WEEK 1, Dedicated to the great man and coach Justin Garza!

#abc30insider sent me this video of the memorial unveiling for fmr Central Grizzlies HC Justin Garza. He fought a long battle with cancer. pic.twitter.com/bHcqZyHtKg

— Tommy Tran (@TommyTranTV) August 26, 2017

Thanks Tommy!

Email the Pag Meter with your teams latest information. pagmeter@yahoo.com

Twitter @thepagmeter

Week 1 Notes

It is always the toughest week to pick winners because you just don’t know what each team has yet. Many teams had great summer workouts. Many teams will have new Quarterbacks making their first starts. Many teams have question marks coming in. Who will be the 2017 team to watch out for?  So far what I see is there are many games this year that could be a flip of the coin with teams that are so even.

Some huge games to start the year in division 1.

No 10 Bullard at No 2 Central

No 2 Clovis West at No 3 Liberty Patriots

No 5 Edison Tigers vs No 1 Bakersfield Drillers

How bout those big games!

Some very interesting games that should be an outstanding week 1

Chowchilla vs Roosevelt

No 25 El Diamante vs No 16 Tulare Western

Liberty Ranchos at Firebaugh

Orosi at Minarets

No 23 Ridgeview at No 19 Stockdale

Taft at Golden Valley

No 12 Centennial at Diamond Ranch

Last year the Pag Meter Predictions went 391-65 (85%) (Record year)

Follow the Pag Meter on Twitter @thepagmeter

 

GAME ON

Thursday Night Football

No 21 Dinuba Emperors vs Mission Oak Hawks 

Final score Dinuba 28 Mission Oak 0

Pag Meter line Dinuba -28     

The Emperors come in with some young talent and making his first high school start at QB is sophomore Josh Magana who has the makings to be real good. The Emperors have speed on both sides of the ball. Keep an eye on Sophomore Strong S/WR Brian Ortuno. The Emperors senior leaders will be RB Alek Marroquin, OL Alex Sandoval, RB Luis Colunga, WR Nate Carrion, DB Robert Diaz, S Elijah Rios, and RB/LB Lucas Tuttle. The Emperors defense is real good! 

For the Hawks the entire offense comes back including junior QB Matt Bridges.

The X factor is Donny Arax (Bullard Knights played Dinuba in a scrimmage) says the Emperors are very good on defense! That’s enough for the Pag Meter! 

Pag Meter Prediction Dinuba 35 Mission Oak 7 

Final Dinuba 28 Mission Oak 0

The Pag Meter nailed the point spread and Donny Arax was spot on with the Dinuba defense. Sophomore QB Josh Magana with a nice debut throwing 2 TD passes. 61 yards to Nate Carrion and 35 yarder to Colton Martinez. Robert Diaz with 74 yard pick 6.                                                                                                                                             

 

Friday Night Lights FINALS

Arvin Bears at Highland Scots 

Pag Meter line Highland -25

Last year Arvin had a very good offense but a horrible defense. The Bears will be much better if they can tackle. The Scots have some very good returning talent and playing at home. The Scots could be the sleeper of 2017. Leading the way will be senior QB Zeke Arambulo.

The Bears offense will be more wide open with senior QB Chris Contreras running the offense.

The X factor is the Bears defense.

Pag Meter Prediction Highland 39 Arvin 14

Final Highland 41 Arvin 7 

Noah Ramirez scored on a TD run and scored on a defensive TD for the Scots

 

No 5 Edison Tigers vs No 1 Bakersfield Drillers 

Pag Meter line Bakersfield -14

The big early showdown of two of the fastest teams in the valley. Jason Murray makes his debut as the new Tigers head coach. The Tigers are loaded everywhere on both sides of the ball and the X factor for the Tigers and every year and it’s the same X factor is at QB. Sophomore Jameson Silva will make his first start after transferring from Central. Also seeing some playing time at QB will be junior Vincent Magic Andrews who transferred in from Washington Union. Both QB’s have the makings to be a real good QB. This could be the best Tigers defense in school history and yes even better than the valley champion 2014 team if they get some linebacker play.  

The defending valley champion Drillers are also loaded on both sides of the ball and they can throw the ball with junior, Cameron Williams, and/or senior Caden Ochoa. The Drillers offense is tough enough to match up against and now they can throw it all over the yard.

We will see if the Tigers miss the leadership on and off the field from former head coach Matt Johnson? They sure did miss Matt. Edison was not ready. 

The Tigers always start slow the first part of the year because they don’t get after it like the rest of the division 1 teams do without a early morning PE program and bus issues that cuts practice sometimes short. So True!

Pag Meter Prediction Bakersfield 21 Edison 7

Final Bakersfield 16 Edison 0

Edison started as expected….Unorganized without former HC Matt Johnson & not having a early morning program, and the Tigers looked horrible on offense. Give big credit to the Drillers defense. They were prepared and Edison wasn’t.  Drillers, Trayvone Jackson scored 2 touchdowns, including a 92-yard run that put the game away early in the 4th quarter. 

 

No 9 Buchanan Bears at Hanford Bullpups 

Pag Meter line Buchanan -28

The Bullpups lost some stars to transfers and now they open up with Buchanan. Senior Theron Dutra returns at QB.

