Rivalry decides ESL champs once again
Strathmore at Lindsay, Friday, 7:15 p.m.
Rivalry games like Strathmore and Lindsay high schools’ “Battle of the Bell” are fun and exciting with all the goodnatured trash talking leading up to it. But at the end of the night the winner gets the bragging rights for the rest of the year, and just like last season, those bragging rights come with an East Sequoia League championship.
“We could be 0-9 and the Bell game’s still go- ing to matter to us,” LHS head coach Matt Mendonca said. “Because it means that much to our school and our community. The fact that we’re playing for our league championship just kinds of throws a little bit more icing on the cake. Everything is there for the taking for both teams.”
The undefeated, defending ESL and CIF Central Section Division VI champion Spartans (9-0, 4-0 ESL) are coming off a 40-9 victory over the Grizzlies of Granite Hills (7-2, 2-2 ESL) in what was hyped as a possible preview to the Valley championship. Strathmore head coach Jeromy Blackwell said that was first time the team was tested since Strathmore’s 35-13 victory over Orosi (6-3) on Sept. 15 — their closest game this season.
“The last time I remember feeling the urgency of the moment was in an Orosi game,” Blackwell said. “So it was a good test for us. Granite Hills brought an awesome game and I promise you this, Matt Mendonca, this guy’s a good football coach and he’s going to have all kinds of stuff up his sleeve. So we got to be prepared for all kinds of situations that might arise and that may not arise, but we got to be ready for everything.”
Lindsay (4-5, 3-1 ESL) runs a balanced offense with senior quarterback Ernie Bautista accounting for 654 yards and seven touchdowns on the season. The team’s main target is senior wide receiver Chris Orozco, who has 587 yards and nine touchdowns. Leading rusher, senior Ethan Duran eclipsed the 1,000yard rushing mark last week and has a total of 1,020 yards and six touchdowns.
The Cardinals are on a two game winning streak after beating both Woodlake (3-6, 0-4 ESL) and Corcoran (1-8, 1-3 ESL) each by 10 points or more. Their lone ESL loss was a 14-0 loss to the Grizzlies. But Lindsay also defeated Sierra Pacific (3-6, 2-2 ESL), who Granite Hills lost to 25-12.
“Obviously [ Strathmore is] undefeated and the expectations for those guys are a lot higher than a lot of people had the expectations for us, so we're kind of sneaking up into this game,” Mendonca said. “Not a lot of people saw us in a position, [like] where we are now, to play for that league championship.”
All season, team's have gone against the Spartans with the same game plan in mind — limit senior running back Joseph Garcia. But after 1,442 yards and 25 touchdowns in nine games, stopping the No. 2 running back in the Central Section is looking nearly impossible. It also doesn't help opponents that Strathmore's other backs are just as dangerous. Junior running back Alonso Acevedo has scored in all but one game and averages 10.8 yards a carry. Behind him is junior Fabian Alcantar, who averages 12.7 yards a carry.
“They're good,” Mendonca said. “They weren't in the state championship game last year for no reason. When you have players that are better than everybody else, bigger. Like if you have a size advantage, a speed advantage. You know you don't have to get as complicated with
your X's and O's. You can line your guys up and win football games. Strathmore not only has good players, they have size and speed, but they also have great coaching.”
In the past the rivalry was built up with people from both school's causing thousands of dollars worth of damage to each other's schools with vandalism and at one point a large “L” was carved into Strathmore's field. But under the direction of Lindsay's ASB director, Katrina Gonzales, the two teams have come together over these last two years to have breakfast and learn about the history of the rivalry.
“The point in the break-
fast is — let's be civil to one another,” SHS head coach Jeromy Blackwell said.
Strathmore's senior quarterback Nick Salas echoed that sentiment, saying, “Our rivalry between us and Lindsay, it's not much of a hate rivalry it's more of a mutual respect rivalry. It's more like all friendly.”
Both teams are playoff bound with Strathmore hoping to bring the state championship game back home after losing it 29-28 to St. PatrickSt. Vincent out of Vallejo last year. Lindsay makes their return to the Div. V playoffs after a quick first-round exit due to a 36-0 loss to Yosemite last season.