Sobrato finds out postseason fate Sunday
MORGAN HILL — Led by a talented senior class that vowed to bring success back to its program, the Sobrato football team on Friday completed a quintessential turnaround season.
In dismantling Lick, 46-7, on Senior Night at Richert Field, the Bulldogs turned around their win-loss record from 2008, adding a fitting end to an 8-2 record and 5-1 finish in West Valley Division play.
But the Bulldogs are not done yet. Their seasonlong dream came to fruition Sunday afternoon, when Sobrato was named the No. 7 seed in the Central Coast Section Division II playoffs.
Already the winningest team in program history, the Bulldogs will try for their first playoff victory on the road this Friday against No. 2 Wilcox (6-3-1, 3-2-1), which narrowly missed out on winning the De Anza Division championship. Wilcox is ranked No. 10 in the San Jose Mercury News’ top 15.
“It’s a great way to go out, but we’re not ready to be done,” senior linebacker Ryan Brewer said after Friday’s game, confident his team would make the cut. “We want to come back next week, and the week after that, and the week after that.”
The graduating Bulldogs were in top form against the helpless Comets (5-5, 3-4). Patrick Bacciarelli threw for 106 yards and a touchdown pass, Ralph Jackson rushed for 82 yards and a score in 11 attempts, Marcus Patrick reeled off a 45-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, Jerrod Poole sacked Lick’s Hector Lopez for a safety and Drew Johnson found the end zone on a 6-yard sweep.
They were sophomores when Sobrato last made the playoffs in 2007.
“These guys have been through so much; the good and the bad,” said second-year coach Nick Borello, whose Bulldogs outgained Lick 334-95 in yards of offense. “It’s good to see them have a senior season like this. They put in so much work this summer. They’re finally getting some reward.”
Several underclassmen helped make sure their night wouldn’t be ruined. Junior Daniel Puna recovered a fumble to go with his 37-yard interception return for a score, and sophomore Obi Mbonu carried seven times for 66 yards, including touchdown runs of 7 and 30 yards in the first half.
“I wanted to do my best for the older guys. They were the ones that really pushed us to do better this season,” Mbonu said. “The seniors on the offensive line; this was my last chance to run behind them. They were opening up huge holes.”
Sobrato’s Travis Saenz, another up-and-coming talent, intercepted a pass in the third quarter. Sophomore Shawn Henner kicked a 37-yard field goal with 5:53 remaining for the Bulldogs’ final score.
“I think everyone played their best tonight; seniors and younger guys,” Brewer said. “We were at 100 percent tonight, but we have the talent and ability to go 200 percent better.”
Jordan Tolbert rushed for 53 yards in 12 attempts to lead the Comets. Lopez scored on a 15-yard scramble with 1:37 left in the second quarter, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 36-7 at halftime.
“We were hoping for a shutout tonight, but you can’t win them all,” Sobrato two-way lineman Glenn Patterson, another senior, said.
