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The sound of shoulder pads colliding have been echoing loudly around Andy Hardin Stadium in recent weeks as the Hollister High School football team prepares the final details for the upcoming 2025 season.
While the team is reluctant to share strategy and team strengths too early, the Baler players and new head coach have a clear goal: to win the league title and then make a run for the Central Coast Section (CCS) championship.
That’s the kind of achievement Hollister has not enjoyed in more than a decade, since 2014.
“We’ve honestly had this mindset during preseason, [starting] right as last year ended, we all were just itching to just see how far we can go,” senior quarterback Cruz Raquet said, noting it’s been a while since the Balers reached the top of the mountain.
| Hollister Football Schedule | |
| Aug. 29 | Branham (home) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 12 | Wilcox (away) at 7 p.m. |
| Sept. 19 | Alisal* (away) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Sept. 26 | North Salinas* (home) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 3 | Salinas* (away) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 10 | Carmel* (home) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 17 | Monterey* (away) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Oct. 24 | Soquel* (away) at 6 p.m. |
| Oct. 30 | Aptos* (home) at 7:30 p.m. |
| Nov. 7 | Palma* (home) at 7:30 p.m. |
The Balers last reached the CCS championship game in 2022, losing to Menlo in the Division 3 bracket.
Last season, Hollister made the CCS Division 3 semifinals where they lost to Carmel, the eventual section champion.
But before they even step on the home gridiron on Aug. 29 for the season opener against Branham High School, the players and coaches said they are keen on building a team-first mentality.
“That’s what I love about this team, it is the brotherhood we always create,” senior linebacker Tripp Felice said. “We’re always picking guys up, never bringing guys down. It’s always about the team and never about an individual.”
Racquet said the brotherhood elevates the trust they have in each other, which can translate into key moments on the field, whether it’s trusting his front line will protect him or the receivers making the right move.
“If you’re running the offense, trust comes with everything because I can throw a ball before the guy turns and I know he’s going to turn for me,” he said.
Coach Thomas Sullivan said he is excited about the season, and though he is keeping information close to his chest to keep “the element of surprise,” the keys to success will be the team’s ability to get the ball to playmakers.
“Whether it be on the ground game, pass game, play action, that’s going to be our aim,” he said.
Defensively, he said the focus is to stop the run game and eliminate big plays.
Felice said in addition to the skills that the players bring to the field, what has stood out in training is the effort put into every practice.
“Guys always put in the max effort every single play,” he said.
Among the returning players is junior running back Cole Seymour who rushed for 74 yards and scored a touchdown in the Balers’ CCS quarterfinal win last season over Capuchino. That season, he also rushed for 95 yards in the loss to Monterey.
Sullivan said he has 28 returning seniors on this year’s squad.
Among the top returning players on offense include Raquet, Seymour, senior wide receivers Jordy Quezada and Jacob Jackson, and senior offensive linemen Nick Martinez and Gabe Moreno.
Among notable players returning to the defense are Felice, senior defensive backs Jorge Arredondo and Auggie Ramos; senior Baler (hybrid linebacker/defensive lineman) Carlos Arce, senior; senior outside linebacker Jayden Hunter and junior outside linebacker Ben Candelaria, and senior inside linebacker Jakob Ortiz.
Sullivan, who took over the Hollister varsity program this year but has been part of the school’s program for a decade, said he looks forward to competing on the field as well as from the sidelines.
“From a coaching standpoint, being able to strategize against other really good coaches and their coaching staffs,” he said of what he is anticipating this season. “And putting players in the best positions for them to utilize their gifts, their talents and their hard work.”
Quarterback Cruz Raquet runs through throwing drills. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Hollister High runs plays leading up to the season opener. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
A receiver races to make a catch during practice. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Hollister HIgh football running through drills under Coach Thomas Sullivan’s watch. Photo by Noe Magaña.
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