Battle for the Chief and so much more

Gustine football coach Russell McWilliams has done everything he can to shield his team from the steady buzz surrounding it.

That task has gotten a little more difficult with each win Gustine has racked up. After turning in the team’s first winning season and playoff appearance in more than a decade in 2014, the Redskins entered the season garnering attention not bestowed upon their program since the early 2000s.

The love has continued to grow as the team proved itself a Southern League title contender and potentially more. The fact that rival Orestimba has matched Gustine’s meteoric rise has fueled the fervor. The 9-0 teams renew hostilities Friday in the 71st edition of the rivalry. With the SL crown, an undefeated regular season, a potential top seed in the playoffs and the Chief up for grabs, McWilliams said the town of just under 6,000 residents is ready to explode.

“I’ve been trying to keep the buzz in the back seat all year, but the kids are ready,” McWilliams said. “Even with all the attention they’ve gotten, this group hasn’t wavered. They’ve gone out and executed every week like we’ve asked them to. I told them as long as they stay focused to go ahead and enjoy it this week.

“The neat thing for me is hearing all the faculty and different alumni that are planning on coming back to be a part of it. I imagine the atmosphere is going to be like the section title game from my senior year when we hosted Central Catholic. There’s going to be several thousand people there.”

It could be daunting for a group of players that have not participated in a game with so much significance, but McWilliams believes his team will simply enjoy the fruits of its labor.

A handful of Gustine’s seniors were pulled up as sophomores to participate in a four-win campaign two years ago. Despite averaging just over 17 points per game last season, the Redskins used a tenacious defense to scrape out seven wins. Now, after fighting through the lean years, McWilliams’ seniors are looking to complete a perfect regular season.

“It is a little bit crazy to think about,” running back Brandon LaBry said. “Whoever wins the game gets the Chief, wins league and maybe gets a No. 1 seed in the playoffs. I’ve never played in a game like that, but I know we’re ready.

“We’ve stayed humble and hungry all throughout the season. There’s no reason for us to change that now.”

Despite coming out on the losing end in the rivalry game a year ago, Orestimba coach Aaron Souza told the Westside Index & Gustine-Press Standard it was the best Orestimba-Gustine game he’d ever seen. Jesus Quezada drilled a 40-yard field goal with 20 seconds left to give Gustine the 23-21 victory and an all-time 36-32-2 series lead. With both teams vastly improved and so much more on the line, the potential is there for an even better contest Friday.

“The atmosphere and playing in front of as many as 7,000 fans: It’s going to be an atmosphere none of us have played in,” Souza said. “I’ve told the kids it’s going to be very intimate. This is going to be like having a fist fight in a garage with the music blaring and people everywhere. It’s an underground boxing match, and I believe my guys will be ready for it.”

The game should be explosive, at the very least.

While both squads earned playoff berths last season, neither was particularly potent offensively. It’s a different scenario this year with both teams putting up video game-esque statistics.

Orestimba’s one-two punch of Joseph Sheldon and Austin Martins have been particularly good. Sheldon has passed for 1,248 yards and 19 touchdowns and rushed for another 910 yards and 13 TDs. Martins has 1,572 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns to help Orestimba average just over 50 points per game.

The Redskins’ top performers have been stellar also. Quarterback Sebastian Figueroa has accounted for 1,581 total yards and 23 touchdowns while LaBry has rushed for 1,539 yards and 18 TDs on just 151 carries.

“It’s an interesting matchup in the sense that you have our offense, which has been all that you could ask for with the two-headed monster and our offensive line,” Souza said. “Gustine is going to combat that with a very fast, swarming defense. That matchup is going to get the big publicity, but there are so many parallels in this game: two superior athletic QBs and outstanding running backs who turn around and become great linebackers.”

With LaBry going both ways, McWilliams has made a concerted effort to limit his touches on offense and keep the senior fresh. LaBry has only carried the ball more than 20 times once this season (24 against Mariposa). The solid play of backups Robert Zaragoza (6.7 yards per carry) and Fabian Morales (8.0) has allowed McWilliams to bank a number of LaBry’s carries with Friday’s game in mind.

“I’ve pretty much been in the 15-20 range all season,” LaBry said. “Obviously, if my team needs me to take an extra 10 to 15, I’m ready. But the rest of the guys have really done a good job when I’m not in there, so it hasn’t been necessary.”

McWilliams hopes the Redskins’ defense makes it a non-issue once again. He acknowledged the Warriors will be the most dynamic offensive unit Gustine has faced this season, but he believes his defense is up to the task. Gustine allows just 9.7 points per game and has forced 23 turnovers.

“Our defense is real diverse,” McWilliams said. “We’ve been able to attack every team we’ve played. We’ve been able to get real low and control the point of attack.

“We just need to be aware of where their stars are and what their tendencies are in those situations. If we play with the discipline we’ve played with all season, we should have a good chance.”

This story was originally published November 4, 2015 at 4:58 PM with the headline "Battle for the Chief and so much more."