Week 3 Football Preview: Unbeaten showdowns highlight a loaded local slate
Ridgeview-North and Shafter-Highland put perfect records on the line, Liberty heads south for a major road test and Bakersfield Christian welcomes one of California's top-ranked teams to Bakersfield.
THURSDAY
Garces at Tehachapi
Garces responded to its season-opening loss at St. Joseph exactly how the Rams needed to, beating Wasco 42-13 and turning a competitive game into a rout with 21 points in the third quarter.
Junior quarterback Markis Gomez has quickly established himself as one of the area's most productive passers. He enters Week 3 with 464 passing yards, second among local quarterbacks, while completing better than 71 percent of his passes. Carter Hanson has scored three touchdowns through two games, and Brody Letourneau continues to lead a defense that has several impact players.
Tehachapi enters looking for answers offensively after being shut out by Shafter. The Warriors managed only 29 rushing yards and no passing yards in the loss.
That makes this an important opportunity for Garces. The Rams have already faced one of the more difficult road environments on their schedule at St. Joseph, and another strong performance Thursday would send them into the rest of September at 2-1.
Mission Oak at Kennedy
Kennedy has already won in two completely different ways.
The Thunderbirds controlled San Joaquin Memorial 30-7 in the opener, then went on the road and survived Tulare Union 36-35 in overtime.
Now the defending champions return home with two players who already rank among the state's statistical leaders.
Isaiah Feathers has rushed for 322 yards, the 25th-highest total currently listed in California. Anthony Lara has five sacks through two games after recording 19 last season. Lara has also totaled 16 tackles, while Jorge Avila gives Kennedy another productive option in a deep rushing attack.
Mission Oak comes in 0-2 after losses to Tulare Union and San Luis Obispo. Kennedy will be looking to avoid a letdown after last week's overtime thriller and continue establishing itself as one of the teams to beat in the Central Section.
Chowchilla at West
West is still searching for its first victory, but Week 2 represented a step forward.
After a 36-14 loss to Rosamond in the opener, the Vikings stayed within one possession of Delano in a 20-14 loss. Now they get an undefeated Chowchilla team that enters Bakersfield at 2-0.
For West, the objective is continuing the progression shown from Week 1 to Week 2. The Vikings need to limit the explosive plays that hurt them in the opener and find enough offense to keep Chowchilla from controlling the game.
FRIDAY
Ridgeview at North
This is one of the best local matchups of Week 3.
Both teams are 2-0, both have already produced a dominant victory, and both have running backs who have been among the area's biggest stories through two weeks.
Ridgeview junior Travion Stocker has rushed for 345 yards. He went for 196 yards and two touchdowns against East, then needed only nine carries to produce another 149 yards against South.
North counters with Robert Rodriguez, who has rushed for 327 yards and scored eight touchdowns through two games. Rodriguez scored four times against Stockdale and then accounted for all four North touchdowns in a 24-0 win over Pioneer Valley.
There is much more to this game than two running backs.
Ridgeview quarterback Darryon Casteel has been dangerous with his legs and increasingly explosive through the air. In Week 2, all three of his completions went for touchdowns. Defensively, Jordan Quiroz has four interceptions, tied for the second-highest total in California, while James Salinas has three sacks and was BSN's Week 2 Defensive Player of the Week.
North's defense took a major step forward last week, going from allowing 34 points against Stockdale to shutting out Pioneer Valley.
Something has to give Friday. One of these teams will leave 3-0, and the winner will have one of the better early résumés in the area.
Shafter at Highland
Another matchup of 2-0 teams, and perhaps the most interesting clash of styles on the Week 3 schedule.
Shafter's first two games showed just how many ways the Generals can win. They scored 48 against South in the opener, then held Tehachapi scoreless in a 29-0 victory.
Luis Santana has rushed for 271 yards and scored six total touchdowns, putting him among California's statewide touchdown leaders. Quarterback Collyn Gillies has thrown four touchdown passes, and the Shafter defense enters Friday coming off a performance in which it held Tehachapi to almost nothing offensively.
Highland has been equally impressive.
The Scots followed a 28-7 victory at Porterville with a 40-12 win over Stockdale. The headline has been Randy Davenport Jr., who scored four different ways against Stockdale and now sits alone atop California with five interceptions. He has also scored five total touchdowns.
Running back Anthony Phillips is averaging 119 rushing yards per game and broke out for 155 yards and two touchdowns last week. Diego Delgado has added two interceptions, giving Highland seven picks from Davenport and Delgado alone. Matt Robinson has been disruptive along the defensive front.
This is a legitimate early measuring-stick game for both teams.
Liberty at Oaks Christian
Liberty has already answered two different challenges.
The Patriots erased a halftime deficit and survived Clovis East in overtime in Week 1, then controlled Menlo-Atherton from the start in a 35-14 victory.
Now comes the first long road trip of the season.
Sophomore Luke Valverde's numbers have actually been updated since BSN's passing leaders graphic was produced. MaxPreps now credits him with 566 passing yards, keeping him atop the local leaderboard. Add his 48 rushing yards and Valverde is currently 28th in California with 614 total yards.
