By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
For most of the 1990s, you couldn't find a better homecoming opponent than the Rio Vista Rams. One-win seasons weren't uncommon for the Rams in those days and they even posted an 0-10 season in 1996. My how things have changed in the river city. Since 2001, when the Rams won their first Northern Section Division 3 championship, the Rams have been a force to be reckoned with each season. The Rams added a second section title in 2005 and are starting to look like a team that could contend with Live Oak and Hamilton for the section crown this year.
The Rams have a potent rushing attack, led by 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior Chris Davi, who has run for 970 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season. He had a high of 234 yards in a win over Vacaville Christian and gained 165 yards in a key 14-7 win over East Nicolaus last week. But Davi is not the only weapon for the Rams. Third-year varsity starter Pedro Ruiz adds 575 yards and five touchdowns while speedy Brandon Cascayan has run for 496 yards on just 47 carries with 10 touchdowns. Davi also stands out on defense, leading the team with 10 tackles a game and four sacks on the season.
The only blemish on an otherwise spotless record is the 15-14 loss to Winters in week 2. Since then, Rio Vista has won five straight games and is averaging 40 points a game. The biggest challenge to an undefeated league season is a No. 2 meeting with 6-1 Delta.
If Rio Vista or current No. 1 Hamilton is not the favorite in Division 3, then Live Oak most assuredly is. Since losing to Sutter and Lindhurst in the first two weeks of the season, the Lions have been overwhelming. The defense has allowed just six points in five straight wins, pitching a 35-0 shutout of Biggs, a 21-0 blanking of East Nicolaus, a 37-0 shutout of Mt. Shasta and an impressive 42-0 wipeout of Durham.
The Durham game may be the most telling for the Lions. While Hamilton struggled to a 10-3 win and Rio Vista defeated Durham 40-30 in a shootout, the Lions simply crushed the Trojans. The Live Oak running game is gaining momentum behind the play of James Fox and Brandyn Harned. Fox had 152 yards in a win over Mt. Shasta while Harned ran for 73 yards in the Durham win.
Fox and Bo Kanada lead the Live Oak defense along with defensive lineman Ernesto Caratachea.
The Foothill Cougars have cruised to a 7-0 record and are headed for a showdown with 7-0 Pleasant Valley on Oct. 26. But as our colleague John Ryan of the Redding Record Searchlight points out, the Cougars might not want to overlook the Shasta Wolves, who bring a 5-2 record to tonight's game at Thompson Field. Evan Taylor, a sophomore, had his best game of the year in last week's 24-17 River Bowl win over Enterprise with 170 yards rushing and two touchdowns. He has 818 yards on the season. Meanwhile quarterback Brooks Beaudette has moved into third place among section passing leaders with 992 yards, including 153 yards last week.
The Cougars are led by the Johnston brothers, Kyle and Cole, whose contributions can't exactly be measured by statistics. Simply put, the duo can score from any place at any time. While Cole was the sparkplug last year for the Cougars, Kyle has been getting into the end zone more often this year, scoring a team-high 13 touchdowns. Running back Buzz Ward has helped to take some of the pressure off of the Johnston's rushing for 557 yards.
Meanwhile the Cougars have a defensive stalwart in Casey Robertson, who may be a section defensive MVP candidate with his 14 tackles per game.
With an 31-yard field goal against Williams last week, Hamilton's Oscar Pineda upped his season field goal total to eight on the year. That's just three short of the Northern Section record of 11, set by Garth Archibald in 2000. Archibald kicked five in one game that year to help set the mark.
Pineda continues to lead the state in kick scoring with 61 points. He has 37 extra points on the year to lead all Northern Section kickers. He also has nine touchbacks on kickoffs, including three last week against Williams.
Mitchell Barsotti of Maxwell moved into first place among Northern Section scoring leaders this week after scoring three rushing touchdowns and a receiving TD against Westwood to go along with five extra point kicks. The 29 points is not the best outing for Barsotti, who had 30 points in a 56-6 win over Woodland Christian three weeks ago.
Barsotti gives the Panthers the second scoring leader in two seasons. Kane Lausten led the section in touchdowns last year with 30 and had 204 points. Barsotti has 108 points and should add to that total considerably in the ensuing two weeks with games against winless Dunsmuir and 2-5 Greenville before finishing the season with Tulelake. Barsotti will then have possibly two playoff games to add to the total.