Who will start at QB for the Bears? Junior Carson Bailey or senior Ty Hall? It was Ty Hall. They both will play because the battle is even. The Bears play the softest non league schedule of any division 1 team with games vs Hanford, Lemoore and Porterville. The Bears schedule needs to be changed.

The X factor is the Bears should roll vs a team that will be down this year. 

Will the Bears sophomore RB Kendall Milton go off?

Pag Meter Prediction Buchanan 42 Hanford 13

Final Buchanan 48 Hanford 6

This was a miss match on the coin flip as expected. The Bears scored 48 straight points. Kendall Milton scored 4 TD’s including a 33-yard screen pass from Ty Hall.  Ty Hall threw 4 TD passes, (2  Josh Huddleson, and a 55 yarder to Brock Jones) Trevor Ervin  scored on a 15 yard run. 

 

No 10 Bullard Knights at No 2 Central Grizzlies 

Black and Blue Bowl 

Pag Meter line Central -14

Last year the Knights beat Central and after that game the Grizzlies went on a winning 11 game winning streak.  The Knights played up and down all last year and fell apart at the end. The Knights come in with one of the most athletic teams they have had in a long time. There is a QB battle at Bullard with senior QB Kalel Acfalle, who transferred in from Hoover and sophomore Isaiah Robles. They both can run the new pro-style Bullard offense very well.

For Central, it starts with junior QB Trent Tompkins who is back after throwing for 3,118 yards and 36 TD’s. Trent will have plenty of speedy wide receivers to choose from but will have a new offensive line.

The X factor will be the Grizzlies front 7 on defense because there will be a bunch of new players. 

Can the Knights handle the Grizzlies size and speed? Not even close!

Pag Meter Prediction Central 27 Bullard 14

Final Central 44 Bullard 0

This was men vs boys. The Grizzles defense which was led by senior LB Tre Walker (12 tackles) , man handled the Knights offense. Central’s QB Trent Tompkins threw for 244 yards, 4 TD passes (2 to Jacob Torrez, 67 & 71 yards, and Jeremiah Hunter, 10 yards and Avery Boyd 17 yards)  and scored on a 47 yard TD run. Diotry Brewer had a very nice 41 yard TD run 

 

No 3 Clovis West Golden Eagles at No 4 Liberty Patriots 

Pag Meter line Clovis West -3

Another early huge seeding showdown.

Last year the Patriots won on the road 28-24. Last year’s Pag Meter’s Player of the year, Clovis West QB Adrian Martinez, is out but believe it or not the Golden Eagles are a much better team this year than last year. 18 senior CW leaders is huge! Making his first start at QB for CW will be junior Dante Chachere. So far Dante is doing a nice job getting the ball to the wideouts with a dink and dunk offense. The Patriots come in big and physical up front with senior Michael Bray and junior Daniel Viveros. The Patriots will want to pound it with RB Sammy Stewart who is fast and will also run you over. Junior QB Isaiah Hill has improved so much and just watch how good he really is this year. Last year Hill came off the bench and did a nice job beating CW.

The X factor will be the Patriots physical running attack vs the physical defense of the Golden Eagles and leading the way for CW will be Dusty and DJ Schramm. If the Clovis West defense can slow down the Patriots running game then the Golden Eagles bus ride home will be fun. The Pates play plenty both ways and it will be a hot night. CW has to wear down Liberty to win. The Pates won the line of scrimmage

Pag Meter Prediction Clovis West 27 Liberty 24

Final Liberty 31 Clovis West 30

WOW what a game!  Dante Chachere hit Ricardo Arias on a 15 yard TD pass with 15 seconds to go to make the score 31-30 Liberty but then CW was penalized for excessive celebration and missed the long PAT.  The official that called that penalty has some big balls! Common sense says NO at that time of the game. Liberty’s O-line and Sammy Stewart/ Isaiah Hill were the difference against the CW defense. Stewart scored 3 TD’s, (2 & 5 yards, and caught a 17-yard TD pass) Hill, scored on a 5 yard TD run and Winston Jountti with a 12-yard TD run. 

 For CW, QB Dante Chachere (31-48, 372 yards, 3 TD passes) did a fantastic job in his first start. Scored on a 56 yard TD run, and hit Nick Coleman,19 yd TD,  Gabe Solorio, 54 yarder along with Ricardo Arias on a 15 yarder. 

                                                                                          

Corcoran Panthers at Fowler Redcats 

Pag Meter line Fowler -26

The Redcats head coach Raul Diaz brings the defending West Sequoia league champs in as the favorites to do it again. The Redcats are looking to win it all in division 5 and they have the team to do it. It will start with returning senior QB Julian Sweidy, who is 6’3 and fast.

Corcoran has a new head coach with Grant Kapigian and he is building the program back up after going 1-9 last year.

The X factor is Redcats senior leader Chris Silva is back playing at WR/DB. He is good!

Pag Meter Prediction Fowler 39 Corcoran 13

Final Fowler 33 Corcoran 12

Martin Plata rushed for 116 yards on 7 carries with 2 TD’s (4 and 13 yards) Gustavo Rocha rushed for 87 yards, scored on runs of 8 and 7 yards. For Corcoran,  Julian Escalante had a nice game with 105 yd receiving and 52 rushing yards and scored a TD. Seniors Nico Obregon, 73 yards in receiving yards with a TD and Mark Dawes S/WR is the leader on the defense who had 14 total tackles. 

