Sobrato’s road is not getting any easier.
After a tough loss against Christopher at home, the Bulldogs have to go into Gilroy and face Brandon Boyd and the Mustangs.
Boyd had a game that normally would have surpassed his entire opponent’s rushing total, except he was facing Live Oak’s Trevor Bearden who topped 400 yards rushing.
As the Bulldogs regroup after their loss to Christopher, they already know they will have a mountain to climb in Gilroy.
“He’s one heck of a running back,” said Sobrato coach Albert King. “He’s easily one of the top two or three most complete backs we’re going to face all year. We’re doing everything practice-wise to try to simulate him.”
After playing Live Oak, Boyd was already focused on Sobrato.
“(A final of) 36-6 doesn’t look like they have much a run defense so we’ll be looking forward to playing them next week,” Boyd said after Friday’s game. “We’ll just have to work hard and get a win.”
King said he saw something in the Live Oak game that he hopes to use to his advantage, especially with how young his defense is.
“When Live Oak had success with him, it was several people who were on him,” King said. “If it’s 1-on-1, the odds got go in his favor. If it’s two, three or four people going to him and give him less options, I think it bodes well (for us). There were a couple of instances show that.”
King said he is going to try to put some of his shiftiest people on Boyd to try to rein him in.
In practice, he said he’s using three people who each possess different qualities Boyd brings in hopes of getting the kids comfortable defending him.
The trick becomes, King said, in trying it at game speed.
Last year, the two teams locked horns in a battle that came down to a 99-yard last-minute drive that pushed Sobrato over the top.
Gilroy was solid, but missing some key weapons in its 2-8 campaign. Sobrato, meanwhile, was senior laden and had the skill and experience to stay in the game.
This year, the tables are flipped. Gilroy has its senior weapons while the Bulldogs are working to get their youth experience.
Last week, the Bulldogs found themselves in an early hole looking up at the balanced attack of the Cougars.
Sobrato couldn’t get the ball moving against Christopher, pushing across midfield just four times and narrowly avoided the shutout.
King said he may place a call into the Christopher coaches to thank them for waking his kids up.
“Pace practice has picked up,” King said. “The kids have definitely responded to the whooping they took last week.”
Quarterback Nick Secolo hit JoJo Nunn for a touchdown as time expired to prevent the shutout.
Secolo and Nunn connected four times for 77 yards as the two seniors provided a bright spot on the team.
“We’re going to do everything we can so our playmakers can get the ball in their hands,” King said. “And not just the ball in their hands, but be in position to make a difference.”
Nunn said the Bulldogs have the ability to play well if they can come together as one unit.
“We’ve got to play as a team. We’ve got to play with heart. We’ve got to play not with emotion,” Nunn said after last week’s game. “It’s not a player’s team, as I tell my team all the time. It’s not a player’s team. It’s not going to be like last year where we were a bunch of individuals. We’ve got to play with heart too.”
Kick off is at 7:30 p.m. in Gilroy. Follow live updates of the game on Twitter @DispatchERed. Follow the Live Oak-Christopher game @MHTCheeto. Also, see exclusive photos from behind the scenes on Instagram @SoValleySports.
