Sobrato ready to build off program-best finish
MORGAN HILL — In the early history of Sobrato High School football, forgetting the past has been one of the Bulldogs’ greatest strengths.
It helped them and their coach get through a tough time together after the 2008 season, as the Bulldogs were coming off a 2-8 finish in Nick Borello’s first year at the helm.
The past was just a memory. It continued to be this spring when Sobrato held the first official team meeting since its best season ended. Borello and his staff mainly spoke about expectations for 2010, referring only to the Bulldogs success in 2009 — an 8-3 record, Central Coast Section playoff berth and program-first victory, 27-6, over rival Live — with two words written at the bottom of a sheet of paper outlining the team’s offseason schedule: Remember Wilcox.
What better way to bring the Bulldogs back down to earth than by mentioning the team that did just that in the first round of the Division II playoffs last November? Wilcox rolled through Sobrato like the Bulldogs weren’t on the field, piling up 343 yards and two takeaways in a 48-0 rout.
The loss revealed how much more Borello wants his program to grow.
“There have definitely been highs and lows,” he said, surveying his career at SHS. “We want to get better every season. I want us to improve every week. Our goal is to win more games than we did the previous year. We want to get back to that playoff game, and we want to win that playoff game. And we want to win some more of them this season.”
The Bulldogs will have every opportunity to do so. Looking at Sobrato’s roster, a collection of five seniors and 25 underclassmen, 2010 could be written off as a connector between two great years — if only the Bulldogs weren’t ready to win now. Their large crop of young players are fast, physical and playing at the level of seniors.
“We’re a little younger, but this team has the potential to be better than last year,” Borello said. “We’re a lot more athletic and little bit faster. This team may be the most talented we’ve had.”
Juniors Obi Mbonu, Skyler King and sophomore Drew Glines are Sobrato’s first nonsenior captains.
“They have been very impressive,” senior two-way lineman Gustavo Ramirez said matter-of-factly. “The ones that played last year definitely earned everyone’s respect. We have more of them coming up this year.”
Though still one of the smaller teams in the Santa Teresa Division, the Bulldogs have quality depth for the first time in years. They restocked their run-first wing-T offense with six new running backs, three athletic linemen and a promising option quarterback in junior Jerry Jacob.
Last year, Jacob was groomed as the future starter while backing up all-leaguer Patrick Bacciarelli.
“I think he’s going to be great for us,” offensive coordinator Rick Dukes said in July. “He’s not a pocket passer, but he throws well on the run. He’s going to beat people with his feet.”
Opposing defenses’ chief concern will be stopping the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Mbonu, who exploded onto the scene in 2009 while trading carries with departed senior Ralph Jackson. Now at fullback, Mbonu is poised for a monster season.
“He makes my job a whole lot easier,” said Ramirez, a 6-foot-1, 270-pound offensive/defensive tackle. “All I have to do is open the gap for a second, and Obi’s off. My guy turns around, and I get an easy pancake block.”
Mbonu won’t be run ragged. The Bulldogs have a bottomless array of ball-carries, including the sophomore sprinter Glines, powerbacks Tyler Lerma and Marek Zhang, and double-duty linebackers Jacob Molina and Kurtis Juarez.
“We’ve got some good running backs in the works,” Dukes said. “We know what Obi’s capable of as a runner and a competitor. It’s going to be tough for defenses to stop him; we have plenty of options.”
Ramirez and 245-pound junior Skyler King are the lone returners on the offensive line, but the group welcomes 250-pound center William Puna, quick-footed tackle Tanner Holt and 6-foot-4 junior guard Nick Perry.
The tight end position — mostly an extra tackle in Sobrato’s offense — will be split between Simon Schmidt and Alex Hagiperos. Their athleticism will be used equally at outside linebacker and defensive end.
The lead wideout is 5-foot-9 Steven Villarreal, another junior, who impressed his coaches and quarterback this offseason.
“Steven and I work really well together,” Jacob said. “He’s got great hands.”
Ramirez and King will start on the defensive line as well, working with Holt, Perry and Sergio Mihai.
Behind them, veterans Juarez and Molina roam at middle linebacker.
“As a group, we’re very athletic,” Juarez said of the defense. “We’re very strong. We were in the weight room a lot this summer.”
Molina, a second-team all-West Valley Division honoree in 2009, added: “The defense had a good year last year, but we think we need to be more aggressive. We want to be the more physical team every game.”
Secondary is the biggest question mark. The group lost its two biggest play-makers but boasts speed and agility with Villarreal, Glines and Zhang at cornerback, and juniors Conor Havstad and Frank Palmer rotating at safety. Mbonu, the 2009 West Valley Sophomore of the Year, shores up the group as a hybrid safety/linebacker.
Junior Shawn Henner, a soccer standout, will handle kicking and punts.
After mopping up in the West Valley, Sobrato should be a league-title contender in the Santa Teresa Division.
“It’s going to be a much better challenge for us each week,” Borello said. “If any of our guys think they can relax at anytime, we’ll tell them, ‘Remember Wilcox.'”
