Wildcats look for strong start against Morse
BRAWLEY — Following a three-game road stint in Arizona, the Brawley Union High football team is scheduled to return to Warne Field here Friday night to host Morse in the Week 6 Game of the Week.
The Wildcats are coming off a solid 33-11 victory over Gila Ridge last week and are looking to close out the nonleague portion of their schedule with a win.
The Morse Tigers are a new opponent for this group of Wildcats as the last time the two teams faced each other was in 2006.
While more than 10 years have passed since the teams last saw each other, the Wildcats and the Tigers are somewhat evenly matched in the eyes of the CIFSan Diego Section as they go into the contest as Div. II contenders.
On the season, the Wildcats are 3-1, while Morse has split its first four games and comes in with a 2-2 overall record.
The Wildcats’ only loss so far this year came in week one against Steele Canyon when the team was edged 24-20.
Since then, the defending Imperial Valley League champions have gone 3-0 as the squad’s relatively young players grow more comfortable in their starting roles.
Senior fullback and strong safety Fernando Razo said while the team has benefited from the three previous games, the players know a different challenge awaits them on Friday.
“It’s definitely a team we haven’t played,” Razo explained. “We haven’t played this type of team. They’re a lost faster, a lot quicker. They’re legit pretty much.”
For Friday’s game, Razo said he was looking to help give his team a strong start, something the Wildcats have struggled with the past few games.
“These wins are not the wins we want,” he said. “We want better wins. We want to come out strong and finish strong. We’ve been coming out weak and finishing strong, but we need to change that, that’s for sure.”
In addition to facing a new opponent, the Wildcats are also looking forward to returning home and fighting for one last win before the start of league action next week.
“It’s for sure going to be a battle,” Razo said of Friday’s game. “It’s whoever wants it more, honestly. If we make mistakes we just need to keep moving on.”
As the team is midway through its season, it’s understandably dealing with a few minor and nagging injuries, yet nothing too crucial that’ll stand in its way.
“We’re good,” said senior Blass Gutierrez. “We’re taking care of ourselves and taking care of one another.”
Like his teammates, Gutierrez recognized the opportunity for the team to get in a win before hitting the second phase of the season on Oct. 6
“I think a win will definitely help us with our motivation and give us a confidence boost for sure, (before league),” he said.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Brawley’s Warne Field. Watch the game live at ivpressonline.com