SPORTS PHS, LHS get early looks at teams
Lindsay hosted three-team scrimmage Friday
With the both teams first games of the season just a week away, Porterville and Lindsay High School, along with Orosi, got the first live look at their football teams Friday evening in a three-team scrimmage at Frank Skadan Stadium in Lindsay.
Facing Orosi in the first game, Porterville struggled to complete passes at first but sophomore quarterback Hector Nava played well under pressure and had at least three touchdown passes — two of them to senior wide receiver Jesse Hernandez. Hunter Alcantar also caught a touchdown pass for the Panthers and was one of Porterville’s main targets through the air.
The Panthers’ top returner, senior running back Demario Ennis, also broke off for a 40-yard touchdown against Orosi and a 17-yard one against Lindsay. He looked stronger and faster than last year. Last season Ennis finished with 533 yards and one touchdown on 91 carries to lead a Porterville team that went 1-4 in the East Yosemite League and 4-6 on the overall season.
“I think we’re about where we’d expect to be for a scrimmage,” PHS head coach Michael Machado said. “It’s a week early so we’re still trying to get acclimated but we’re playing well. There’s a big difference at a couple of positions that makes us a little bit more explosive. Defensively we got to clean some stuff up but I mean we’re much stronger, we’re faster. We’re just cleaner this year than we were last year and I think that’s what you want to see.”
Porterville did struggle defensively but mostly against the run where they gave up big runs to Orosi’s running back, as well as a 25-yard touchdown run to Lindsay running back Daniel Trujillo.
The Cardinals graduated their top running back for the last three seasons in Ethan Duran, and Trujillo is set to take over much of the load on the ground for Lindsay. Last season, Trujillo rushed for just 194 yards
and one touchdowns on 58 carries.
Both Porterville and Lindsay’s secondary played well and their defenses got big hits and sacks, plus the Cardinals picked up an interception against Orosi. Against the run however, Lindsay was the better team of both Porterville and Orosi. The Cardinals hardly gave up any yards and instead forced both team’s offensive backwards. It wasn’t until the final snaps of scrimmage did Lindsay give up some big runs, but no touchdowns, to the Orosi offense.
“Well we talked about a couple of things before we took the field,” LHS head coach Matt Mendonca. “It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about knowing your job. It’s about playing from snap to whistle, finishing your blocks on both sides of the ball and to play with an attitude or a mindset and we checked off all those boxes today.”
Led by a familiar face in Ethan Natera, the Cardinals quarterback from two years ago, Lindsay’s pass game also had a number of big moments with Natera having little to no trouble going over the middle over the middle to connect with players like senior Angel Perez for a 45-yard touchdown or a quick screen pass to junior Mario Diaz for another 40-yard touchdown against Orosi. Senior Aundrey Tapia also caught a touchdown pass from Natera and Trujillo broke off for a 40yard touchdown run also against Orosi.
Lindsay finished 3-2 in the East Sequoia League last season but their 4-7 overall record granted them a spot in the CIF Central Section Division V playoffs.
On Thursday at 7 p.m., Div. IV Porteville hosts Div. II Dinuba at Rankin Stadium while Lindsay waits until Friday at 7 p.m. to open their season at home against Div. VI California City.