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The rain stopped; Bernalillo's deep shots kept coming
Junior Kenneth Saiz covers his receiver while in man coverage.
High school football teams gathered at Spartan Stadium in Bernalillo June 27 to get some 7-on-7 reps despite a one-hour weather delay thanks to a rain storm.
Teams in attendance for the 7-on-7s were Volcano Vista, Cibola, Farmington, St. Michael’s, Valley, and the hosts, Bernalillo High School.
Cleveland was scheduled to attend; however, they were not able to make it due to the heavy rain. Nonetheless, Bernalillo was able to play two games: one against Volcano Vista and one against St. Michael’s high school. Each match was 25 minutes. Bernalillo and Volcano Vista tied at 24, while the Spartans took down St. Michael's 24-6.
Bernalillo’s Uriel Castro got most of the reps at quarterback and made the most of it by throwing for seven touchdowns, and he had six throws that went for more than 20 yards. He also had two interceptions, but with one of them on a Hail Mary pass against Volcano Vista with four seconds left in the game.
PHOTOS: Bernalillo 7-on-7s
“Most big schools don't have to share their kids. At Bernalillo, we do. Castro is a three-sport athlete playing basketball and baseball, too. We missed Castro all spring as he was in baseball season. It's important for us to make sure he gets his timing down with our guys and we are able to coach his mechanics. Throwing a baseball and a football are different throwing motions,” head coach John Cobos said.
The Spartans have a plethora of weapons that allow Castro to stretch the field. Luckily for Castro, if he doesn’t have a good deep look, he goes right to his security blanket, and brother, Ulisses Castro.
“Castro throws the deep ball well, and will, with weapons like Kenneth Saiz, Joe Duran, Dominic Doss, Ivan Ruiz, Anthony Willie,” Cobos said. “We can also utilize multi-talented tight end Ulisses Castro and run the ball with running backs Nate Encinias, Josh Barajas, Gabriel Trujillo and Mario Molinar. Our offense has an identity which has been created and implemented by our offensive coordinator, Blake Miller.”
Ulisses Castro is a big, perimeter receiver who is utilized in the slot and a player who can also do damage as a contested catch goal-line target. Castro is only a sophomore but is already looking like a mismatch for any nickel defenders or off-ball linebackers in coverage.
“I’ve been working on my cuts at the top-of-the-route, and my speed and get-off,” Castro said.
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“Wherever Coach needs me, I’ll go. I’m just here to help the team.”
During the two games, Castro caught nine balls, two touchdowns and had two plays over 20 yards.
Bernalillo’s secondary also had a good day as their defensive backs were batting balls, forcing dead plays, and got two interceptions.
The player responsible for both interceptions was Bernalillo defensive back Anthony Willie, who also threw a couple passes on the last drive for the Bernalillo offense as the backup quarterback.
“Read the quarterback's eyes, watch those hips and make a play,” Willie said. ““The rain wasn’t really a distraction on the field, but before, I was worried that we weren't going to be able to go on the field. Thank God, we still got to come out here.”
Also, impressing again was junior wide receiver Kenneth Saiz, who caught three touchdowns and was reliable as a deep threat. Saiz plays defensive back, too, and played well in man coverage and wasn’t afraid to press bigger receivers at the line of scrimmage.
“Expect a good season out of us; we’re building a dynasty, and we are here to win state,” Castro said.
Bernalillo still remains undefeated in 7-on-7 matches, and the “Goon Squad” hopes that the success bleeds into the regular season.