 

East Bakersfield Blades at Delano Tigers 

Pag Meter line East -13      

Last year was a defensive battle won by East 14-6. The Blades come off a very good year and want to build off it. Junior QB Richard Lara comes back and will have a new offensive line and receivers. Senior RB Hahkeem Taylor who transferred from Mira Monte will be good along with senior RB Von Harris.

Delano’s Mario Abundez is the new head coach and will have the Tigers ready.

Pag Meter Prediction East 27 Delano 14

Final East 27 Delano 14

Pag Meter nailed the score. Blades, Hakeem Taylor scored on TD runs of 2 and 5 yards. 56 yard TD run by John Monroe. and QB Richard Lara, 32 yard TD pass to Nathan Martinez. 

 

No 25 El Diamante Miners vs No 16 Tulare Western Mustangs 

Pag Meter line Tulare Western -17

The Mustangs come in and they are loaded on both sides of the ball. A star will be born with sophomore RB Tairyn Johnson who is reminding people of a young Dominique Dorsey who was the record breaking RB at Tulare Union. BTW Dorsey was one of the greatest in valley history.

For El D, Junior QB Boswell Parker returns along with the running backs with seniors Blake Beno, Andrew Valdez and DeVonte Freeman.

Pag Meter Prediction Tulare Western 34 El Diamante 17

Final Tulare Western 28 El Diamante 0

The Mustangs defense was too much for the Miners and the offense rolled. sophomore QB Elijah Burrell with a nice first start going 15-25 for 167 yards and 2 TD passes. (Keshon Butler, 23 and 42 yards) David Alcantar rushed for 169 yards and scored on a 39 yard run.  Tairyn Johnson rushed for 70 yards and on a 7 yard TD run

 

Exeter Monarchs at Lindsay Cardinals 

Pag Meter line Exeter -26

The Monarchs come in and are thinking big year. Keirsten Lamb is the new head coach for the Monarchs and will be coaching in his first game. Coach Lamb will bring in the Pro style offensive attack. Running behind a very good O-line will be senior RB Anthony Torres.

For the Cardinals they bring back a ton of players. RB Ethan Duran is good and leading the defense will be senior Frankie Martinez at linebacker.

Pag Meter Prediction Exeter 39 Lindsay 13

Final Exeter 36 Lindsay 7 (looking for Stats)

 

Foothill Trojans at Kennedy Thunderbirds 7:30pm

Pag Meter line Kennedy -36

The Titans come in with a tremendous O-line and that will be the difference in this one.

The X factor is the Trojans defense

Pag Meter Prediction Kennedy 49 Foothill 13

Final Kennedy 55 Foothill 6 (Looking for Stats)

 

Fresno High Warriors at No 15 Sanger Apaches 

Pag Meter line Sanger -32

The Indian battle!                         

The legend Chuck Shidan has retired at Sanger and the new coach is Jorge Pena  who has been at Sanger for a long time. The Apaches graduated soooo many good players so the Apaches will be young. Making his first start at QB will be senior Blake Wolfe, who Is Improving every day running the Apaches offense.

For the Warriors making his first start at QB will be junior Johnny Gallardo. Fresno High has a new speedster with RB/WR/DB John L’huereux.

Last year Sanger survived a tough win over Fresno High 28-21.

The X factor is can the Warriors defense slow down Apaches Jalen Cropper and the running attack?? NO.  Playing at the great Chuck Shidan field won’t be easy for the Warriors. Yep

Pag Meter Prediction Sanger 40 Fresno High 7

Final Sanger 42 Fresno High 0

Coach Jorge Pena gets his first Apaches win. The Apaches had 439 total offense and the Apaches young defense held Fresno High to 145 total yards.  Senior QB Blake Wolfe making his first start and did a nice job going 6-8 for 110 yards passing and 3 TD passes. (Ricky Moreno, 12 yards, Josiah Lopez, 19 yards, and Jake Boust 11 yards) Lopez rushed for 115 yards including a 78 yard TD run. Bill Kulow rushed for 68 yards and scored on a 22 yard TD and Jalen Cropper rushed for 74 yards and scored on a 17 yard TD run.  

 

Garces Rams at No 7 Bakersfield Christian Eagles 

Pag Meter line Bakersfield Christian -13

Mission Bowl II

Last year both teams were loaded and Garces won the game 44-21. After that game the Eagles went on a 13 game winning streak before losing in the state championship game to Campolindo -Moraga 31-7.

This year unless Garces is sandbagging, the Rams are rebuilding and Bakersfield Christian is loaded and better this year than last year.

For the Rams, making his first start at QB will be sophomore Joseph Campbell. Leading the way on defense for the Rams is one of the best linebackers in the valley with Jack Tobias.

For the Eagles, senior QB Braden Wingle, is back after setting the Central Section single-season record with 4,392 passing yards with 46 touchdowns.

The X factor is can the Rams defense matchup with Eagles offense? They did a nice job.

Pag Meter Prediction Bakersfield Christian 33 Garces 20

Final Bakersfield Christian 23 Garces 14

Junior running back Donte Harris rushed for 104 yards. David De Los Santos kicked a 27-yard field goal to break a 14-14 tie with 9:48 left in the game.  Stephen O’Neill returned an interception for a touchdown and the Eagles hung on. The Eagles defense stepped up. Garces had tied the game, Daniel Tobias’ 87-yard kickoff-return for a touchdown and Isaiah Martin’s 11-yard TD run. 

