Loading ...Football: Through The Lens: Week Eight
18 October 2007
By Ralph Gaston
10, 000 fans? A sold out 600 club at Chukchansi Park?
That’s the rumor. And with the biggest Central Section clash between two FUSD teams in a generation set to kick off Friday night, why not?
Edison vs. Bullard has star power. It has matchups. It’s the two best teams in the Valley. Yet only one of them can win a league title. And it’s an impossible game to handicap. Do you like Edison’s WR corps against Bullard’s secondary? Maybe you should. But what if Jerry Davis doesn’t get time to launch those majestic bombs because of Caleb Justice and the Knights’ dominant front seven?
Clifton Rogers has gotten lots of fanfare this season, and rightfully so. But John Tate might be the most overshadowed lethal weapon on the Tigers’ offense. Phil Brandt has done a magnificent job of leading Bullard thus far. He’s taken care of the football (9 TD’s, 3 INT’s) and can make the big throws when he has to- remember 4th and 3 against Clovis West? But he will have to make bigger throws against an Edison secondary led by Robert Golden. Few teams have tested Golden this season because they like having the football. He might get tested Friday night.
My personal keys to this game? The Edison offensive line, and the Knights’ kicking game. The skill guys make nothing happen without the big boys doing their jobs up front. If the Tigers’ big boys do the job, Davis and the offense can set the tone. And if this game comes down to a field goal, you have to like the Knights.
It’s hard to know exactly what’s happening at Clovis West. Head Coach Marty Martin has ceded offensive play-calling duties to his JV coach. Martin says he made the decision so he could work on other aspects of coaching that were more important to him. Some who follow the program have said he was forced to give up playcalling duties. Here’s hoping it’s the former and not the latter. Let’s all remember that this is high school football. It’s a fun game, it’s an exciting game, but it’s just a game.
The Selma Bears have to be among any ‘Comeback Team of the Year’ considerations. The Bears snapped a 34 game losing streak last month against McLane and haven’t stopped. Friday they face the Dinuba Emperors, who’ve taken ‘lead dog’ status in the Central Sequoia League thanks to their impressive win over Kingsburg last week. Two things are in Selma’s favor for this matchup: Adrian Pacheco, who sits 3rd in the section with nearly 1400 rushing yards, and Selma’s home field, which is being used because Dinuba is having Field Turf installed at their home stadium. The Bears have hung tough all season, but against the Emperors they’ll need all the help they can get.
top