Football:

Last Friday night was an absolute disaster for the El Diamante football program. The Miners entered the new month of September looking to make a statement in their home opener against one of the most highly talented and respected teams in the Central Valley, the Tribe of Tulare Union. Union has one of the most talented rosters, if not the most talented in all of Division II, and they made the Miners look like a JV team. The final score was 48-7, and although that sounds pretty bad, it gets worse. The Tribe trotted into the locker room at halftime with a 41-0 lead, accounting for over 400 yards of total offense and averaging just above 14 yards per play. Among those 400+ yards was Boise State bound Tailback Kazmeir Allen, who accounted for 189 yards on just 11 carries and 4 touchdowns. His 4 touchdowns added to his season tally of 10 scores in just two games played. The Miners went on defense 6 times in the first half, giving up touchdowns on all 6 drives, including 5 scores of over 30 yards. The explosive and fast offense possessed by the Tribe was simply too overwhelming for the Green and Black. Union junior Quarterback Nathan Lamb also shredded the Miner secondary. The Tribe’s gunslinger finished 20-for-25 through the air, adding 3 more touchdowns to his credit. There were many issues on both sides of the ball for El Diamante. The defense was eaten alive, and the offense, who managed just 68 first half yards, couldn’t compete with the Tribe no matter what their offense threw at them. Although this season is looking like a lost cause, and although the Miners have looked awful throughout these first two weeks, I can say with a lot of confidence that they are going to enter Week 3 with a lot of vengeance, and I have a feeling I’m going to be writing about a different team come this time next week. El D has always, always, been cursed with a tough schedule. Having to start off the season with two of the best schools in the valley (freakin’ Tulare), is no joke. But the Miners don’t face an absolute giant in Week 3, like they have in weeks 1 and 2. They travel to Porterville to face the Monache Marauders (1-1) this Friday night. And like El Diamante, the Marauders are struggling. Their only win of the season was a 2-0 win over Taft. I’m not kidding, 2-0. That came after they were blown out by Golden West in their season opener, 49-14. So Week 3 is a bounce back opportunity for Mark Rogers and the El Diamante Miners, to show that this team isn’t a team to just roll over and take defeat lightly. Lingering injury issues still exist, but the Miners have done their part to fix them, including bringing back 6’4 wideout Curtis Robert. One player to watch will be senior Running Back Devontae Freeman. Drake Beno is out for the year with a torn MCL, and Andrew Valdez is no longer on the roster, therefore paving the way for Freeman to earn the role of being the Miners featured back. For now, he will share carries with Jemyren Goodman, but look for Freeman to become a big presence among the Miner offense. In conclusion, my final message to everyone that has doubts about El D football this year is to relax. Aaron Rodgers said it best a year ago, relax. This is barely Week 3, and with the Miners already being battle tested, a lighter schedule down the stretch should provide some signature wins. With a little bit of momentum and a lot more confidence than what they have now, this is a team very capable of doing a lot of damage. And that’s the bottom line.

 

Volleyball:
After a cancellation of their first game of the week against Monache due to heat, the Lady Miners (2-2) went to war with the Exeter Monarchs (8-3) at home in The Mine Shaft, losing in straight sets 3-0. Exeter has been a volleyball powerhouse throughout the years, and although the Miners are capable of making some noise, the Monarchs of Exeter proved that they’re still the team to beat throughout the Central Sequoia League. There were a combined 33 errors on El Diamante’s side of the court, and the lowest margin of defeat was 5 points. Carli Gordon provided 6 kills in the effort, followed closely by Rebecca Zalewski with 5. The Miners were also blanked by Mission Oak on Tuesday, 3-0. Although this was just a small setback, varsity coach Ken Clyburne knows how to get his girls back on track. Every year it seems like the Lady Miners are competing for a section title, this year will be no different.

 

Volleyball season leaders:

Kills:
Carli Gordon (SO) – 26
Rebecca Zalewski (SR) – 22
Alyssa Stephens (SO) – 20
Gillian Nutter (JR) – 15
Aubrey Rivera (SO) – 9

Blocks:
Gillian Nutter (JR) – 20
Preslee Nunez (SO) – 14
Carli Gordon (SO) – 12
Rebecca Zalewski (SR) – 9
Aubrey Rivera (SO) – 8

Digs:
Madison Flores (SR) – 48
Avery Faria (SO) – 26
Makayla Dwelle (SR) – 22
Alyssa Stephens (SO) – 18
Madison Esteves (JR) – 5

Assists:
Makayla Dwelle (SR) – 49
Alyssa Stephens (SO) – 48

 

Twitter: @Chandler7Lucas | Read all of his articles HERE.