 

Hanford West Huskies at McLane Highlanders  

Pag Meter line Hanford West -21

Very interesting game and both teams want to be 1-0. That will really help with the MOJO. The Huskies have a new head coach with Cannon Sanchez who was the Hanford Bullpups Offensive Coordinator in 2014-2015 during the great Bullpups state run. HW has some young speed.

The Highlanders are a scrappy team that will get better and better. Senior RB/DB Brandon Ruiz and senior RB/SS Mariano Villicana will be outstanding running the football.

For HW, junior Jayron Jenkins, who transferred in from Ohio can fly at running back.

Pag Meter Prediction Hanford West 34 McLane 13

Final Hanford West 55 McLane 14 (Looking for Stats)

 

Hoover Patriots at No 18 CVC Cavaliers 

Pag Meter line CVC -28

The Patriots have a new head coach Justin Nast who came in real late.  They do have one of the fastest running backs with senior Tahj Hart and junior Jordan Daniels will start at QB. Jordan is a dual threat that might just be the fastest QB in the valley but has to be able to take a hit.

CVC has a loaded offense with QB J.J. Lino who throw for 2,722 yards with 29 TD passes. JJ’s favorite receiver is senior Gavin Salierno who is back after catching 67 passes. Both should put up amazing numbers this year.

Pag Meter Prediction CVC 41 Hoover 13

Final CVC 48 Hoover 8 (Looking for Stats)

 

Independence Falcons at North Stars 

Pag Meter Line Independence  -10

The Falcons come with a new passing attack and leading the way will be junior QB Sergio Borelli. 

For the Stars they are thinking this could be their best team in a while and leading the way is senior QB Bailey West. The entire offensive line is back along with plenty on defense including senior James Johnson. The Stars need to win this game to show they are for real. They were not ready

Pag Meter Prediction Independence 31 North 21

Final Independence 35 North 14

Falcons QB Sergio Borelli went 13-22 for 235 yards and 3 TD passes. 

 

 

Kerman Lions at No 14 Selma Bears 

Pag Meter line Selma Bears -23

The defending champs Selma Bears will be good again and leading the way will be Junior Ramirez who is so good and a winner in any sport he plays.

The Lions come in and will have a interim coach with Stephen Hurt. Anthony Taylor resigned on Aug 2nd. The Lions will have senior QB Sean Chambers who is big and fast. The X factor will be the Lions offense. Last year it was Sean running wild. I have this feeling it will be a wild Lion offense again. Last year Selma crushed Kerman 41-7 and it wasn’t as close as the scoreboard. The big question is can the Lions matchup with the Bears? Stay tuned. Will the Bears running game hurt not having Senior RB/WR Tiveon Stroud who is not eligible to start the year? They sure did miss the beast!

Pag Meter Prediction Selma 45 Kerman 21

Final Selma 22 Kerman 21

With the score, Kerman 21 Selma 20, with 36 seconds to go, the Bears lined up for the extra point after the Bears QB Junior Ramirez scored on a 1 yard TD run, but a bad snap went to kicker Felipe Garcia who threw it to Parker Garcia and the game winning 2 point play. WOW! Either the Lions improved on defense or the Bears offense is down? Lions QB Sean Chambers was slowed down passing but his running was outstanding rushing for 184 yards and scored on runs of 80 and 33 yards.  

 

Liberty  Madera Hawks at Firebaugh Eagles 

Pag Meter line Firebaugh -3

The Eagles start the year as one of the favorites to get to championship night in division 5. The Hawks really belong in division 5 with 589 student body but the Hawks aren’t complaining.

Last year Firebaugh was loaded and beat Liberty 28-26. This year it could be another close game. The Hawks have senior Kaleb Roth who is a Pag Meter preseason All Star and junior Wyatt Roth.   

The Eagles will have plenty returning on both sides of the ball. Christopher Defrancesco who transferred in from Dos Palos will never come off the field playing at RB, WR,S, & Kickoff returner. Senior WR Tylor Palmer is one of the best in the valley along with junior RB Jeshua Gutierrez. Junior Joey Ochoa will make his first varsity start at QB and he has a fantastic arm. Leading the defense will be senior LB Julian Banda.

The X factor will be the Eagles defense. Will they show up. They did not!!

Pag Meter Prediction Firebaugh 33 Liberty Ranchos 30

Final Liberty Ranchos 55 Firebaugh 34

The Roth brothers, Kaleb rushed for 198 yards and scored 3 TD’s, Wyatt rushed for 191 yards and scored 2 TD’s. The Hawks rushed for 574 yards.

 

McFarland Cougars at Avenal Buccaneers  

Pag Meter line Avenal -7

Casey Quinn has taken over the Cougars after coaching one year at Clovis North. The Cougars have some very good young players.

The X factor is who can win the line of scrimmage will win this game.

Pag Meter Prediction (Mini upset) McFarland 23 Avenal 20

Final McFarland 7 Avenal 0 (Looking for Stats)

 

Mira Monte Lions at Shafter Generals 

Pag Meter line Shafter -26

For the Lions, senior Angel Torres will start at QB and Leading the way on defense  will be Hector Saureda.