His connection with Gavin Williams has been one of the biggest stories of the young season. Williams has 323 receiving yards and five touchdowns, which puts him fifth in California in receiving yards. Leon Denweed has added another dimension on the ground, including 154 rushing yards last week.
Oaks Christian is 0-2, but that record needs context. The Lions opened against Chaminade before facing Rancho Cucamonga, two significant Southern California tests.
For Liberty, this is another chance to learn about a young quarterback and a team with aspirations beyond simply being one of the best in Bakersfield.
Clovis West at Bakersfield Christian
BCHS has played only one game, but there will be nothing resembling a soft return from its Week 2 bye.
Clovis West enters 2-0 and No. 17 in MaxPreps' California computer rankings. The Golden Eagles also bring one of the state's hottest running backs to Bakersfield. Junior Major Lee has 420 rushing yards, sixth-most in California, and has scored six touchdowns. Receiver Julius Sanders has 264 yards, also inside the statewide top 25.
BCHS was one conversion away from beating Faith Lutheran in its opener.
Quarterback Colton Michael with 267 passing yards and accounted for three touchdowns in his Eagles debut, two rushing and one passing. Owen Yurosek immediately emerged as a dangerous vertical target, while Darriyon Page and Richlyn Gooden give the offense additional ways to attack.
The Eagles showed offensive potential in Week 1. This week will give us a much better idea of how that translates against one of the highest-rated teams they will see all season.
Wasco at Foothill
If you like offense, keep an eye on this one.
Foothill has scored 94 points through two games, beating Mira Monte 49-10 and Chavez 45-21. What makes the Trojans particularly difficult to prepare for is how many different players have produced those points.
Ismael Ramirez accounted for five touchdowns in the opener. Jordan Neilson caught three. In Week 2, Martin Velasquez broke a 77-yard touchdown run, Luis Correa scored rushing and receiving touchdowns, Cory Hunter scored on special teams and Mike Hanks found the end zone on both sides of the ball.
Wasco may be 0-2, but junior Aiden Hulsey enters Friday as the area's leading rusher with 384 yards, eighth-most in California.
The Tigers also showed in Week 1 that the offense can create explosive plays through the air, with Moroni Carranza catching three touchdowns.
Wasco's challenge is turning that production into four consistent quarters. Foothill's challenge is containing one of California's hottest runners while continuing the offensive pace that has made the Trojans one of the area's early surprises.
McFarland at California City
Few local players have been asked to do more through two weeks than Malachi Davis.
Davis has thrown for 369 yards, third among area quarterbacks, while rushing for another 206 yards.
McFarland also has one of the area's most productive defensive players in Issac Rios. His 30 tackles are listed ninth in California on MaxPreps' Week 3 statewide leaderboard, and he has four sacks. Joel Nunez also has four sacks, giving the Cougars two of the area's top pass rushers.
McFarland is one point away from entering this game 2-0 after a 27-26 loss to Boron.
The Cougars have enough high-end individual production to be dangerous. Week 3 is about turning those numbers into another win.
Taft at Santa Maria
Taft's backfield suddenly looks like one of the deepest in the area.
Garrett Massey has 353 rushing yards through two games, after following a 207-yard opener with another 146 yards against Del Oro.
And then Joe Weber returned.
In his season debut, Weber produced 307 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns, including an 85-yard kickoff return, two rushing touchdowns and a receiving score.
That means Taft enters Week 3 at 2-0 after showing it can dominate without Weber, then become even more explosive once he returned.
Santa Maria will have to account for both backs on nearly every snap.
Edison at Centennial
The records do not tell the story here.
Centennial is 0-1 after a 21-14 loss to Clovis East. Edison is also 0-1 after losing 22-19 at Clovis North, the same Clovis North team that beat Frontier 51-7 in Week 1.
Centennial's first full game offered plenty of encouraging signs. Dez McWilliams scored both Golden Hawks touchdowns, senior linebacker Mekhi Norwood intercepted a pass and a defense featuring nine underclassmen starters kept Centennial within a touchdown.
Friday should provide another useful data point. A young Centennial defense gets another talented opponent, but this time the Golden Hawks get the matchup at home.
San Luis Obispo at Independence
Independence's first game of the season exposed areas that need to improve.
The Falcons generated pressure and moved the ball at times against Cajon, but penalties, turnovers and coverage breakdowns became costly in a 35-14 loss.
The schedule does not get much easier.
San Luis Obispo enters 2-0, having opened with a 14-0 shutout of Mt. Whitney before beating Mission Oak 35-13. The Tigers have allowed only 13 points through two games, and Matthew Milner already has 3.5 sacks.
For Independence, the most important improvement may simply be playing cleaner football. Joseph Millan, Jahki Ervin and Rayland Denweed give the Falcons pieces offensively, but possessions cannot continue to be lost to self-inflicted mistakes.
