FLAMES READY FOR TROJANS
If Lodi High football coach Robert Sperling had his way, practices would be held weekday mornings during the season.
Today, the Flames continue Tri-City Athletic League action against Lincoln at the Grape Bowl. Game time is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.
Lodi High students, along with Tokay, Bear Creek and McNair that are part of the Lodi Unified School District, have been off the last two weeks because of the fall break. All four schools started the school year on July 31. In the previous morning practices, Sperling and his assistant coaches noticed that the Flames were more eager than last week.
“Get into a better rhythm than being at home all day,” Sperling said. “(Practices) have been better this week. I feel like they are prepared for the game.”
Lodi (0-1 in the TCAL, 3-3) resumed its regular practice in mid-afternoons on Thursday. That consisted of what most Sac-Joaquin Section prep football teams do the day before games — work on special/kicking teams and final instructions of their game plan.
Lincoln (1-0 in the TCAL, 33), which won its league opener over West, 56-0, brings its spread offense into tonight’s league game.
“The quarterback (Quinton Gaines) is really athletic,” said Sperling, who is a Lincoln graduate. “They’ve got athletic receivers. They’re really fast on offense. We’ve been playing a lot of spread teams, but teams run it differently. I think this week we’re going to get more of a pass first.”
Leading the Flames’ offense is junior fullback Alfredo Estrada, who had 94 carries for 533 yards and 4 touchdowns. Sophomore quarterback Logan Stout has completed 19 of 46 passes for 383 yards and 9 TDs. Wingback Trey Reese continues to be a threat in the air for Lodi, with 9 receptions for 210 yards and 5 TDs, and 32 carries for 130 yards rushing.
On defense, inside linebacker Larry McDowell, free safety Jake Hayes and Reese have 43 tackles each. Inside linebacker Tyler Rowlands has 36.
The Flames are coming off a 35-0 league opening loss at Tracy last week. In order to keep its playoff hopes alive, Lodi, in Sperling’s mind, have to be aggressive at the start against Lincoln.
“Offensively, we got beat on the edges,” said Sperling of the game at Tracy. “We didn’t beat them to the punch with our blocks. We have to be more aggressive to the point.”
Tokay at Tracy
One of the goals for Tokay (0-1 in the TCAL, 2-4) is pret-
ty simple — finding the end zone.
In the last two games that included the TCAL home opener against defending league champion St. Mary’s last week, Tokay has been held to a field goal. That came in the Tigers’ homecoming game, a non-league contest against McNair, which posted a 41-3 win. St. Mary’s shutout Tokay 62-0.
“Our focus is always going to be improving what we can control, which is our execution of our base offense,” said Tokay coach Michael Holst.
Tokay takes on a Tracy squad that shut down a Lodi offense that averaged 30.8 points per game before their meeting.
“Tracy ran a 4-3 look against Lodi’s flexbone attack,” Holst said. “They are an even front, normally speaking, but their coverage dictates whether they look like a 4-2, 4-3 or 4-4 at times. They will bring edge pressure in certain situations, so you must be ready to take advantage of their aggressiveness.”
Tokay running back Cory Glasgow, who injured his right toes in the Tigers’ loss to McNair and didn’t play against the Rams last week, is a game-time decision, Holst said, as is offensive/defensive lineman Zach Fleming, who strained his back against the Ram.
Tokay quarterback Daniel Garlick has completed 36 of 87 passes for 632 yards and 9 TDs. Wide receiver Joey Heryford has 7 receptions for 265 yards and 3 TDs. On defense, sophomore outside linebacker Luke Millan leads the team in 44 tackles, followed by cornerback Joshua Kirchner at 35, Fleming 31 and inside linebacker Nathan Branco 30.
El Dorado at Liberty Ranch
Entering its second Sierra Valley Conference contest at Erv Hatzenbuhler Field at Warrior Stadium tonight, Liberty Ranch faces its second consecutive school from El Dorado County.
Liberty Ranch (1-0 in the SVC, 2-4) used a fourth quarter touchdown from running back Ethan Torres to post a wild 40-35 win over Union Mine in El Dorado last week. The Hawks led 26-8 at halftime, then the Diamondbacks rallied in the second half and led at one point 35-34.
Torres has been a double-threat for the Hawks; he has 67 carries for 591 yards rushing and 9 receptions for 342 yards and combined 9 TDs. Quarterback Thomas Thornburg has completed 43 of 98 passes for 736 yards and 8 TDs.
El Dorado (1-0 in the SVC, 4-2) was down by two touchdowns in its SVC opener against Rosemont before posting a 31-29 win. Liberty Ranch is also celebrating its homecoming.
Galt at Rosemont
The visiting Warriors are looking to get back on the winning track that they experienced earlier this season.
Galt (0-1 in the SVC, 3-3), which lost to Cordova 52-13 at Warrior Stadium last week, faces a Rosemont (0-1 in the SVC, 2-4) team that lost to El Dorado, but is averaging 26.9 points per game on offense.
The Warriors are averaging 22.1 points per game. Quarterback Robert Bulahan, along with running backs Izic Lopez, Keyshawn Brooks and Jacob Maldonado, along with tight end Giovanni Escalante, have led the Warriors’ offense in recent weeks.
Contact reporter Mike Bush at mikeb@lodinews.com. Follow on Twitter: @MBushLodiSports.