Aug. 25 was an auspicious day for the Hollister High School varsity football team: it was the day they got their stickers, a block letter “H,” their number, and a white stripe, which they will apply to their solid red helmets in preparation for their first game of the season as the Balers face Oak Grove High School in an away game on Aug. 27.
“They are excited because they know that game time is close,” head coach Bryan Smith said. “We know that everything we have worked so hard for is here now. Oak Grove High School has always been a good team, but we will go up there and take care of ourselves—play hard, play physical, try to execute good plays, and put our guys in a position to succeed.”
Though the first football game of the season is just days away, the journey to that field began when Smith started sizing up his team at the beginning of the year.
“I began way back in January, in the weight room,” he said. “Looking at kids’ effort, looking at kids’ body language, looking at kids’ demeanor. Looking at how they handle themselves on campus, in the weight room, and in our wrestling room. We do a little unit where we get physical and bring home the bacon, so you get to see their own personalities come to life. And we get to see how physical a team we have the potential to be.”
Each season always takes a toll on the team as star players graduate and leave, but Smith believes he has a strong new crop of players to work with this time around.
“We lost 29 seniors last year, but looking back, we have more guys than ever on the team,” he said. “During COVID year, I think we were 50, and last year, we were about 60 players. We had 85 guys try out and kept 65 of them. Our offensive line is young, but our defensive line is returning, and they are pretty stout. It has been fun trying to figure out who will work well with [wide receiver] Isaiah Molina, opposite side of the ball.”
One of those young players is Abel Galindo, the new quarterback, a junior who played varsity last year.
“Every day, we just ask him to try to work on the small details that we are asking him to improve upon, and he’s done a good job,” Smith said. “Has he had some moments where it gets a little rough? Yes, and we just talk about overcoming it and playing the next play. With all the young players, it’s really just been about growth, every day.”
Senior running back Michael Reyes is another returning player and is looking to improve his game.
“I had a good year last year,” he said, “but I could do better. I have been getting more playing time, and we are slowly getting better and better every day. We do miss [former quarterback] Tyler Pacheco, but we have Abel Galindo this year, and he is ready to step up and show people what he can do. I think we have a great shot at making it through this year.”
Going into the season, Smith and the team are assured of—and grateful for—the community’s continued support.
“They have been awesome this year,” he said. “We have had three fundraisers, and I can’t speak enough about our community’s support. We sold over 3,600 Bailer Gold Cards, our discount cards, so our community is also investing in us. There is a lot of tradition behind us and I know that when we have our first home game against Valley Christian next Thursday, we will have this place packed.”
2022 Hollister High School football schedule
- Aug. 27—at Oak Grove High School, non-league, 7 p.m.
- Sept. 1—at Wilcox High School, non-league. 7 p.m.
- Sept. 8—home vs. Valley Christian High School, non-league. 7:30 p.m.
- Sept. 6—home vs. Monterey High School, non-league. 7:30 p.m.
- Sept. 3—home vs. Salinas High School, league. 7:30 p.m.
- Sept. 3—at Everett Alvarez High School, league. 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 7—at Palma High School, league. 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 14—home vs. Alisal High School, league. 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 21—home vs. Santa Cruz, league. 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 4—at Aptos, league. 7:30 p.m.
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