The Dos Pueblos football team has been a work in progress during the pre-league schedule.
The Chargers are 0-5 but have improved each week. Now they get the chance to see how they measure up against one of the best teams in the CIF as they take on powerful Canyon Country-Canyon on Thursday night at Scott O’Leary Stadium.
Here’s all you need to know about Canyon: The Cowboy (4-0) are No. 2 behind Westlake in the CIF Northern Division poll, ahead of Oaks Christian and St. Bonaventure. They are averaging 51 points per game and have outscored their opponents 206-55.
Needless to say, DP will have its hands full.
The keys for the Chargers in this game will be stop Canyon from making big plays and try to hold the ball.
The DP defense did a good job containing a potent Rio Mesa rushing attack and running back Josh Bartley had good night running the ball in last week’s 17-14 loss on the road.
Canyon has a lot more weapons than any team the Chargers have faced. Senior quarterback Jonathan Jerozal has completed 53 of 83 passes for 954 yards and 12 touchdowns, while senior running back Max Archuleta has rushed for 539 yards on 60 carries and has five TDs. Senior wide receiver Drew Wolitarsky has a school-record 26 TD receptions in his career.
Canyon (4-0) at Dos Pueblos (0-5): The Charger offense changed to an I-formation to better utilize Bartley. He rushed for 120 yards against Rio Mesa. Armando Arzate is expected to return at quarterback. The key for DP is to keep players healthy for the start of Channel League play next week. Canyon is coming off 56-6 thrashing of Beverly Hills. Big plays and capitalizing on a couple of Norman turnovers in the first half allowed the Cowboys to run away with the game. The Pick: Canyon
Pacifica (2-2) at Santa Barbara (2-3): This could be a shootout as both teams have potent offenses. Sophomore Cheroke Cunningham is piling up the rushing yards for the Dons. In five games, he has 647 yards and eight touchdowns. Pacifica is led by quarterback Nick Davis (35-of-64 for 722 yards and seven TDS) and running back Dennis Taylor (70 rushes, 687 yards, 11 TDs). The Tritons were in shootout a couple of weeks ago, outlasting Nordhoff 60-56. Santa Barbara is 0-2 this season against Oxnard area teams. The Pick: Santa Barbara
San Marcos (1-4) at Nordhoff (1-4): The Royals stayed in the game last week against a bigger Capo Valley team. Their offense is coming along behind the confident play of sophomore quarterback Wesley Ghan-Gibson. He passed for 184 yards last week. Nordhoff is coming off a home loss against Santa Barbara. The Rangers have shown they can put points on the board — they scored 56 in a loss to Pacifica. The key for San Marcos is its defense containing the Rangers. The Pick: San Marcos.
Carpinteria (3-1) vs. Grace Brethren (3-1) at Moorpark College. The Warriors face a squad that is small in numbers but big in talent. Grace Brethren, ranked No. 4 in the East Valley Division, has only 19 players on its roster but it has some quality athletes like returning All-CIF player Jack Gilliland. He is the team’s big playmaker on both sides of the ball. The Lancers have a talented quarterback in 6-2 Reggie Reed, a transfer from Chaminade. Their line is big with Jared Landseadel, at 6-foot-1, 265 pounds, and Nate Karn, 6-2, 285. They are being recruited by UC Davis, Cal Poly and Sacramento State. Carpinteria, No. 5 in the Northwest Division and coming off a shutout of Santa Clara, will need another big defensive performance to slow the Lancers. The Pick: Carpinteria
Saturday
Bishop Diego (3-1) at St. Genevieve (5-0): Ranked No. 7 in the East Valley Division, Bishop is riding a three-game winning streak going into this showdown against a very good St. Genevieve team. The Valiants, ranked 8th in the Northeast Division, have nine returning offensive starters off a team that went 7-4 last year and five are linemen, led by 6-1 220-pound Moosa McLean. Bishop’s defense will be tested by a team that has been destorying opponents running the ball. St. Genevieve’s defense also has size with Luis Berrios (6-0, 220) and Linwood Foy (6-2, 230). Look for this game to be high scoring. The Pick: Bishop Diego.