For the Generals, junior QB Alex Aguilar who I’m expecting to have a huge year and will have the Generals battling for the division 5 Championship.  

Pag Meter Prediction Shafter 39 Mira Monte 13

Final Shafter 48 Mira Monte 0 (Looking for Stats)

 

 

Monache Marauders at No 17 Golden West Trailblazers 

Pag Meter line Golden West -20

Chris Frankland, is the new head coach at Monache and will run spread no-huddle, up-tempo offense. Frankland has hired two former head coaches with Marc Salazar and Carl Scudder.
Salazar spent last year at Granite Hills. Scudder was previously at Porterville. The dream team staff has their hands full with the Trailblazers who is one of the favorites to play on championship night. Senior RB Gonzalo Rodriguez will be running in the Wing T behind a very good offensive line.

The X factor is the Marauders spread attack vs the Wing T.

Pag Meter Prediction Golden West 41 Monache 21

Final Golden West 49 Monache 14 (Looking for Stats)

 

Orosi Cardinals at Minarets Mustangs

Pag Meter line Minarets -7

This might be the best Mustangs team with a bunch of returning players. Same goes for the Cardinals and this will be a good game.

For the Cardinals, senior QB Garry Huerta is back. Senior RB/LB Trey Gonzalez will be the featured back. Leading the way up front will be senior Chris Lumsden.

For the Mustangs, starting at QB will be Noah Fulton who has a good arm.
Junior WR Preston Conti can catch everything.

The X factor is Minarets has suspended 4 players for week 1 game because of team rules. I love that Minarets is being firm on team rules. That’s how you build a football program.
Pag Meter Prediction Minarets 28 Orosi 21

Final Orosi 14 Minarets 6 (Looking for Stats)

 

No 22 Redwood Rangers at Reedley Pirates 

Pag Meter line Redwood -34

The Rangers are a powerhouse in the WYL and the Pirates are building a program. For the Rangers, The new QB will be Sophomore QB Hector Gonzalez. The main running back will be senior Michael Harris III. Gonzalez’s favorite wide receiver is senior Drew Stogsdill.

Pag Meter Prediction Redwood 41 Reedley 7

Final Redwood 42 Reedley 0 (Looking for Stats)

 

No 23 Ridgeview Wolf Pack at No 19 Stockdale Mustangs 

Pag Meter line Stockdale -3

This is a very interesting match up. Last year the Wolf Pack won 34-20 and it was a battle. This year the Mustangs have moved down into division 2 and Ridgeview moved up into division 1. Maybe a year to late because Ridgeview is down a bit and Stockdale is up a bit.

The X factor is Mustangs senior QB  Jalen Smith because he will be the best player on the field.

Pag Meter Prediction Stockdale 33 Ridgeview 30

Final Ridgeview 28 Stockdale 14 

Alijah Alexander-Williams rushed for 181 yards and scored 2 TD’s

 

Chowchilla Tribe vs Roosevelt Rough Riders 

Pag Meter line Chowchilla -7

The Rough Riders had a fantastic summer in 7 vs 7 so now the big question will be, can that translate into real football? 7 vs 7 is make belief football. Junior QB Jordan De La Rosa (Pag Meter sleeper list) is ready to go in week 1 because last year he had to sit for 30 days and the Rough Riders never got it going. This year will be different. Jordan has the makings to be real good if he can be the Rough Riders leader on and off the field. Jordan has some very good young receivers.

The overachieving Tribe had to move up to division 3 and you better bring your hard hitting defense if you want to match up with the old Redskins. Hard to know if the Rider 7 vs 7 team is ready for Chowchilla football?? The Tribe could be down a tad and it’s probably the wrong time to move them to division 3. The Tribe will have Justin Cantrell, Asa Shields, and Damon Perry in the back field.

The X factor is the Rough Riders offensive line and the defensive line because they have everything else. Are the Riders tough enough to slow down the Redskins run game? We will see.

Pag Meter Prediction Chowchilla 30 Roosevelt 23

Final Roosevelt 33 Chowchilla 14

The Rough Riders are good and will challenge to win the NYL. QB Jordan Del La Rosa threw for 227 yards and 3 TD passes.  Junior running backs Howard Maxwell (Thunder) rushed for 75 yards, scored a TD and Isaiah Chambers (Lightning) rushed for 62 yards and scored a TD.

 

Sierra Pacific Golden Bears at Dos Palos Broncos 

Pag Meter line Dos Palos -7

The Golden Bears Dion Tate is the new head coach and Kevin Jones takes over the Broncos. Both teams have a lot of question marks. Dos Palos… always tough at home. The Broncos running backs are good with Brandon Doucette, Nick Lopez, Isaac Adams and Maximus Gaona.

Pag Meter Prediction Dos Palos 21 Sierra Pacific 14

Final Dos Palos 21 Sierra Pacific 12 (Looking for Stats)

 

 

South Rebels at Chavez Titans 

Pag Meter line South -4

The Titans have one of the most consistent programs the last 5 year and they are always tough to beat at home. The Titans will have plenty of young players stepping in against South. The Titans graduate more than any team in the valley.

