GAVILAN RAMS
Record: 2-5 overall, 0-4 in the Golden Coast League
Last week: Gavilan lost 43-14 to Merced at home.
Next up: The Rams take on Hartnell (6-1; 2-1) at 6 p.m. Saturday in Salinas. The Panthers beat Monterey 44-29 last week.
On offense: Question marks surround who will quarterback this Gavilan team this week. Drew Fryhoff, the team’s starter, missed last week’s game due to an injury suffered against Cabrillo in Week 7. Back-up Sterling Montgomery got the nod and put up 332 yards on a 26 for 44 showing. He connected with Armani Miller for a score, but also threw two interceptions in the game. Miller and Deniko Carter both surpassed 100 yards, racking up 119 and 110, respectively. The Rams couldn’t get much done on the ground, however, only picking up 65 yards while allowing 518 by Merced. Gavilan needs to create better holes to get its run game going and keep Hartnell on its toes this week.
On defense: The Panthers are as balanced offensively as they come. Hartnell had 643 yards of total offense against Monterey, 322 of which was in the air and the other 321 came on the ground. Gavilan needs shutdown quarterback Michael Turner who is averaging 234 yards a game and has scored 18 touchdowns for his team this season. The Rams can find success by closely guarding the QB’s favorite target Ronnie Turner. The Panthers’ WR had 12 catches for 212 yards and two touchdowns against Monterey and is averaging 117.2 yards per game. Hartnell also features an arsenal of backs, but none more dangerous than Sherrod Hawkes, who has reached the endzone 13 times this season. He’s fourth overall in the state in yards, amassing 794 this season. With the versatility of this offense, Gavilan will need to be one step ahead to be successful this week.
Keys to the game: As always, the key for Gavilan will be to limit its turnovers. In addition to Montgomery’s interceptions, the team fumbled twice against Merced—one of which was lost and resulted in a Blue Devils touchdown. The Rams need better ball protection this week, especially against a team that has scored three defensive TDs this season.
