Local teams head down homstretch of season
It’s another full week for the Orange Belt schools football schedule with every school playing this week. The Porterville Panthers will be away, facing off against the Golden West Trailblazers at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The Granite Hills Grizzlies and the Strathmore Spartans will be battling it out at Rankin Stadium at 7:15 p.m. on Friday. The Monache Marauders are set to take on the Redwood Rangers at Rankin Stadium today at 7:30 p.m. The Lindsay Cardinals will have a home game against the Orange Cove Titans on Friday at 7:15 p.m.
PORTERVILLE HIGH (6-1) AT GOLDEN WEST (4-3), 7:30 P.M. FRIDAY
The Porterville Panthers are looking to recapture their winning ways this week against Golden West after a loss to Redwood last Friday. The Panthers have been making their steady climb up the Central Section Division IV ladder and are now ranked No. 6. The Gang Green defense had a tough game last week but will be looking to hold strong against the Trailblazers. The Golden West Trailblazers are coming off of a win against Mt. Whitney last week, 18-13. PHS defeated Mt. Whitney 34-6. The Panthers lead against the Trailblazers in most stats and tend to get off to a better start. The Panthers have to watch out against the Golden West second quarter where they Trail Blazers have been at their best. The Panthers Rocky Arguijo, Angel Saldana, Marcelus Rodriguez, and Jaret Garcia continue to be among the leaders.
STRATHMORE (6-1) AT GRANITE HILLS, 7:15 P.M. FRIDAY
The Granite Hills Grizzlies are coming off of a loss to the Orosi Cardinals, 48-6. With Strathmore having just won against the Woodlake Tigers, 28-6, The Spartans have been rising through the ranks as they now rank No. 7 in the Central Section Division V ladder. The Grizzlies now rank No. 18 in the Central Section Division VI. The Grizzlies will have to watch out for the Spartans as they outrank them in all stats. The Grizzlies A.J. Duran, Angel Bizarro, Andre Longoria, Gabriel Lemus, and Nathaniel Murphree have been leading the team. The Spartans team leaders include Sebastian Gonzalez, Julian Ceballos, Jacob Poole, and Bryson Bias.
MONACHE (2-5) VS REDWOOD (5-2), 7:30 P.M. TODAY, RANKIN STADIUM
The Marauders are coming off of a well deserved win against El Diamante, 26-7 last week. Monache is now ranked No. 14 on the Central Section Division IV ladder. The Marauders have to start hard and fast to keep up with the Rangers, who have been a strong first half team. Monache leaders include running back David Leyva, quarterback Emmett Focke, Trayce Hornsby, and Marc Anthony Ceballos.
ORANGE COVE (2-5) AT LINDSAY (2-5), 7:15 P.M. FRIDAY
The Cardinals are coming off of a solid win against the Farmersville Aztecs, 3614. With the Cardinals are now ranked No. 7 in the Central Section Division VI ladder. The Cardinals also tend to have the edge when it comes to scoring but will have too look out for the Titans, who have been strong in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals lead in all stats against the Titans with team leaders Jose Cortez, Samual Reyes, Nathaniel Culberson, Leonardo Duran, and Austin Schaible.