Submitted by admin on Fri, 2005-10-07 15:00. ::
After blowing a 20-point halftime lead against cross-town rival Lodi that ended Tokay's 10-game winning streak in the series, the Tigers could have easily dwelled on what went wrong.
Lincoln, which has won five straight against the Tigers, has improved every game, including last week's 55-21 victory over defending section champion St. Mary's.
Anything less than total focus could bring disastrous results for the Tigers, and first-year Tokay head coach Pete McFadden said his squad has been zeroed in on the Trojans since the beginning of the week.
"The kids showed up Monday and were ready to move on," he said. "It was a tough loss, but we were ready to move on to the next opponent. I expected that from them. They're competitors."
McFadden said a key for the Tigers will be cutting down on mental mistakes, particularly in pivotal situations. Last week the Tigers were penalized seven times for 86 yards, including several infractions in the second half that helped keep Lodi drives alive.
Tokay quarterback Alex Ring, who threw a pair of touchdown passes and rushed for 52 yards after replacing Jason Beilstein early in last week's contest, will get the starting nod this week.
Key matchups: Tokay run defense against the Lincoln rushing attack. If the Tigers can force the Trojans, who average more than 400 yards rushing a game, into passing situations, they could have a shot at an upset.
Notes: Lincoln running back Curtis Shaw has rushed for 570 yards (9.19 avg.) and seven TDs and Michael Peters has 407 yards (10.44 avg.) and four TDs. ... The Trojans have won five straight in the series. ... The Tigers committed seven penalties for 86 yards in the loss to Lodi. ... Tokay WR Nick Rhodes caught two TD passes last week and also returned an INT for a score.
Key matchups: Lodi offensive line vs. Edison defense. The Vikings are fast, but the Flames can neutralize that speed if they can physically dominate the game, particularly with Edison's skill players going both ways.
Notes: Lodi RB Matt Fuson has rushed for eight TDs in the last three weeks, including two in last week's win over Tokay. He leads the team with 373 yards on the ground. Fuson has also been tough on defense. The LB leads the team with nine tackles per game and is tied for the team lead with three sacks. ... Lodi QB Ryan Chiene has been efficient, going 38-for-70 for 488 yards (1 TD, 1 INT). ... Edison is 0-2 at home.
Key matchups: Galt offense vs. Cordova defense. The best defense for Galt against a Cordova team averaging 48 points a game will be a ball-control offense.
Notes: The Lancers have outscored opponents 194-49 this season. ... Cordova has three players that have rushed for more than 200 yards. James Montgomery leads the team with 780 yards and 15 TDs. ... The Lancers rushed for 622 yards in last week's win over Rosemont. ... Galt is 0-2 when it gives up more than 20 points. ... The Warriors are 1-2 at home this season and 1-0 on the road. ... Galt's Ben Santos has rushed for 358 yards and five TDs. ... Cameron Covey leads the Warriors with five sacks.
Key matchups: Elliot secondary vs. North Hills passing game. The Golden Eagles average 40 passes a game. QB Darrin Farias is 77-for-160 for 1,288 yards (10 TDs, 10 INTs). Receiver Dallas Hamilton leads the team with 26 catches for 423 yards. Elliot averages 2.3 sacks and two INTs per game.
Notes: The Elliot defense hasn't allowed more than 12 points in a game this season. ... Elliot QB Blake Inscore was 8-of-12 for 119 yards and a TD last week. ... North Hills has had an up-and-down season. After a 41-0 loss to Los Molinos in Week 1, they rebounded with a 59-25 win over Calvary Temple. The Golden Eagles then lost to Bishop Quinn 53-28 before routing Sierra Christian last week.
Tokay's offense, which bogged down in the second half against the Flames, will need to control the ball and the clock to keep a Lincoln offense that is averaging 38 points a game off the field.
On defense, McFadden said the Tigers need to get the run-oriented Trojans, who average more than 400 yards rushing a game, into third-and-long situations and force them to pass the ball.
After the stirring second-half comeback against Tokay last week, Flames head coach Todd Dillon, who beat his alma mater for the first time in eight tries, hopes his team won't have a letdown tonight.
