Friday night will be a special night at Carpinteria High School as the Warriors will induct six new members into its athletic Hall of Fame during a halftime ceremony.
While Carpinteria High celebrates its past, the current Warrior players will have even more reason to celebrate if they can knock off the visiting Nordhoff Rangers.
Nordhoff is unbeaten in eight contests, including victories over Channel League schools Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Marcos. In two Tri-Valley League wins, the Rangers outscored Santa Paula and Fillmore 84-21 and put 69 or more points on the scoreboard twice this season.
The driving force behind the offensive juggernaut is Jake Logsdon and Isaac Seymour. Logsdon is the quarterback and has thrown for more touchdowns (20), but Seymour, the running back, sees the ball a ton too. Seymour is averaging almost 20 carries a game, which has translated into 19 touchdowns and over 1000 yards on the ground. Nordhoff has three receivers with over 300 yards on the season, but Ben Bettles is the leading point-getter of the group with six touchdowns.
WHO: Nordhoff (8-0, 2-0) at Carpinteria (6-2, 2-1)
WHERE & WHEN: Carpinteria Valley Memorial Stadium, 7:30 p.m.The Warriors look to rebound after getting their six-game winning streak snapped last week by Oak Park in a 28-24 thriller. Carpinteria held a late 24-21 lead but Oak Park dramatically connected for an 85-yard score with just over a minute to go to steal the win. Quarterback Paul Aguilar and running back Alex Rodriguez are the focal points of Carpinteria’s run-heavy offense. Each has five rushing touchdowns this season. Aguilar also has three passing scores and Rodriguez has two touchdown receptions.
WHO: Dos Pueblos (5-3, 2-0) at San Marcos (1-7, 0-2)
WHERE & WHEN: San Marcos High School, Friday, 7 p.m.Dos Pueblos is looking to lay claim to this year’s City Championship on Friday as they travel crosstown to San Marcos. The Chargers defeated Santa Barbara last week 27-7 to put themselves in a good position for the title. San Marcos can ruin DP’s plans to celebrate but cannot take the title themselves, having already lost to Santa Barbara 6-0. Michael Spiritosanto had a big game for the Chargers last week with a pair of rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown to DP’s other big offensive threat, Josh Bartley.
WHO: Santa Barbara (2-7, 1-2) at Buena (3-5, 0-2)
WHERE & WHEN: Larrabee Stadium, Friday, 7 p.m.With a bye in Week 10, the Dons play their regular-season finale this week. If Santa Barbara were to win, coupled with a San Marcos loss, then the Dons would clinch third place in league and a playoff spot. But the Bulldogs also have plans for that third playoff spot. Buena won 3 of its last 4 non-league games before dropping contests to Ventura and Dos Pueblos. Victories in their final two games against the Dons and then San Marcos would right the ship and get the Bulldogs into the postseason.
WHO: Bishop Diego (4-4, 2-1) at Villanova Prep (4-4, 1-1)
WHERE & WHEN: at Nordhoff High School, Friday, 7 p.m.The Cardinals suffered their first Frontier League loss last week at home against Grace Brethren. Villanova, which plays the Lancers in its season finale next week, recorded its one league win over Malibu, 20-14. Bishop defeated those same Sharks 47-14 three weeks ago. A win for the Cardinals would ensure Bishop the Frontier League’s No. 2 playoff spot. It’s actually the Cardinals’ final league game as the rivalry game with Carpinteria has been saved for the regular-season finale.
WHO: Cate (7-0) at Thacher (7-0)
WHERE & WHEN: Thacher campus in Ojai, Saturday, 3 p.m.Call it the Condor Bowl. Saturday’s 8-man clash between longtime rivals has the Condor League championship on the line in a battle of top-10 Division I teams. Both sides are 7-0 but No. 2 Cate has jumped No. 6 Thacher in the CIF rankings over the course of the season with more quality wins. Cate has won one league championship in the six-year history of the program while Thacher has taken all the rest.
