Battle For the Bell
Lindsay, Strathmore to square off tonight
The Battle for the Bell, one of the oldest rivalries in the Valley dating all the way back to the early 1920’s, will take place tonight with kickoff set for 7:15 p.m.
The Lindsay High football will travel to face the Strathmore Spartans at Spartan Stadium. With this big game, both teams are gearing up to play in front of friends and fans alike.
The Spartans have had a good run this season with a record of 7-2. The Cardinals have had a bit harder of a season, with a record of 4-5. Both coaches, Lindsay’s Casey Higginbotham and Strathmore’s Jeromy Blackwell talked about what the rivarly means to them.
The Cardinals are looking to keep sharp against the Spartans. The Cardinals are coming off a nice win from last week against Granite Hills (55-20). They’re also now ranked No. 7 in the Central Section Division VI, right above the Farmersville Aztecs.
“We’re really looking forward to this really intense game,” Higgenbotham said. “It’s such a great rivalry to have and be a part of. Lindsay and Strathmore have been playing each other for a long, long time. They’ve had some great games along the way as well. Both schools and communities really get behind their teams more than even during Bell Week.”
The Cardinals have a solid set of team leaders including Jose Cortes, who leads the team in rushing. Quarterback Samuel Reyes leads the team in total yards. The Cardinals defense has Jeremiah Mata, Austin Schaible, Nathaniel Culberson, and Leonardo Duran with each player leading the team in different stats. Lindsay also has an outstanding kicker in Isabella Duran.
Higgenbotham mentioned his team’s commitment and improvement through the year. “Honestly, our team has been playing really good over the last four weeks. There isn’t one single player who stands out because they’re all concentrating on playing as a team and doing their part as individuals and as a team. We couldn’t be more excited.”
The Spartans are coming off of a loss to the Corcoran Panthers last week 13-6. They’re now ranked No. 9 in the Central Section Division V just above the Dos Palos Broncos.
“This week is gonna be wild.” Blackwell said. “It’s always such a huge crowd with a grudge and a chip on their shoulder. It’s gonna be fun with a whole bunch of wild eyed football players that are excited to play in a 102 year old rivalry. The emotions and passion and pride run deep for a lot of people.”
The Spartans will need to keep their eyes out for the Cardinals pressure on defense. The Cardinals have tended to be a second half team as well.
The Spartans have also set a nice standard for themselves. Leaders for the Spartans include Jacob Poole for rushing and total yards, quaterback Bryson Bias for passing yards, and Sebastian Gonzalez who’s netted an average of 12.6 tackles per game.
“This game is the biggest one of the week for us,” said Blackwell in describing his philosophy. “We need to go hard and get it one by one. That’s one play, one assignment and one situation at a time. Because that’s how we’ll capitalize on the unique situation each play.
“Also offensively and defensively and even our special teams are all very important. We’re looking to be as successful as we can with our Offensive line of Austin Wiggins, Ethan Morales, Patrick Likewise, Francisco Topete, and Dillon Duffey. Our defense needs our two great linebackers Jaime Arredondo and Xavier Maldonado who have held it down for us all year.
“Special teams big plays from Daymion Soto, Roman Hernandez, Jacob Poole, and Adrian Sierra to name just a few. They’ve all been working so hard this year and they’re looking forward to this game like crazy.”