FULL SLATE OF LOCAL GAMES TODAY
One Lodi team is looking to bounce back. The other hopes to keep rolling to a 3-0 start.
Lodi High dropped its opener last week to an Edison squad with high expectations, 28-0, in game delayed until Monday because of wildfire smoke.
That left four days turnaround between that hard-hitting game and tonight’s matchup against Chavez (1-1).
“We took it easy on them, did a lot of walkthroughs and technique stuff,” said Lodi coach George Duenas. “Now those guys know hwo the NFL guys feel when they play a Thursday night game. And that was a physical game.”
Duenas said the players were looking mostly recovered on Thursday.
While Chavez may not bring the hype that Edison did, they still are a dangerous team.
“They’ve always been known for their running backs. The last couple of years we’ve played them, they’ve had a damn good running back,” Duenas said. “And now again. That No. 2 (Reuben Hooks), he’s a dude. We cannot let him get going. Defensively, he’s our No. 1 priority. They do have a couple quick guys on the perimeter, but our goal is to shut him down.”
Chavez brings a 1-1 record with a 26-12 win over Mountain House and a 36-7 loss to Grace Davis out of Modesto. Through those two games, Hooks has 205 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 40 carries.
Tokay, meanwhile, carries a 2-0 record into tonight’s home game against Kennedy out of Sacramento. The Cougars are 0-1 after a 47-6 loss against Pleasant Grove on Aug. 20.
Galt’s two teams also have home games today, with Galt hosting Colfax and Liberty Ranch hosting Linden. Both of the Galt schools missed out on last week’s games due to smoke, and with Liberty Ranch missing its original opener when Summerville pulled out of an Aug. 20 match, tonight will be the Hawks’ opener.
Linden is 0-2, with a 55-30 loss to Escalong and a 30-17 loss to Bradshaw Christian, while Colfax is 0-1 with a 20-10 loss to Woodland.