The Tulare Union Redskins have become a model of efficiency over the past two seasons and never was that more evident than in last week’s 69-0 win over Granite Hills.
In posting its highest point total of the season (Tulare Union also had 69 against Mt. Whitney), the Redskins needed just 25 offensive players to get the job done. Quarterback Trevor Jones was on target with every one of his nine passes with nearly half of them going for touchdowns. In going 9-for-9 for 151 yards and four scores, Jones boosted his season totals to 50 completions in 66 attempts for 968 yards and 13 touchdowns with no interceptions. His .758 completion percentage is easily the best mark in the Central Section this year according to stats reported to MaxPreps. All four of Jones’ TD passes went to Marques Wilson, who had six catches for 101 yards.
Evan Taylor, Shasta
Photo by Doug Snyder
Meanwhile the Redskin running game needed just 16 carries to amass 218 yards and five touchdowns. Xavier Stephens had four of the scores, rushing for 148 yards on just nine carries. Like Jones, Stephens makes the most out of his touches. He has gained 715 yards on just 69 carries.
The Redskin defense also had a spectacular night. Jacob Guerrero led the squad with 10 tackles while Joey McCrae blocked two punts. Tulare Union also had two sacks and two fumble recoveries.
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The Delano Tigers have started the season with a 5-0 record mainly due to a balanced overall attack on offense and a solid all-around effort on defense, but last week in a 33-12 win over Monache, senior running back Andy Martin Del Campo had a breakout effort with 205 yards rushing on 18 carries and three touchdowns.
The output marked the second straight strong outing for Del Campo, who had 179 yards the previous week in a 36-22 win over Golden West. Del Campo had just 164 total rushing yards through his first three games and just one touchdown. For the year, Del Campo has 548 yards on 54 carries with six scores.
While Del Campo has emerged as a force on offense, senior linebacker Rosendo Rodarte has been a big factor on defense. Rodarte leads the team in tackles with 46 and he also has three sacks. He also has three caused fumbles and a blocked punt for the Tigers.
The Tigers have matchups with Porterville and Granite Hills the next two games before heading into a much-awaited contest with Tulare Union.
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The Central Section will get an early look at the possible Division V section championship matchup Friday when Lindsay takes on host Caruthers. The Cardinals got back on track last week with a 35-0 win over McFarland after losing the previous week to Fowler 22-21.
Jonathan Duarte led the way against McFarland with a season-high 176 yards on 20 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback Gary Baker was also on target with 13 of 19 passes for 168 yards and two scores in the win.
The Cardinals take on a Blue Raider team that is 4-1 with a 20-6 loss to Woodlake. Caruthers is coming off a 49-6 win over Laton last week.
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Sac-Joaquin Section
The Del Oro Golden Eagles and the Granite Bay Grizzlies clash in the biggest game in the Sac-Joaquin Section this week. Both teams enter the game 5-0 and are ranked among the top teams in their respective divisions in the NorCal bowl rankings by CalPreps. The Golden Eagles are second in Division II behind Archbishop Mitty of San Jose while Granite Bay is fifth in Division I.
Last year, Granite Bay rolled to a 50-8 win over the Golden Eagles in what turned out to be Del Oro’s most lopsided loss since 2007 when it lost to, you guessed it, Granite Bay, 49-14.
While Granite Bay was the favorite entering last year’s contest, Del Oro holds that mantle this year. The Golden Eagles have been on a roll ever since overcoming a first-half deficit in their season opener against California to win 28-21. Del Oro has since won in blowout fashion against Cardinal Newman (49-14), Franklin of Elk Grove (62-12), Merced (38-13) and Vintage (60-0).
Bryce Pratt has been nearly unstoppable for the Golden Eagles. He has gained exactly 1,000 yards in five games and has scored 17 touchdowns to tie for the scoring lead in the Sac-Joaquin Section with Grant’s Devontae Butler.
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After suffering a blowout loss to Winters three weeks ago, Vacaville Christian has won twice to tie with four other teams for the best record (4-1) in the Sac-Joaquin Section Division III/IV standings.
However, the Falcons will be in for another tough one this week when Ferndale comes to town. The Wildcats are annually one of the top small-school teams in the North Coast Section and this year is no different. Ferndale is 6-0 on the season and has outscored opponents 277-41.
Among those wins are impressive victories over Del Norte (47-6) and Fortuna (27-12). Ferndale, a public school with just 163 enrollment, has shown that it’s not afraid to step up in competition. Fortuna has 877 students while Del Norte has 1,172. Even Vacaville Christian, at 354 students, will have more than double the enrollment of the Humboldt County school.
Coach Kim Jorgenson’s team doesn’t do anything fancy. It runs the ball well with Jake Coppini getting most of the carries. He had 255 yards and four touchdowns in the Del Norte victory and has 447 yards on the season.
However, the defense for the Wildcats can be stifling. Ferndale rarely allows a touchdown in the first quarter thanks to a solid line that includes Dustin Walters (6-foot-6, 280 pounds), Silas Sarvinski (6-0, 230) and James Slade (6-1, 207).
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Northern Section
Shasta and Enterprise meet this week in a game that not only will determine superiority in the city of Redding, but also for the entire Northern Section.
Both teams enter the game at 5-0 with Shasta ranked No. 1 in the section and Enterprise ranked No. 2. The annual crosstown matchup, known as The River Bowl, has produced numerous thrills over the years, including Enterprise’s 38-35 victory last year and Shasta’s 24-17 win two years ago.
The Wolves feature one of the northstate’s all-time greats in running back Evan Taylor. The returning section offensive MVP last year, Taylor is on pace to become the section’s all-time leading rusher by the end of the season. He enters this week’s River Bowl with 813 yards and 16 touchdowns on 103 carries.
The Hornets, meanwhile, have one of the section’s top all-around athletes at quarterback in Anthony Williams. The Northern Section MVP last year in basketball, Williams has thrown for 909 yards and seven touchdowns and also leads the team in rushing with 452 yards on 73 carries with four touchdowns.