Mira Monte at Nordhoff
Mira Monte returns from its bye after opening the season with a 49-10 loss to Foothill.
The Lions now face a Nordhoff offense with one of the most productive quarterbacks in California.
Senior Michael Dennie has thrown for 682 yards, which currently ranks 11th in the state.
That makes this a difficult matchup for a Mira Monte team still looking for its identity after only one completed game. The Lions will need to control possessions and prevent Nordhoff from turning the game into a track meet.
Frontier at Northgate
Context continues to matter when evaluating Frontier.
The Titans are 0-2, but those losses came against Clovis North and St. Joseph, two of the more difficult opponents any local team has faced in the opening weeks. Frontier has been outscored 103-14, but the schedule has offered virtually no margin for a new staff trying to establish itself.
Northgate played its first game last week and beat Tamalpais 44-6.
This game should tell us something different about Frontier. Rather than judging the Titans against two established powers, Week 3 provides another chance to measure progress, identify dependable playmakers and see how the group responds after a punishing opening stretch under Jim Arneson.
Delano at Granite Hills
Delano already showed some resilience.
After opening with a 33-14 loss to Atascadero, the Tigers bounced back and beat West 20-14.
Quarterback Antonio Trevino accounted for all three touchdowns in the victory, throwing one and running for two. Julian "JuJu" Herrera added 86 rushing yards on only 10 carries.
That combination gives Delano something tangible to build around entering a road matchup with Granite Hills.
The key for the Tigers is whether the offensive improvement from Week 2 becomes the new normal rather than a one-week jump.
Monache at Stockdale
Stockdale's 0-2 start has included two very different offensive performances.
The Mustangs scored 34 against North behind Kruz Corona's 317 passing yards and three touchdowns, then were held to 12 points by Highland while turning the ball over five times.
That makes Week 3 fairly straightforward from a Stockdale perspective: protect the football and get Corona comfortable again.
Monache has already seen another Kern County opponent, beating Wasco 36-29 in Week 1 before losing to Roosevelt in Week 2.
Stockdale has shown it possesses enough offensive ability to score. The Mustangs now need consistency.
Chavez at East Bakersfield
East may have found something in Week 2.
After scoring 12 points against Ridgeview, the Blades erupted for 38 against Kern Valley behind senior quarterback Maximus Hull.
Hull enters Week 3 with 283 passing yards, fourth among area quarterbacks, and has already thrown five touchdown passes. Jaime Fernandez rushed for 136 yards last week, while Jabril Williams caught two touchdowns.
Chavez enters 1-1 after opening with a shutout victory over Corcoran before losing 45-21 to Foothill.
For East, the question is whether last week's offensive performance was the beginning of a trend. If Hull continues producing through the air while Fernandez provides balance on the ground, the Blades become considerably more difficult to defend.
Arvin at Golden Valley
Golden Valley's defense has given up only 10 points through two games.
That alone makes the Bulldogs worth watching.
They opened the Dimas Reza III era with a 34-0 win over Del Oro, rushing for 387 yards behind Raymond Valderrama, then held Atascadero to only 10 points in Week 2.
The problem was that Golden Valley did not score.
So Week 3 is less about discovering the Bulldogs' identity than finding balance within it. The defense has already established itself. Now an offense that showed significant potential in the opener needs to rediscover its rhythm against Arvin.
Del Oro at Tranquillity
Del Oro is still looking for its first victory after opening 0-2, but one of the most productive tacklers in California is playing for the Suns.
Junior Moises Partida has 28 tackles, which MaxPreps currently lists 13th in California entering Week 3.
Tranquillity enters 1-1 and is coming off a shutout victory.
For Del Oro, the next step is finding enough offensive consistency to complement the defensive production players such as Partida are providing.
BHS gets the week off
One team that will not be on the Week 3 slate is Bakersfield High.
The Drillers enter the bye 2-0 after a comeback win at Clovis and a 42-17 victory over Paraclete. MaxPreps currently has BHS at No. 22 in its statewide computer rankings, the highest of any Bakersfield-area team. Liberty is No. 44.
Damir Lomax has emerged as the offensive headliner after scoring four touchdowns in Week 2 and earning BSN Offensive Player of the Week honors, while Edward Leach, Dee Lee and the defense have already shown they can keep Bakersfield in games when the offense needs time to find its footing.
The Drillers will have another major test waiting after the week off.
Week 3 should tell us plenty
We already know Liberty can throw it. We know Ridgeview, North, Shafter, Kennedy and Taft can run it. We know Highland can take the football away. We know Foothill can score from seemingly anywhere on the field. We know Bakersfield can win in multiple ways.
Now some of those early strengths will be tested against each other.
Ridgeview-North and Shafter-Highland will cut the number of undefeated local teams. Liberty gets its first Southern California road test. BCHS gets one of the top-ranked teams in the state. Wasco's Aiden Hulsey gets a chance to take the state's No. 8 rushing total into a matchup with one of the area's highest-scoring teams.
Week 3 should give us our clearest picture yet of where everybody stands.
