Sobrato has a real chance to get into the win column Saturday afternoon when the Bulldogs host Mt. Pleasant. And Sobrato needs a win as it kicks off Santa Teresa Division play 1 p.m. Saturday.
“It’s not going to be the win that does it (instill confidence) it’s going to be how we win that will make the difference,” said coach Tony Holmes.
He said the boys need to put up points against Mt. Pleasant and keep the Cardinal attack at bay in order to have enough confidence going forward as they look ahead to teams like Westmont and Silver Creek.
Holmes said the boys need to be cocky going into the game, believe that they can win and then take care of business against the team in front of them.
“Mt. Pleasant is definitely going to be a good challenge. We’re not going to overlook anybody,” said coach Tony Holmes. “Everyone is going to be a challenge to us from here on out.”
Sobrato is 1-2 overall, with its win against Overfelt getting reinstated this week. It was initially forfeited after a paperwork error made a player ineligible to play.
Now the Bulldogs have had a week off from play and Holmes has made sure his boys haven’t gone on vacation.
He had his team getting after it during the break it part to get them ready for the upcoming game as well as shoring up the defense, which has given up 132 points in three games, including yielding more than 40 points against Gilroy (49) and Live Oak (59).
Holmes said the run defense, which gave up more than 500 yards against Gilroy and 372 against Live Oak, needs to get better.
The Cardinals are 0-3 this season, with two blowout losses and a close battle against Santa Teresa.
Mt. Pleasant, who moved up from the West Valley Division from last year, has played a tough schedule to kick things off and has been outscored 106-29 so far.
Holmes said the Cardinals have flashes of playing well and it will be up to his defense to stay sound in its assignments. He said it helps that Mt. Pleasant plays a similar offense to what he runs.
“I think the biggest challenge for us is just being disciplined enough that we maintain our gaps and just fight off those blocks,” Holmes said. “They’re a good sized team,” but there are opportunities for his team to exploit.
