LODI, TOKAY READY TO FOR KICKOFF
Flames host Linden, Tigers head to West to start late season
It’s been 504 days since the last high school football game took place in Lodi. Tonight, that streak will end when Lodi High takes on Linden to open its delayed season.
Only a select few will be on hand, with only family members allowed as spectators. Still, the players and coaches are excited to be heading back to the field.
“I don’t know how to explain it. I’ve been so stressed with the testing that it’s finally hitting me — we’re playing,” said Lodi coach George Duenas. “There’s going to be fans, with the parents being able to watch. I know the kids are excited. A year and a half of being away from athletics.”
Duenas said a few names that could be called tonight are Isaac Bishop (wing and defensive end), Christian Zamora (running back), Adam Schallberger (quarterback) and Reggie Miles (offensive and defensive line). The Flames will run a pistol wing-T offense and a 3-4 defense.
Linden, meanwhile, which informed Duenas that all testing had cleared on Thursday night, has a few pieces of its own.
“They’ve got a quarterback that can sling it, and their running back, I’m starting to hear a little about him,” Duenas said. “The defense will probably be a 4-4. They have a couple of linebackers that can move.”
Tokay, meanwhile, will head to Tracy for its opener at West High, which sees the return of former head coach Steve Anastasio.
“I mean, I don’t even think there’s a level of excitement that would quantify it,” said a giddy Tokay coach Michael Holst, after getting word Thursday that both teams had cleared COVID-19 testing. “It’s just not something that at some point I thought was going to happen, because getting to the orange tier — we’re not even in the red now. We would have been sitting on the sidelines for a while. We’re ecstatic to be able to play tomorrow.”
Tokay will be looking for big nights from running back Joseph Filippini, who was big for the Tigers last season, and backup running abck Jose Bravo, who is back with Tokay after transferring to Lodi his junior year.
Tokay has a number of guys who can play under center, the most experienced being Jacob Varney and Ty Didonato.
There’s receiver/cornerback Vincent Romero, lineback Haseem Khan, and offensive/defensive lineback Dharuv Walia.
“The kids have been great,” Holst said. “We only get these kids for five games, and it’s just how they’ve been, and I don’t know if that’s them excited to do anything, bu they want to practice, and they’re doing the right thing. They’rea good group.”
As teams around the area have had their problems with the COVID-19 pandemic that is still raging, Lodi and Tokay have green lights for their first games.
Galt High, after having its opener last week canceled due to positive tests among the Warriors, had tonight’s game against Bradshaw Christian postponed because of positive tests on Bradshaw. That game will be played on Tuesday.
Galt coach Tim Cobleigh said his players are cautiously optimistic.
“They are,” Cobleigh said. “But they’re still kind of like, every time they turn around, something’s getting taken away from them.”