Better Matchup
LHS, Granite play each other after facing tough schedules
Two teams who have struggled against brutal schedules have the chance play each other tonight in a game that figures to be a more promising matchup for both teams than the matchups they’ve had to face so far this season.
Granite Hills will host Lindsay in a game scheduled for 7:15 p.m. today at Rankin Stadium in a game that figures to be an even matchup. In action on Friday, Monache will host Washington Union in a game scheduled for 7 p.m. at Rankin Stadium and Porterville will travel to Lemoore for a game scheduled for 7 p.m. Strathmore has a bye this week
LINDSAY (0-5) AT GRANITE HILLS (1-4), 7:15 P.M. TODAY
Granite’s top players include quarterback Gage Snider and Daniel Ramirez, who’s a versatile performer on offense. There’s also Manny Aguilar and tight end Adam Sandoval, who are two-way performers, as the two have also been leaders on the the defense at inside linebacker.
Lindsay has two outstanding receivers in Diego Salas, who has 20 catches for 199 yards on the season, and Richard Diaz, who also has 20 receptions for 226 yards.
MONACHE (3-1) VS. WASHINGTON UNION (1-2), 7 P.M. FRIDAY, RANKIN STADIUM
Washington Union is coming off a 47-0 loss to one of the Valley’s top teams, Memorial. But the Panthers also have an impressive 33-32 win over Tulare Union in one of the best games of the season in the Valley. The Panthers opened with a 15-6 loss at Lemoore.
Monache is coming off an impressive 35-7 win over East in which it displayed “The Stable,” a stable of runners who ran all over the Blades. David Leyva, Tyler Ishida, Damien Vasquez and Josiah Perez combined to control the game on the ground for the Marauders.
Quarterback Bryson Hornsby was actually the leading rusher for Monache, breaking off several big runs on scrambles as he finished with 72 yards on five carries. Tony Castillo also returned a punt for a score against East.
PORTERVILLE (2-2) AT LEMOORE, 7 P.M. FRIDAY
Porterville showed signs of what it’s capable of last week in a 24-6 loss to Kingsburg as Jayden Boosalis was able to connect through the air with receivers such as tight end Jacob Espinoza, and Joseph Noriega.
Lemoore has also lost to Kingsburg this season, losing to the Vikings 31-21. But Friday’s game figures to be another tough test for the Panthers as the Tigers have otherwise been impressive in going 3-1 this season, winning its other three games. Along with its win over Washington Union, Lemoore has an impressive 14-13 win over Sanger overtime and also routed Chowchilla 47-6.