-sided achievement, this goose egg brought out the best of the Bulldogs on both sides of the ball. They outgained Del Mar 370-23 in yards of total offense, forced three takeaways and collected offensive touchdowns from eight different players.
Together, they rebounded from last week’s deflating loss to West Valley front-runner Mount Pleasant. Sobrato is tied with Silver Creek for second place with three games left to decide the league title and lone automatic playoff berth.
“We still have a lot of work to do,” said fullback/defensive back Ralph Jackson, who scored on a 12-yard run in the first quarter and a 67-yard interception return in the second. “We have to keep getting better.”
The Bulldogs made whatever progress they could against struggling Del Mar (1-6, 0-4). Sobrato nearly scored at will in the second half after leading 41-0 at the break.
Borello sympathized with coach Mario Busalacchi’s Dons; Sobrato won two games in 2008.
“They have better days ahead,” he said. “I remember last year when we were crying over our seasons. Del Mar will bounce back.”
Jackson carried nine times for 80 yards, and Daniel Puna amassed 66 yards in just three attempts, which included a 65-yard counter run for a touchdown. Puna, who normally spends most of his playing time at strong safety, also recovered a fumble on defense.
“It was fun to get in there on offense,” he said. “Defensively, we were just following our assignments. We were hoping to get a shutout. That’s always the goal.”
Obi Mbonu and Jacob scored respective rushing touchdowns of 11 and seven yards, and center/nose guard Joel Rueda plowed into the end zone from a yard out — all in the first half. Jacob Molina recovered a fumble to go with a 25-yard touchdown run midway through the third period, and Kurtis Juarez broke loose on a 23-yard dive with 4:22 remaining for Sobrato’s final score.
Playing in place of Bacciarelli, who saw limited action, Jacob managed the offense well. They attempted three passes combined.
“I was impressed,” Bacciarelli said. “I told him it’s his show after I’m gone.
“We just executed tonight. We went out there, did our best and tried to stay healthy.”
Borello said he is promoting a small group of junior varsity players this week. Sobrato travels to Yerba Buena on Friday.
“We have some younger guys that have really impressed us this year,” Borello said. “We’re a small team. We need all the quality players we can get the rest of the way.”
