West Ranch hangs on
Prep football: Cats only Foothill League team in polls; Cards on the rise
With conference play more than halfway complete, one Foothill League team has remained consistent in the CIFSouthern Section polls: West Ranch.
After defeating Saugus 1714 in a battle of league unbeatens, the Wildcats are once again the only Foothill League team ranked in the weekly polls.
West Ranch (8-0 overall, 3-0 league) remains at the No. 2 spot in Division 6, a spot its held since Sept. 10.
Meanwhile Saugus (6-2 overall, 2-1 league) fell out of the rankings after claiming the No. 9 spot in Division 4 last week.
The biggest jump in the polls occurred in favor of SCCS, as the Cardinals moved from the No. 5 spot to the No. 2 spot in Division 12 after beating last season’s Prep League champions Polytechnic of Pasadena 53-42.
Hart earned its first league win of the year, defeating Canyon 59-7 last week in a weather delayed- game that ended around 11:25 p.m.
Hart (4-4 overall, 1-2 league) last appeared in the rankings on Sept. 10 as the No. 10 ranked team in Division 3. In the preseason polls, Hart was slated in the No. 7 spot.
Valencia, which plays in the highly competitive Division 1, has yet to be ranked this season but seems to be hitting its stride. The Vikings have won three consecutive games, outscoring its opponents 130-29 in that span on their way to an undefeated league record so far.
Valencia (5-3 overall, 3-0 league) could find its way into the polls next week if it continues its winning ways. The Vikings take on the Centurions on Friday.
Golden Valley has struggled all season, with its only win coming on Sept. 7, a 21-14 overtime win against Crespi. The Grizzlies are coming off a 49-15 loss to Valencia.
There will be only one team left winless in league after Friday, as Golden Valley (1-7 overall, 0-3 league) and Canyon (2-6 overall, 0-3 league) face off.
Camacho keeps climbing the record books
After setting a school record for the most rushing yards in a game earlier this season (332), Ryan Camacho of West Ranch has set a new school record: the most rushing yards in a season.
After rushing for 145 yards on 31 carries last week against
Saugus, Camacho has accumulated 1296 rushing yards so far this season, breaking the previous record held by Jeff Coprich, who rushed for 1246 yards in 2011.
Camacho also has 21 rushing touchdowns, good for fifth place in the CIF-Southern Section and tied for No. 10 spot in the entire state. He leads the Foothill League in yards and touchdowns by a large margin, as Ethan Blair of Hart is second with 406 rushing yards and Luring Paialii is second in rushing touchdowns with eight.
Cardinals quarterback continues to sling it
SCCS quarterback Blake Kirshner has thrown 33
touchdowns in eight games, which puts him tied in the No. 8 spot in the state. He is tenth in the state with 2400 passing yards.
Kirshner went 18-for-32 for 335 yards and five touchdowns in SCCS’s win over Polytechnic. He also rushed for 28 yards and scored two touchdowns on the ground.
Littleford makes big impression
Hart running back Taden Littleford came into Friday night’s game with a total of five rushing attempts for 13 yards and no touchdowns. He finished the contest with nine carries for 99 yards and two scores.
The junior tailback filled in for Ethan Blair, who has had the bulk of the carries so far this year for the Indians.