By: Tyler Stark
Redwood Ranger (3-2) football will be hosting a home game inside the Mineral King Bowl for the first time in 3 weeks on Friday as they open East Yosemite League play against the (0-5) El Diamante Miners.
Redwood’s last matchup was the big win against the incredibly talented Hanford Bullpups. Running back Jacob Perch ‘23 says his team is riding a lot of momentum after the big win.
“The win gives us a ton of momentum coming into league with three straight wins and the last huge win against Hanford. The team is finally getting into a rhythm and we have high expectations for ourselves.”
The Ranger’s momentum could really start to show sooner rather than later. It’s not to hard to believe that the Ranger’s best football could be ahead of them.
In Redwood’s last three games quarterback Frankie “Francisco” Alvarez ‘‘23 has thrown for five touchdowns and zero interceptions. Alvarez says his recent success has a lot to do with his offensive line as well as his wide receivers.
“The key has been the blocking from my line and the playmaking by my receivers. Friday, the key to another great game is the same thing, blocking and great playmaking.”
Friday’s game is one that will be featuring two teams from Visalia, as usual, that’s a big talking point coming into the game. Safety Brandon Woodrow ‘24 says that he anticipates a fun game on Friday.
“It will be fun playing against them because we are both Visalia teams so now we will get to go out and play and see who is the better team is.”
These are two teams and two schools that know each other very well. The atmosphere should be very intense and exciting.
Defensive end PJ Myers ‘23 says that regardless of the team all league games should be taken seriously.
“Regardless of records, league games shouldn’t be overlooked, as we need to play to the level we know we can win at and not go down to the other team’s level.”
Wide receiver Moses Burk ‘24 says the key to victory for his team will be sticking to their game plan. “We just need to play to our level and play our game. Even tho they are 0-5 team we gonna play them like a 5-0 team.”