Lodi sports teams take steps to keep athletes safe.
Two weeks ago was the last time members of the Lodi High football team saw different faces at a round-robin scrimmage at Lathrop.
Today, the Flames open the season against Sonora at the Grape Bowl. Because of the triple-digit temperatures that weather forecasters are predicting could reach 109 to 112 the next three days, the game time has been moved to 8 p.m. instead of 7:15.
“We are excited,” said Lodi coach Robert Sperling. “We feel our practices went really well this week. The hardest part is the guys will wake up and be ready to go, but it’s a long day at school, and they get there early in the morning. But they will be pumped up all day.”
Sperling said Tyler Rowlands will be the starting quarterback against the Wildcats, and will also start at inside linebacker. The Flames plan to rotate in junior Justin Blake and sophomore Logan Stout for Flames’ triple-option attack out of the wishbone formation.
“We’re going to play them,” said Sperling of the trio. “We want to see how they do and go with the hot hand. We have a lot of guys going both ways.”
One of the Flames’ offensive threats is wingback Trey Reese, who also starts at free safety. As for the running game, Sperling plans to go with running back
by committee, and see who can do the job.
A big plus for Lodi (2-8 last season) this season is the return of four linemen, all seniors who have started since they were sophomores. Those are center/defensive end Ezequiel Arias, guard/defensive tackle Ben Bishop, tackle/defensive tackle Tyler Wooldridge and guard/nose guard Kent Powell.
Tokay at Bear Creek
In their Week 0 opener at Heritage of Brentwood on Aug. 25, Tokay (0-1) watched Heritage take advantage of an interception, a 31-yard run and a 35-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to break open a 14-7 Patriots lead into a 3814 win.
“We played well defensively for three and a half quarters,” said Tokay coach Michael Holst. “Defensively, we were put in a couple bad situations after offensive turnovers. But we have to learn how to handle sudden change situations and rise to the occasion. We need to play more consistently on offense, and establish the run game.”
The Tigers’ running game, however, was silent, as they were held to 70 total yards. Running back Cory Glasgow had most of those yards at 48. Breakdowns on the offensive front is an area Holst feels his team must show improvement.
“In order to throw the ball, we need to protect up front better than last week,” Holst said.
Tokay, which also has an 8 p.m. start, had success in the air with a combined 265 yards. Quarterback Ralph Martinez was 8-for-19 with 166 and a touchdown, and Daniel Garlick 2-for10 for 99 yards and a touchdown. The two signal callers are expected to rotate in tonight’s game, as they did in last week’s opener.
On defense, strong safety Joshua Kirchner had eight tackles for the Tigers. Inside linebacker Nathan Branco and defensive back Joseph Heryford, who pulled in both of the Tigers’ touchdowns last week, and Martinez, a free safety followed with seven tackles each.
Tokay will face a Bear Creek (1-0) squad that likes to throw the ball. That is exactly what the Bruins did against Grace Davis of Modesto, which posted a wild 42-35 win.
Los Banos at Liberty Ranch
Against River City in West Sacramento also last Friday, Liberty Ranch rallied from a 14-13 deficit in the second half. But that wasn’t enough, as the Raiders posted a 28-21 win.
Last weekend, the Hawks’ locker room was broken into and vandalized, with equipment stolen that included helmets and shoulder pads. The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is continuing its investigation that was discovered by a teacher early Monday morning.
As of early Thursday afternoon, Liberty Ranch coach Anthony Linebaugh said that all of his players will be fully equipped for tonight’s game against the Tigers with replacement gear. Linebaugh wants to send a message that the close-knit team, through this ordeal, has become stronger than ever.
Galt at Ripon
This is the Warriors’ first game of the season.
Galt coach Jermaine Allen, his assistant coaches and players will start the season with three consecutive road games. Next Friday, the Warriors play at Linden, and then on Sept. 15 play Valley of Sacramento at Cosumnes River College in Sacramento. The Warriors’ first home game is Sept. 22 against Mira Loma, also of Sacramento.
Last month, Galt, which went 5-5 overall last season, had all of its wins turned into forfeits because of the use of an ineligible player who had played in all 10 games.
That officially drops the Warriors to 0-10, and riding on a 15-game losing skid. The last time Galt won a game was on Oct. 2, with a 4812 win at Riverbank. Galt lost every Sierra Valley Conference game afterwards.