Redwood Football looks to start off season strong

By : Tyler Stark

Redwood football makes a return to the field Friday, August 18th, against Centennial High School. Rangers are coming off of an up and down season last year that resulted in the team finishing with a record of 4-6.

 Redwood Head coach Kevin Scharton feels this team’s preparation will be key going into this season.

“This year’s Ranger football team was able to put in a full off-season, spring, and summer program to get ready for the season opener this Friday night.”

 Scharton goes on to say that Cenntinial is a physical team and Redwood will have to play well to beat them.

Starting quarterback Francisco “Frankie” Alvarez ‘23 is coming off of a solid junior season that saw him throw for fifteen touchdowns and nine interceptions. Alvarez was voted by his teammates as the team MVP for the 2021 season. Coming into this season Alvarez feels a lot more experienced and believes his feel for the game is much improved.

 “The biggest difference from last year to this year is my experience.  I see the field differently and am more comfortable.”

-Quarterback, Frankie Alvarez

Redwoods receiving core is seeing some new faces in the starting lineup this year. Moses Burk ‘24 saw limited playing time last year. However, this year Burk finds himself in a starting role and is expected to make a big impact. 

“It’s nice to see that I’m finding myself to be the starting receiver. I played a good amount last year and I learned a lot. Playing behind Ashton Ibarra and Christian Daniel was nice because they took me under their wing and taught me a lot.”

Last year’s receiving core for the Rangers was a big strength for the squad, Burk will no doubt be a big key factor in ensuring the receiving core is once again a huge strength for the Rangers.

Anyone who knows football knows the offensive line is key to a team having success on the field. Right guard BJ Wainwright ‘24 had a strong season last year and was rewarded with first-team all-county honors. Wainwright is coming into this season with the belief that his year’s offensive line is levels above last years. Group.

 “Our line is leagues ahead compared to last year’s line. I think mentally and physically we are more prepared.”

Wainwright goes on to say his offensive line for the Ranger’s main goal on Friday night is to open up the running attack. “We need to establish the run game. Doing so will obviously help our rushing attack but also open the defense to the passing game.”

The heart and soul of this Ranger team is definitely the defense. The Ranger’s defense has been garnering a lot of hype this year in large part because of the defensive line.

Defensive end Kai Preisendorf ‘24 s coming off a record-breaking season that saw him record eleven sacks which is the all-time single-season record for Redwood High School.

Preisendorf’s said ”My goal for this year is to keep working hard and taking one week at a time. Focus each day and just get better. That’s what I did last season as well, just keep going one day after the next.”

The hype around the defensive line this year for Redwood is very high. It’s obviously impossible to tell how good they will be before we have actually seen them play, but if they can reach even half of their potential they’ll be a dangerous unit.

 Centennial is known throughout the valley as a very strong, and very fast team. Running back Alex Perch ‘24 is expecting just that for Friday night.

 “I’m expecting Centennial to come out ready tomorrow. They’re big, they’re fast, and they are strong. They’re gonna be one of our best matchups all season but I think we are ready.”

In regards to Perch’s expectations for this season, The expectations are very, very, high.

”Our goal for this season is to go far. We are a very good team this year and we want to prove it. We want to win EYL, get the cowhide back, and go deep into the playoffs. Even shooting for a valley.”

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