The 3-peat SEYL Champion Rebels might be down a bit but always has talent and speed. The offensive line will be new and they will want to pound it with senior Dorion Smash Mitchell. The Rebels will be young and fast.  

Pag Meter Prediction South 27 Chavez 13

Final South 32 Chavez 6

Smash Mitchell tied a high school record when he scored on  a 99 yard TD run.

 

Strathmore Spartans at Farmersville Aztecs 

Pag Meter line Strathmore -32

The defending division 6 champs Spartans are again the team to beat. It would have been nice to see them play in division 5 with this team. Spartans senior RB Joseph Garcia is back after rushing for 2,345 yards, 46 TD’s so there will no secrets on what the Spartans will want to do.

The X factor is can the Aztecs offense match up with a really good Spartans defense?

Pag Meter Prediction Strathmore 45 Farmersville 13

Final Strathmore 42 Farmersville 6 

Senior running back Joseph Garcia, who did not play the first quarter, rushed for 115 yards on 3 carries including touchdown runs of 63 and 25 yards.
Damian Valencia started the scoring with a 10 yard TD run, followed by rushing touchdowns from Alonzo Acevedo and Noah Alcantar of 1 and 2 yards

 

Sunnyside Wildcats vs Clovis North Broncos 

Pag Meter line Clovis North -14

Benny Martinez finally gets the call to be the head coach for the Broncos.  Last years coach Casey Quinn left in May and in the middle of the night. So many said Quinn would leave quickly but the Broncos signed him up anyway. Now they have a guy who has been with the program since the beginning.  Benny is so nice and the kids love him.

The Broncos could be the sleeper in the TRAC. Sophomore lefty DJ Frampton will makes his debut at QB and he has the makings to be real good. Junior RB Jackson Schultz, reminds me of Last year’s RB Jordan Ayerza who is a scrappy runner. .

For the Wildcats, they lost of ton of players to graduation so they will be young. They do have two speedsters with seniors Sherwin King Jr and Deshawn Ruffin. Last year CN crushed Sunnyside 36-6 and it might a bad match up again for the Wildcats.

The X factor is the Broncos defense which is led by (Pag Meter Watch list) seniors Noah Riley who could have a big year at linebacker, DT Trent Lindsay and Ryan Regier.

Pag Meter Prediction Clovis North 27 Sunnyside 13

Final Clovis North 20 Sunnyside 19

The Broncos were down 19-0 and not looking good but senior linebacker Noah Riley went off on defense including recovering a huge fumble and the Broncos stormed back and new head coach Benny Martinez gets his first win. RB Jackson Schultz scored the game winning 8 yard TD. Sophomore QB DJ Frampton threw 2 TD passes. For Sunnyside, Donovan King, Carl Hawkins and Devon Jones each scored TD’s. 

 

Taft Wildcats at Golden Valley Bulldogs 

Pag Meter line Golden Valley-10

The Bulldogs have the makings to be very good with the entire offensive line coming back. Junior QB Carl Jones is dangerous! 

For Taft, RB Setefano Maui will get a ton of carries. The Wildcats seem to struggle on the road. And GV has Carl Jones and Taft doesn’t. 

The X factor can the Bulldogs slow down the Wildcats running attack and show the valley they belong? They sure did!!

Pag Meter Prediction Golden Valley 32 Taft 22

Final Golden Valley 55 Taft 0

It was the Carl Jones show, going 9-11 passing for 177 yards and 4 touchdown passes of 38, 37, 21 and 8 yards and rushed for another 118 yards and a score.

 

 

Tranquillity Tigers at Caruthers Blue Raiders 

Pag Meter line Caruthers -16

The Tigers played a tough schedule last year and the Blue Raiders didn’t. This year it looks like the same story.

The Tigers will battle and Caruthers has their hands full with a very well coached team. The Blue Raiders lost a ton of players but will have senior QB Jared Gilmore and senior RB Imanol Arredondo.

Pag Meter Prediction Caruthers 36 Tranquility 20

Final Caruthers 49 Tranquility 18

Senior QB Jared Gilmore threw 2 TD passes and looked really good being the team leader. 

 

Laton Mustangs at Riverdale Cawboys

The Cowboys are real good and the Mustangs will be playing 8 man football so Riverdale will roll.

Final Riverdale 60 Laton 7

Senior J.P. Sanchez scored 3 TD’s (10, 18 & 21 yards) and Edward Barajas scored 2 TD’s with a 22 yard run and a 57 yard INT.  

 

No 7 Tulare Union Tribe vs Mt. Whitney Pioneers 

Pag Meter line Tulare Union -39

The Tribe comes in with one of their best offenses in years with junior QB Nate Lamb, who threw for over 3,000 yards, senior running back Kazmier Allen, who has rushed for 2,940 yards in his career and senior WR Emoryie Edwards who comes in as the best in the valley. For the Pioneers they will be young and growing.

The X factor will be the Tribe’s defense because you just never know if they will show up.

