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New Hollister High School head varsity football coach Thomas Sullivan is no stranger to the essence of small-town football.
Sullivan, who was hired in March to lead the highly regarded Haybalers football program, grew up playing youth football in Watsonville. There, he watched his older brother compete for the Watsonville High varsity team before embarking on his own all-league high school football career. He played nose guard and offensive guard with the Wildcatz, helping lead the team to a league title in 1994 before losing to Salinas High in the Central Coast Section championship game.
Sullivan would go on to play football in college, competing as an all-conference noseguard at Cabrillo College in Aptos. He completed his collegiate career at Bethel College, a Division I NAIA program in tiny North Newton, Kansas, population 1,800.
“I got to see small town football out there,” Sullivan said, while pointing out that Hollister High and its football program offer their own unique atmosphere as the town’s historically marquee sport.
Baler football, he said, “is a reflection of the community, a great mix of blue-collar, hardworking, family-oriented [people]. The administration has been super supportive, and the fact we’re the one high school in the town is also super special. It makes it feel like it’s old town football. A lot of people like to compare it to Texas, but I like to compare it to how it used to be. It’s still like that here and that’s special.”
Developing young men
Sullivan takes over for former Baler head football coach Bryan Smith, who was dismissed last year after nine seasons. A popular former Hollister High football player, Smith replaced legendary longtime Baler head coach Chris Cameron in 2016 and brought on Sullivan as a coach.
Sullivan, who is also a special education teacher at Hollister High, coached the Balers offensive and defensive lines, tight ends and special teams before being named the junior varsity head coach two years ago.
Last year’s Balers team compiled a 5-7 overall record, including a 1-5 record in the tough Pacific Coast Athletic League’s Gabilan division. Despite its losing record, the team advanced to the postseason due to the strength of its schedule and won its first Central Coast Section Division III playoff game. The 2024 Balers’ season came to an end when they fell to Carmel High 42-21 in the section semifinals despite leading 21-7 at halftime.
Sullivan took his first job coaching at his alma mater, Watsonville High, shortly after completing college in 2002. He went on to serve as the Wildcatz head varsity coach from 2009-11, leading the team to a Monterey Bay League title in his first season. He left the team to pursue his special education teaching credential.
Sullivan said he is enthused to return to a head coaching position more than a decade after his previous stint.
“It’s energizing getting back into the building portion [of the program]; that’s one of the aspects I enjoy the most,” he said, adding that his time as JV head coach “awakened a lot in me in terms of the leadership and development of young men. It’s another transitional period and I’m really excited.”
Two of the 35 returning varsity players from last season, quarterback Cruz Raquet and inside linebacker Tripp Felice, said they were glad to have a new beginning.
“I’m looking forward to building a super passionate team,” Raquet said. “After what happened last season, and losing in the second round of the playoffs and some people losing their passion, now we have a coach we grew up with.”
Felice said this year’s Baler team has already formed tight bonds.
“There is a brotherhood on the team,” Felice said. “We’re super close. I’m looking forward to battling with my brothers in the weight room and on the field.”
With the 35 returning players, Sullivan said, more than 100 will be trying out for the 65-player roster.
Tough competition
On offense, Hollister will run a multiple formation system designed to allow the Balers to “be flexible and play to the strengths of our athletes,” Sullivan said. “When we have a great quarterback like Cruz we might spread around a bit more, and when we have a stronger running back we might run it more.”
On defense, the Balers will operate out of a “50” base defense, typically featuring five defensive linemen in a scheme designed to attack opposing offensive lines and create pressure up front. Sullivan noted that the defense will also need to remain flexible enough to stop the myriad of offensive styles they will face. “We’re built to stop the run, but we also need to be able to adjust when teams try to spread us out,” he said.
Sullivan said the Balers will be looking forward to tough competition in a very “strong league” which will include three state championship programs from the past three years. “Every game is like a playoff game and the competition is stout in our league,” he said. “We wouldn’t want to be anywhere else; we enjoy being in the thick of it. Good competition helps you improve.”
Sullivan declined to comment on last season and the team’s struggles amid reports of dissent that ultimately led to his predecessor’s departure and his elevation to the head coaching spot, calling it “irresponsible for me to talk about another team.”
“It’s really hard to win games at the high school level—there are a lot of nuances to winning,” he said. “You throw in injuries and other things and it makes it tougher. But we’re not looking back at the past. We’re looking at the future.”
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.
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