After the game against Willow Glen last Friday, coach Albert King made a pledge to his players: He was going to get them stronger.
His plan was workouts for most of this week, something he said he wasn’t really wanting to have to do in the middle of the season.
“It’s amazing for the season, usually you just use the weight training to just maintain what you already got,” King said. “With these kids, they have all made huge strides. They’ve increased in their maxes and everything. The thing is still going according to plan from where we started from to where we are now. Where we need to be is still a long way to go.”
King issued his challenge while meeting with the team after the game. He said some have risen to the challenge, while others are still trying to figure it out.
“Some are still wondering what this whole thing means,” King said. “It’s not an excuse by any stretch, but with youth, ignorance is bliss.”
The Bulldogs each week go into the games knowing there is going to be something new to face. This week is no exception, King said.
“Each week there’s a new challenge for us, be it on the field or off the field,” King said. “We always seem to have a new challenge. It’s something I think they’re getting tired of and I’m getting tired of.”
Sobrato has the added pressure of playing its homecoming Saturday. That has also meant an extra day to practice and get healthy.
The Bulldogs are still missing on of their best athletes in JoJo Nunn. But Sobrato still has its hard-hitting running back Andrew Mesa.
Sobrato is trying to go against the tough Chargers team and end the season-long losing streak.
“They’ve played us hard. We’ve played them hard,” King said. “The bottom line is I don’t expect and I don’t anticipate they will ever take it easy on us.”
The extra strength is going to be crucial as Sobrato takes on the big dogs of the Mt. Hamilton Division: Leland.
“We’re getting to the meat of our schedule,” King said. “The best we can hope for is some kind of breaks or some kind of luck. The thing about luck is — I don’t believe in luck — I believe luck is a product of hard work and taking advantage of the opportunities of the hard work gives you.”
The Chargers are 4-1 overall and have done it with a deadly combination of a potent offense and a stingy defense.
“Leland is one of the better teams in the section, definitely one of the better teams in the A Divison,” King said.
In their wins, the Chargers have only given up more than one touchdown once. When they lost, they yielded 35 points to Mitty — one of the best teams in the Central Coast Section.
“We’re getting ready to run the gauntlet right now,” King said. “The thing that we told the kids at the beginning of the season was that, especially with this league, it never gets easier.”
He said each team the Bulldogs will face from here on out are going to be tough and be well coached.
“They are a very well coached team. They execute very well and their quarterback is pretty (dang) good,” King said.
Matt McLaughlin has amassed just shy of 800 yards this season. He has eight touchdowns against one interception.
He likes to target Matt Mohs who has just shy of half of the yards at 316.
Liam Saito adds another element to the offense, rushing for 409 yards and eight touchdowns. Saito has three 100-yard rushing games. He also has almost 200 yards receiving.
“The whole thing is, if they complete a pass, we are going to have to tackle them. No yards after the catch. If they run the ball, we have to try to keep them at the line of scrimmage,” King said. “For us, it’s very boring and doesn’t look very good on paper, but the scheme is going to be the same. It’s going to be hold what they do very well in check.”
Kick off is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Live Oak’s Richert Field.