"Every game we play is a big game. We've never been in this position before. We've never been 3-1 and playing to be 4-1. We can't let our guard down."
The teams were locked in a defensive battle until Tokay scored three touchdowns in the final three minutes of the first half, with two of the scores coming off Lodi turnovers.
But the Flames came out refocused and determined to play their physical style in the second half, running right at the Tigers on two long scoring drives before completing the comeback on quarterback Ryan Chiene's 1-yard keeper with just over two minutes to play.
The Lodi defense also stepped up its play, holding the Tigers scoreless in the second half and shutting down receiver Nick Rhodes, who had burned the Flames on two TD passes late in the second quarter. Tokay only managed 57 yards of total offense in the final two periods.
"Had they stopped us on the first drive of the second half, maybe we don't think we're good enough to win," Dillon said. "And then for the first time we held them to three-and-out on offense."
Dillon attributes the team's second-half stamina — the Flames' also wore down Galt in the second half in a victory three weeks ago — to its hard work in the weight room during the offseason.
Dillon said dominating the line of scrimmage will be key against the Vikings (1-2), who picked up their first win of the season with a 13-7 victory over Franklin last week.
"The Vikings are fast and athletic at the skill positions, but not very good on the line," Dillon said. "We're going to try to be physical and beat them up. We're going to go at them."
For a team that has taken a beating both physically and mentally in recent weeks, the schedule couldn't be any more difficult for the Warriors.
Coming off a 27-0 loss to Union Mine in its Sierra Valley Conference opener last week, Galt (2-2) travels to unbeaten Cordova tonight before hosting powerhouse Oak Ridge next week.
The Warriors are still recovering from the loss of tight end/linebacker Brad Calhoun and fullback Robert Mendoza, whom, according to Hatzenbuhler, are no longer with the team due to disciplinary reasons.
Injuries also continue to take a toll on the squad. Senior offensive linemen Russell Fluty and Jeremy Bird both fell ill this week and are expected to miss tonight's game.
Although, starting quarterback Zack Feuerbach, who has been slowed by a collarbone injury in recent weeks and only played sparingly in the loss to Union Mine, is expected to be back at full strength.
"We had our best practice in a couple of weeks on Wednesday," said Hatzenbuhler, who acknowledged his team will have to be close to perfect against Cordova.
The Lancers (4-0, 1-0 SVC) are led by running back James Montgomery, who rushed for 232 yards and five TDs on only 10 carries in last week's 77-0 victory over Rosemont.
But the Lancers, who are averaging 48.5 points per game, are not a one-man show. Despite playing in an offense that features the run, receiver Carl Moore has 16 catches for 401 yards and three TDs.
Junior running back Matt Davis, Elliot's biggest playmaker the past two seasons, suffered a broken left collarbone, and senior wide receiver Mike Shubert dislocated his left ankle. Both are out for the season.
"We had a great, enthusiatic week of practice," Elliot coach Dean Davis said. "We're rallying behind the fact that Matt and Schubert are out for the season. They've been stepping up and had a really good week."
SchedulesElliot Christian High School cross country schedule for 2005 Galt High School cross country schedule for 2005 Lodi High School cross country schedule for 2005 Tokay High School cross country schedule for 2005 Lodi High School football schedule for 2005 Tokay High School football schedule for 2005 Galt High School girls golf schedule for 2005 Lodi High School girls golf schedule for 2005 Tokay High School girls golf schedule for 2005 Elliot Christian High School boys soccer schedule for 2005 Galt High School boys soccer schedule for 2005 Lodi High School boys soccer schedule for 2005 Tokay High School boys soccer schedule for 2005 Galt High School girls tennis schedule for 2005 Lodi High School girls tennis schedule for 2005 Tokay High School girls tennis schedule for 2005 Elliot Christian High School volleyball schedule for 2005 Galt High School volleyball schedule for 2005 Lodi High School volleyball schedule for 2005 Tokay High School volleyball schedule for 2005 Lodi High School boys water polo schedule for 2005 Tokay High School boys water polo schedule for 2005 Lodi High School girls water polo schedule for 2005 Tokay High School girls water polo schedule for 2005 Javascript disabled. Cannot display HTML ad.
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