Lindhurst football battles on

With a new staff, new plays and players in new positions, the Lindhurst Blazers football team has had a rough start. Even so the team is not giving up; the Blazers keep their heads held high as they prepare for Golden Sierra.

Coach Dan Crabtree was a former coach at Gridley High School. He is now leading the Lindhurst Blazers through their first season under a new playbook. With him are coaches Del Rio, Haro, Onyett, Stinnett, Orme, Villasenior, Bunn, Mota and Niebbr.

Since June, players have conditioned and practiced to prepare for the coming season. It has been a long, hard road, from weight lifting circuits in the weight room, learning and breaking down plays on the football field and gaining chemistry between players and coaches.

Leading the offense as quarterback is A.Z. Sutton. Sutton has played for four years, and this is his second as a quarterback. Under the supervision of coach Stinnet, the offensive line focuses on detail and execution. With Ben Alverez, Dakota Watson, Tyler Carpenter, Sergio Ramos and Joey Soto, the starting line is strong.

"We are improving each week. This will be our first week with the same set of offensive linemen. We need to become more consistent and continue working hard every day to improve," Coach Stinnett said.

The defensive line lives by the same principle; you do your job so the rest of your team can do theirs. Coaches Onyett, Haro and Mota demand a lot from their defensive team. Power, speed and ferocity are the key elements of Blazer defense. Angel and Anthony Vega pull double duty, both by carrying the ball for the offense and delivering their one-two punch on the defensive side.

Along with the Vega twins there are Ricky Dalton, Chris Gates and Saul Cuavas. Each player is just as physical as the other, making the Blazer defense hard-hitting with 11 hats to the ball each play.

This week we play Golden Sierra, which has always been a formidable opponent. Every year it's a game to look forward to. Last year, the Blazers took the win, meaning this year it's Golden's chance to even the odds. Both teams will spend the week reviewing each other's plays and formations, as Friday draws ever closer — then the battle will begin.

It's been a long, hard road this year for the Blazers — a 0 and 5 record is tough to handle — but we haven't stopped fighting. We are a family; it's what makes us a true Lindhurst Blazer football team. We may be underdogs, but in the end, the underdogs always come out on top.

Kameron Dansby is a senior at Lindhurst High School. His column appears about every sixth week in Education.