Lea este artículo en español aquí.
Opening its 2026 football season against visiting Soledad High, the Hollister High School Balers beat the Aztecs 17-6 on Aug. 28 at Andy Hardin Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Baler junior varsity team opened its season by shutting out the Aztecs JV 74-0 before the varsity teams took the field.
In the varsity matchup, the Balers started the first quarter strong when junior wide receiver Max Cunningham returned the Aztecs’ kickoff nearly 70 yards for a touchdown. However, the touchdown was called back after a holding penalty against the Balers.
Later in the opening drive, Hollister had its first scoring opportunity with a field goal attempt but junior kicker Henry Hernandez missed the 27-yard kick slightly wide to the right.
After Soledad punted on its first possession, senior quarterback Eli Lovejoy sent the ball to Cunningham for a 27-yard gain just before the end of the first quarter. The Balers scored their first touchdown nearly four minutes into the second quarter when Lovejoy passed from the 4-yard-line to junior wide receiver Damian Aragon in the end zone. Hernandez followed with the extra point, putting the Balers ahead 7-0.
In the second half, senior running back Demetrius Frink scored the Balers’ second touchdown of the night by rushing the ball into the end zone from the 4-yard-line. Hernandez then converted the extra point, putting the Balers ahead 14-0.
The Aztecs finally got on the scoreboard when running back Daniel Garcia rushed the ball in from the 7-yard-line for the team’s first touchdown. The Balers stopped the Aztecs’ extra-point attempt by blocking the kick, leaving the score 14-6.
The Balers began the final quarter with possession but had a third touchdown nullified by another holding penalty against the offensive line. The Balers eventually completed the scoring on a Hernandez field goal.
The Balers’ defensive line continued to pressure the Aztecs in the final minutes, limiting rushing opportunities and disrupting the Aztecs’ passing game.
Lovejoy credited the team’s success against the Aztecs to the hard work they put in during the week leading up to the game. He said it was the “best week of practice” the Balers have had so far.
“As a whole team, we were going into this game playing our hearts out, so coming out with this win really means a lot for us,” Lovejoy said. “This [game] set us up with a great foundation of what we need to work on. I feel the team did so well, so hopefully we can keep this energy and keep winning.”
Head coach Thomas Sullivan said the team still has work to do despite the victory.
“Although they played a good game, there’s still a lot of things that we can clean up,” Sullivan said. “There were things that we could have taken advantage of, we left some points on the board, defensively we gave up one that we shouldn’t have, so those are things that we can build upon and I know that we will.”
Sullivan said the team did well to avoid turnovers on offense while creating turnovers on defense through interceptions.
“Overall, I’m really happy with all the guys, even the guys that didn’t get a chance to play tonight,” Sullivan said. “They prepared our other guys for tonight, and so it was definitely a team effort.”
The Baler football team will travel to Alvarez High School on Sept. 4 to take on the Eagles.
BenitoLink thanks our underwriter, Hollister Rotary, for helping expand the sports coverage around San Benito County. Rotary is a nonprofit organization that conducts humanitarian projects, encourages high ethical standards, and works toward world understanding. All editorial decisions are made by BenitoLink.
The BenitoLink Internship Program is a paid, skill-building program that prepares local youth for a professional career. This program is supported by Monterey Peninsula Foundation AT&T Golf Tour and Taylor Farms.
You must be logged in to post a comment.