Prep football previews: Sept. 27
River Valley at Antelope
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Dust Devils 2-3; Rams 1-3
Last week: River Valley beat Parker 40-6; Antelope lost to Phoenix Christian 53-24
Players to watch: Dust Devil sophomore running back Brandon Long is coming off a monster game against Parker. The 5-foot-6, 184-pound Long carried the ball 35 times for 311 yards and four touchdowns. He has 618 rushing yards this season — good for 123.6 yards a game. ... With starting quarterback Beto Castro out last week, senior running back Fred Pearson picked up the slack by rushing for 250 yards and two touchdowns. Castro's status is uncertain.
Antelope coach Dan Gardner's comments: “If (Castro is) there, it opens up our offense, if not we'll rely on Fred Pearson a lot. It all depends on who we have. But we've had a great week of practice, the best week of practice offensively all year, actually. We're getting in synch and everything timed perfectly.”
The lowdown: This will be the third straight game against a very good team for the Rams. Last week, they faced Phoenix Christian, which is No. 2 in Division V AIA Power Points, and the Rams had possibly their best offensive game of the year, according to Gardner. River Valley may have a record below .500, but its three losses came at the hands of a top team from Utah, Estrella Foothills (No. 9 in Division IV) and a seven-point loss to Yuma Catholic. ... It's the homecoming game for the Rams, who lost 56-0 to River Valley last year.
El Centro-Central at Gila Ridge
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Hawks 3-2; Spartans 3-1
Last week: Gila Ridge lost to Perry 48-21; Central beat Santana 34-31
Players to watch: After dealing all season with a nagging injury, junior running back Adam Williams played regularly for the first time last week and rushed for 48 yards on 15 carries — and had three carries for more than 12 yards. ... In a wild win at Santana, Joseph Ackie came up with two touchdowns for the Spartans. One came on a 5-yard reception from backup quarterback Angel Ramirez and the other was on a 26-yard touchdown run.
Gila Ridge coach Jay Denton's comments: “Every game is important — they all count the same. Like all the rest, we need to win this week.”
The lowdown: After starting the year with three wins, the Hawks have lost two straight. Currently, Gila Ridge is No. 21 in the Division II AIA Power Points, with the top 16 going to the state tournament. A big key for the Hawks will simply be getting and staying healthy. Senior quarterback Scotty Nickerson will return this week after missing the game against Perry (No. 14 in Division II) with a thigh injury, and Williams hobbled off the field in the fourth quarter in the Perry loss. ... Denton said Williams should be close to full strength for the game and that the Hawks are getting a little closer to 100 percent every day.
Blythe-Palo Verde Valley at Kofa
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. today
Records: Yellowjackets 2-2; Kings 1-4
Last week: Palo Verde Valley lost to West Valley 64-7; Kofa beat San Luis 49-16
Players to watch: Yellowjackets quarterback Ryan Galvan went 6 for 22 for 82 yards and threw the only touchdown of the night against West Valley — an 8-yard connection to Treshaun Edmond. However, West Valley intercepted Galvan four times on the night. ... Kofa's Timothy Baumgarner had a huge night against San Luis. The junior had 121 yards on eight carries and three touchdowns — all in the first half.
Kofa coach Kevin Moore's comments: “We match up pretty evenly. It should be a good football game. They are a good football team, they run the same stuff we do on offense. We mirror each other defensively, too.”
The lowdown: Baumgarner's big night put an end to a five-game losing streak. The Kings will look to put an end to another streak tonight — the last time they beat a team that wasn't San Luis was in 2009. ... The Yellowjackets beat the Sidewinders two weeks ago in San Luis, 55-6.
Eloy-Santa Cruz at Yuma Catholic
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Dust Devils 1-4; Shamrocks 4-1
Last week: Santa Cruz lost to Casa Grande 42-6; Yuma Catholic beat Buckeye 37-24
Players to watch: Gabriel Belloc had the Dust Devils' only touchdown last week, an 8-yard run with 9:24 left to play. ... Sophomore quarterback Jagan Cleary continues to provide solid play under center for the Shamrocks. Against Buckeye, Cleary finished 10 of 19 for 230 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions. On the year, Cleary has completed 57 percent of his passes for 847 yards, 10 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Yuma Catholic coach Rhett Stallworth's comments: “It's just one of those deals where we have to make sure we don't overlook who we're playing and that we stay crisp and sound during the week. We have to keep executing at a high level regardless of who we're playing.”
The lowdown: After facing four tough teams in their first five games, the Shamrocks have emerged with a 4-1 record and are currently No. 5 in Division V AIA Power Points. The Shamrocks are coming off probably their best win of the year, surviving a road game at Buckeye, which was ranked No. 3 in Division IV coming into the game. After the win, Stallworth seemed to think it makes the Shamrocks, the reigning state champions, legitimate contenders at Division V once again. Yuma Catholic's next four games are against teams with a combined record of 4-15. ... It's the Shamrocks' homecoming game.
Yuma High at El Centro-Southwest
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Criminals 1-4; Eagles 0-4
Last week: Yuma High lost to Walden Grove 21-14; Southwest lost to Holtville 40-13
Players to watch: Yuma High's Arturo Vargas ran for 89 yards and a touchdown against the Red Wolves. ... Southwest's Nigel Robb is coming off a 97-yard performance against Holtville.
Yuma High coach Tom Fox's comments: “I think they realize they let it get away and we don't get a lot of chances here at Yuma High. We just tried to equate it to making the most of life's opportunities. ... We've had two tremendous days of practice. It's a winnable game Friday, but at Yuma High we're never in a position to think anything is easy, and I think we thought that (against Walden Grove).”
The lowdown: The Criminals are coming off a hard-luck loss to the Red Wolves, giving up two touchdowns in the final six minutes. ... It's the homecoming game for the Eagles, who have lost by an average of 41-7 this year. Even with last week's nail-biter, the average Criminals' loss is by an average score 39-5.
Calipatria at San Luis
Kickoff: 7 p.m. today
Records: Hornets 3-1; Sidewinders 0-5
Last week: Calipatria beat Crawford 39-28; San Luis lost to Kofa 49-16
Players to watch: Jacob Wannel has 124 yards on just 16 carries this year with three touchdowns and has a team-high 19 receptions, 217 yards and three scores. ... Javier Rodriguez takes over at running back for the Sidewinders.
San Luis coach Mark Shields' comments: “We're putting a couple new things into the offense that worked at the end of the game against Kofa that we're hope is going to work with Calipatria.”
The lowdown: Michael Medina has 326 rushing yards and four touchdowns for the Hornets this year. Calipatria's only loss is 23-9 to undefeated Calexico. ... This is the homecoming game for the Sidewinders, who have lost 41 straight games. The team is still without Jorge Sanchez, who Shields has called an offensive threat for San Luis.
