Eyes on the prize

Cullen Meyer always wanted to lead an early morning Thanksgiving practice, and on Thursday he finally did.

"I've always heard that the Thanksgiving morning practice is the best one you can ever have," said Marysville football coach Cullen Meyer. "It's definitely a different feeling, a different buzz."

Only players and coaches fortunate enough to last this late in the Sac-Joaquin Section season could embrace such a vibe — as they should, the season's end is only a loss away.

After earning an opening-round bye in the Division VI section playoffs, Marysville (8-2) comes out of a two-week hiatus to host Le Grand (7-4) today at War Memorial Stadium at 7 p.m.

And while some teams can suffer from a motivation loss following a two-week layoff, Meyer is not concerned with that aspect of the game.

"There really hasn't had to be any sort of push to get these guys motivated, they're self-motivated," Meyer said. "They have their eyes on the prize, but they also know to take it one game at a time."

Meyer is more focused on the mirroring team his Indians will battle on the field.

"They're a lot like us," he said. "They are a smash-mouth team with a tough fullback and a real quick tailback. I saw first-hand what they can do, it's different in person than on film."

Meyer witnessed Le Grand defeat Capital Christian 21-15 at home last Friday in a playoff opener. The result left the Indians with a positive and negative reality.

"The funny thing is we practiced for Capital all of last week, thinking that's who we were going to face," said Meyer, who, at the same time, was also relieved his team didn't have to play Capital Christian.

Although Marysville defeated Capital Christian 34-21 earlier in the year, Meyer noted, it's always tough to beat a good team twice in the same season.

"Capital's offense makes us switch up our defense so much," Meyer said. "Against this team (Le Grand), we can just sit in our 3-5 and send bodies at them all night."

Marysville has been led by a powerful ground game, featuring Michael Barabin and James Chandless, who have combined for more than 1,700 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.

"The community has been great this year," Meyer said. "Really in the last two weeks, wherever I go people come up to me and want to talk about football. It's been great."

On the other side of the bracket, Lindhurst, which has torched teams with its high-octane offense, has a brutal task.

Not only will the 9-2 Blazers hit the road for a six-hour bus trip down south, they will be forced to take on Mariposa, a 9-1 juggernaut.

The Grizzlies are allowing opponents to score just six points per game, while they post more than 35 — and it's all exclusively executed on the ground.

Running back Kyle Brocchini has rumbled for 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, while also acting as the leading wideout on the team.

The Blazers can find comfort in one thing, however.

Mariposa barely got past Waterford, 25-23, earlier this year.

Lindhurst opened the playoffs with a 67-7 win last week — over Waterford.

Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.