Junior Cole Seymour’s two TDs lead Hollister football in win 

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Hollister High football’s defense provided the tricks and the offense provided the treats in their 24-6 win over Aptos High at Andy Hardin Stadium on Oct. 30.

The Balers defense took advantage of aggressive play-calling by the Mariners who went for it on fourth down on their first three drives of the game, falling short on all of them. Hollister responded with three scoring drives to take control of the game. 

In the first quarter, two plays after the Mariners turned it over in downs on Hollister’s 11-yard line, senior quarterback Cruz Raquet connected with senior wide receiver Jacob Jackson for 42 yards. 

In the next play, senior running back Andre Montes scored on a double handoff play for 12 yards to stake the Balers to a 7-0 lead. 

On the next drive, Hollister began with a good field position, taking over possession on its own 43 yard line, but the offense came up short after being called on a holding penalty. 

Then, facing a second-and-20, Racquet connected with senior wide receiver Jordan Quezada for 33 yards. 

In the next play, Junior running back Cole Seymour scored on a 34-yard rush to extend the lead to 14-0. 

“It was a design inside play, but I saw green on the outside and I just bounced it out and took it,” Seymour said.

Hollister coach Thomas Sullivan said executing big passing plays helped open running lanes.

“Ultimately, the offensive line giving the protection and Cruz making the right read on who was open and then delivering the ball, it was a great catch and run,” Sullivan said. “All around, guys did a great job on those couple plays.”

On Hollister’s third drive, the offense put together a six-play drive starting from its own 45 yard line that was capped by Seymour’s 18-yard score to give the Balers a 21-0 lead.

Seymour finished the game with two touchdowns and 145 rushing yards on 20 carries. 

“Seymour was running the ball extremely well,” Sullivan said. “He was making cuts quickly and the offensive line was opening up holes.”

Though the Hollister defense allowed a 77-yard drive to open the game, it managed to keep the Mariners out of the end zone. 

The Mariners threatened at the end of the first half after a Hollister personal foul and a six-yard run put them at the Balers’ 23 yard line with 10 seconds left before halftime. 

As was the case for the entire first half, though, the defense stepped up in crucial downs and sacked the quarterback to finish the half.

Hollister opened the second half with a field goal to take a 24-0 lead. The offense threatened to add to their lead but were unsuccessful including being stuffed at the Aptos 1 yard line on four straight plays, turning the ball over on downs.

On the next drive, the Balers missed a 20-yard field goal.

The Balers defense continued their control of the game in the second half, forcing a fumble and limiting the Mariners to 19 yards. 

In the blink of an eye, however, Hollister’s shutout bid disappeared when the Mariners’ Preston Carvalho escaped for a 96-yard touchdown with 3:43 left in the game. 

Aptos was unsuccessful on its two-point attempt. 

Hollister, which now has a 3-4 league record and 3-6 overall, will finish the regular season hosting currently undefeated Palma on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

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.