Pag Meter prediction Tulare Union 55 Mt Whitney 14

Final Tulare Union 60 Mt Whitney 7 

Kazmeir Allen rushed for 183 yards, scored 6 TD’s, 5 rushing (1, 2, 82, 16 and 14 yards) Caught a 98 yard TD pass from Nathan Lamb (17-25, 366 yards, 3 TD passes)  Emoryie Edwards caught 2 TD passes (21 and 21 yards) 

 

Wasco Tigers at Coalinga Horned Toads 

Pag Meter line Wasco -3

Rick Stewart in the new coach at Wasco. Rick doesn’t have a lot of depth but the starting lineup is so good. Rick brings in the Pistol Wing T offense and he is so good teaching it. Rick’s son Jon, will start at QB and has been running the pistol-wing T since the 3rd grade. The Tigers offensive line is very good and leading the way will be senior Gerado Gomez, juniors Osmo Velez, 6’4, 300lb, and Raymond Velez 6’3, 295 lb. Look for Dan Hawkins to be running behind the big guys.

The X factor is the Wasco defense and can they slow 1,000 yard senior running back Jaden Jimenez?

Pag Meter Prediction Wasco 29 Coalinga 26

Final Coalinga 14 Wasco 6 (looking for Stats)

 

Washington Union Panthers at San Joaquin Memorial Panthers 

Pag Meter line Memorial -28

The battle of Cats.

One Cat is loaded and the other Cat will be young but with speed.

Memorial comes in loaded and ready for division 3 run and leading the way is junior QB Alec Trujillo. Alec should put up great numbers. Leading the way on defense will be senior linebackers Zach Angelillo and Andrew Defendis.

Pag Meter Prediction Memorial 42 Washington Union 14

Final SJM 47 Washington Union 14 (Looking for Stats)

 

Woodlake Tigers at Orange Cove Titans

Pag Meter line Woodlake -5

Both coaches will be coaching in their first game so somebody is getting a W.

Jeff Johnson takes over the Tigers and Tony Gates for the Titans. Coach Johnson would have had a huge advantage but last year’s Tigers QB Robbie Stevenson will not play football after hurting his arm in baseball and will rest it and will be ready for baseball season. Coach Gates will have a bunch of young Titan players. The Tigers need to play defense this year?  

Pag Meter Prediction Woodlake 25 Orange Cove 20   

Final Woodlake 30 Orange Cove 14 

For the Tigers, Victor Rojas 17 carries, rushed for 121 yards and scored a TD.  Josh Benavidez, with 11 carries for 44 yards and scored a TD.  QB Henry Hagen went 7/14, for  52 yards , 5 carries for 17 yards and scored a TD. On defense, Chase Wallace had 10 tackles and also picked off a pass. 

 

Bishop Broncos at Yerington Lions (Nevada) 

Pag Meter line Bishop -7

The Broncos came on strong at the end of last year and this year they will be good again. The Broncos have their hands full on the road vs the Lions. Can the Broncos step up on the road? They sure did!

Pag Meter Prediction Bishop 28 Yerington 21

Final Bishop 29 Yerington 12 (Looking for Stats)

 

Boron Bobcats at Kern Valley Broncs 

Pag Meter line Boron -14

The Broncs are feeling good about 2017. Look for senior Conrad Miller and junior Jacob Lightner to have a big year at running back. Keep an eye on junior 6’1 QB Anthony Barton. He is going to be real good! The Broncs only play 9 games because some teams moved to 8 man football.

Pag Meter Prediction (Upset alert) Kern Valley 23 Boron 20  

Final Kern Valley 14 Boron 11

Conrad Miller rushed for 67 yards, scored a TD and Jacob Lightner rushed for 161 yards and scored a TD. Trever Hurley (18 tackles) and Paul Sellers (17 tackles) led the defense

 

Frontier Titans vs Cabrillo Conquistadores 

Pag Meter line Frontier -17

The Titans move into division 2 and I think it’s a huge mistake because they are a large school and new head coach Chris Bandy is bringing back Titans toughness. The offensive line will be very good and running behind the big guys will be seniors Connor Gettman and new transfer from Ridgeview, Tye Johnson. Keep an eye on junior RB Ernest Jackson and senior FB/LB Kobie Budak. The X factor is the Titans defense.

This would be a big win on the road for the Titans and they match up well with Cabrillo.

Pag Meter Prediction Frontier 33 Cabrillo 16

Final Frontier 49 Cabrillo 16

Tye Johnson rushed for 249 rushing yards and scored 2 touchdowns

 

California City Ravens at Knight (Palmdale)

Pag Meter line Knight -33

The Ravens will be very young and will have to play clean football and force some turnovers to win on the road.

Pag Meter Prediction Knight 40 Cal City 7

Final Knight 49 California City 0

 

Centennial Golden Hawks at Diamond Ranch Panthers

Pag Meter line Diamond Ranch -13

The Hawks come in with a very good offense and leading the way will be senior QB Will Alexander. Will has some good receivers with senior TE/LB Zach Hartsfield, and WR/DB Zach Hernandez.

The X factor will be the Hawks defense and they have plenty of players returning.

The Panthers will have a bunch of new players on offense so the Hawks match up well on the road.

Pag Meter Prediction (Upset special) Centennial 34 Diamond Ranch 28  

Final Diamond Ranch 14 Centennial 7 (Looking for Stats)

 

Clovis, Cougars at Burbank Titans (Sacramento)

Pag Meter line Clovis -8

The Cougars have some question marks to start the year on the offensive line and not a lot of depth.  If the Cougars can play smart and out execute the Titans then they will pull off a win on the road.

6’4 senior QB Payton Mayer will make his first start for the Cougars and he has outstanding receivers around him. If the Cougars are going to have the real good Cougars offense, they will need to pound the ball so the passing game will flow.

Burbank is a team that has some major talent with size and speed but the problem is the Titans are undisciplined and the best time to play a team that is undisciplined is in week 1 before they get better.  

Pag Meter Prediction Clovis 27 Burbank 19

Final Clovis 27 Burbank 0

In 2 years the Cougars are 63-0 over the Titans. Senior QB Payton Mayer looked real good going 12-20 for 192 yards and 3 TD passes and the Cougars defense did their thing. Bubba Byrd, caught a 12 yard TD and Michael Machado caught a couple of TD’s with 46 and 27 yards. 

 

St. Ignatius Wildcats (San Francisco) vs Clovis East T Wolves 

Pag Meter line St Ignatius -7

Ryan Reynolds returns to Clovis East and this time the head coach. Well-traveled senior QB senior quarterback Gerard Mendez is ready to lead the offense. Look for senior Romello Knight to be the main running back.

Last year the Wildcats smoked the T Wolves 56-20 because the T Wolves were the worst coached defense in the country so look for the T Wolves to be improved a million % better on defense. The CE defense was outstanding! 

The T Wolves are having fun and flying around the ball. What a difference!

The Wildcats have their hands full at Lamonica.

Pag Meter Prediction St Ignatius 21 Clovis East 14

Final St Ignatius 7 Clovis East 0

 

Los Banos Tigers at Madera Coyotes 

Pag Meter line Los Banos -10

The Coyotes are building a program and head coach Yosef Fares is doing a great job bringing weight lifting back. It was lost for about 5 years so the Coyotes had a cultural shock last year going 0-10. This year will be a much different year and a win over rival Los Banos would be huge! Most everybody returns for the Coyotes who are bigger and faster than last year. Making his first start at QB is junior Colt Nelson. Colt’s older brother Nate, set the school’s passing record in 2014. Last years QB Jerry Hernandez will move to wide receiver/FS. Joazaih Vasquez could have a big year running the football. The Tigers will have senior Richard Roman at QB and will have plenty of new Tigers around him.

The X factor is the Coyotes defense and they need to play much better than last year.  Not good

Pag Meter Prediction (Upset special) Madera 27 Los Banos 24

Final Los Banos 34 Madera 19

 

Madera South Stallions at Pacheco Panthers 

Pag Meter line Pacheco -14

New head coach Matt Johnson makes his debut with the Stallions. Matt and his staff is still learning the team so this could take some time.  Making his first start at QB is junior Steven Alaniz. The Stallions will feature running backs with seniors Brandon Mora and Matthew (Poptart) Manoz.

The X factor will be the Stallions defense and slowing down Panthers senior QB Aric Barton who lost a lot of talent around him. The Panthers are very good and building a strong program being the newer school in town.

Pag Meter Prediction Pacheco 27 Madera South 17

Final Pacheco 35 Madera South 14

The Stallions had a 14-0 lead (looking for Stats)

 

Orestimba Warriors (Newman) at Mendota Aztecs 

Pag Meter line Orestimba -14

Last year the Warriors had a very good year going 10-2 but got smoked to start the year at home to Mendota 36-0.  We all know that the Aztecs went 13-0 and won the division 5 section championship. The Aztecs graduated some but still have some talent including senior Erick Segura who will line up at QB and split time with junior Isaiah Clark.

Pag Meter Prediction (Upset special) Mendota 28  Orestimba 22

Final Orestimba 41 Mendota 20 (looking for Stats)

 

Lemoore Tigers at Paso Robles Bearcats  7:00pm

Pag Meter line Paso -3
The Tigers have a new head coach with Robert Asencio and the new offensive coordinator is former Sierra Pacific head coach Josh Kloster. The QB will be senior Kristian Gayton who is very coach-able with the spread offense. The running backs are good with seniors Amier Hollis who is a speedster, Damion Charleston, who is quick and Brandon Hargrove who will run you over. The wide receivers are good with senior Jack Foote and Steven Wilhite.
The Bearcats will be playing in the central section next fall so you better get used to the name …Bearcats.

The X factor is the Tigers have a bunch of senior leaders and they all need to step up on the road to win.

Pag Meter Prediction Paso 23 Lemoore 21

Final Lemoore 12 Paso 6

Damion Charleston and Jack Foote each scored TD’s and the Tigers defense did the rest.

 

Rosamond Roadrunners at Littlerock Lobos 

Pag Meter Line Rosamond -13

The Roadrunners should win this game with defense but are on the road.

Pag Meter Prediction Rosamond 26 Littlerock 13

Final Rosamond 25 Littlerock 6

 

Yosemite Badgers at Le Grand Bulldogs

Pag Meter line Yosemite -21

Last year the Badgers steam rolled the Bulldogs 35-0. The Bulldogs remember but the Badgers defense is so good, 

Pag Meter Prediction Yosemite 27 Le Grand 6

Final Yosemite 25 Le Grand 0

The Badgers are very good on defense and continues their dominance with another shutout. Last year the Badgers had 5 shutouts. First year QB Tyson Mansfield went 14-23 for 174 yards with 2 TD passes and scored a TD. WR Cannon Eames caught 5 passes for 95 yards. He did not add to his school record of 22 career TD receptions.