Just down the highway

Two of the top football teams in the Mid—Valley area will square off tonight when Wheatland High welcomes Lindhurst into John Sohrakoff Jr. Field in a clash of Yuba County rivals.

Both teams enter the contest with unblemished records, meaning one team will taste defeat for the first time this year.

And in a rivalry where familiarity breeds contempt, the competition between the two schools has heightened in recent years.

"It's always been a good, solid rivalry," said Wheatland coach Javier Lopez, who has guided the Pirates to a 3-0 record. "You've got (Lindhurst) kids who at one time or another came to school here, or kids that have gone to school there and came over here."

The Pirates have dominated the series in recent years, winning the last four meetings while averaging 35 points per contest.

"They've handed it to us the last four years, so this is a win all of our boys want." said first-year Lindhurst coach Scott Albertson. "We've had a couple of players that transferred from Wheatland and they're hungry for a win."

The Blazers enter the game with a 2-0 record following a 55-12 win over Live Oak in their opener and a 21-14 win over River Valley last week. "The first thing you have to focus on is their speed, team speed. They got some kids over there that can run," said Lopez, who noted the big play ability of Lurrell Johnson out of the backfield, and Kenderick Jones and brothers Eric and Victor Arroyo in the passing game.

"We always have to change things up defensively in this game because they open things up so much," he added. "They throw so many looks and formations at you, anything from one to five receivers. They might have the edge in overall team speed, so it's all about slowing them down and keeping them between the tackles."

While Wheatland is busy preparing for the wide range of Blazer looks, Albertson is concerned about the different wrinkles he will see from Lopez and the Pirates.

"They're really well coached. Every year they give us something we haven't prepared for." Albertson said. "As coaches, we've got to be ready to change on the fly."

Marysville at Gridley

The Indians will look to ride the momentum of their first win over Yuba City in 42 years when they walk into the Bone Yard to tangle with the Bulldogs.

Marysville comes into the game with a 1-1 record and is led by sophomore running back Mike Barabin, whose 177 yards on the ground leads the team.

Gridley (0-3) has been outscored 102-12 thus far, but comes in off its best effort of the year in a 20-12 loss to Live Oak last week.

East Nicolaus at Williams

After a tough non-league schedule and a week off, the Spartans will look to get their season back on track when they travel to Williams to take on the Yellowjackets in the Mid-Valley League opener for both teams.

Although East Nicolaus enters the game with an 0-3 record, the losses have come at the hands of powerhouses Rio Vista, Ferndale and Menlo, who are a combined 10-0.

The Yellowjackets enter the game at 2-1 following their 8-0 victory over Pierce in the Rice Bowl last week.

Bella Vista at Yuba City

The Honkers will look to earn their first victory of the year when they welcome the Broncos into Honker Stadium on homecoming night.

Yuba City enters the game 0-2 following a last-minute 28-21 loss to Marysville in the Big-Little Game last week and a 35-21 loss to Chico in the opener.

The Broncos come in 2-0 on the season following a 43-22 win over Cordova in week one and a 20-0 victory over Mesa Verde last week.

Colusa at Quincy

The red-hot Redskins have had a full week of rest heading into their Mid-Valley League opener against an undefeated Quincy squad.

Colusa (3-0) is led by fullback Carlos Gutierrez, whose 497 yards rushing and five touchdowns tops the team.

The Trojans enter the contest 3-0 following victories over Chester, Dayton and Hayfork.

Mt. Shasta at Live Oak

The Lions look to build on their 20-12 victory over Gridley last week when they welcome the Bears into town for their Sacramento Valley League opener.

Live Oak enters the game 1-3, with two of its losses coming at the hands of Sutter and Lindhurst, both larger schools that are defending Section champions.

Mt. Shasta comes in with a 1-3 record as well following a 34-14 setback to Yreka last week.

Biggs at Portola

The Wolverines will look to bounce back from their first loss of the season when they travel to Portola in their Mid-Valley League opener.

Biggs (2-1) comes in after a 33-14 setback to Chester last week and is led by running backs Kyle Bisell and Billy Jackson, who have rushed for 180 and 181 yards, respectively.

The Tigers come out of their bye week with a 3-0 record and have outscored the opposition 114-12 so far this season.

Pierce at Rio Vista

The Bears will have a tough task at hand when they hit the road to face undefeated Rio Vista.

Pierce (0-4), which has been outscored 126-20 on the year, turned in its best effort of the season last week in an 8-0 loss to Williams in the Rice Bowl.

The Rams (4-0) come in following a 57-0 thrashing of Delta last week and have averaged a staggering 46 points per contest.

Maxwell at Stone Ridge

Maxwell (0-4) comes into the game following a 48-0 loss to Fall River last week and has been outscored 115-22 on the season. Eddie Hernandez leads the Panthers offense with 305 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Stone Ridge (2-0) comes in after a 34-22 win over Valley Christian of Roseville last week.

STAFF PREDICTIONS:

Bryan DeMain

Wheatland 20, Lindhurst 18
Marysville 31, Gridley 14
East Nicolaus 35, Williams 10
Yuba City 21, Bella Vista 20
Colusa 14, Quincy 7
Mt. Shasta 35, Live Oak 28
Portola 49, Biggs 13
Rio Vista 42, Pierce 10
Stone Ridge 31, Maxwell 20
River Valley 35, Rio Americano 28
Sutter 42, North Valley 18

Richard Myers

Wheatland 21, Lindhurst 20
Marysville 17, Gridley 7
East Nicolaus 28, Williams 14
Bella Vista 24, Yuba City 14
Colusa 21, Quincy 14
Live Oak 14, Mt. Shasta 10
Portola 35, Biggs 13
Rio Vista 42, Pierce 7
Maxwell 14, Stone Ridge 13
Rio Americano 31, River Valley 14
Sutter 35, North Valley 19

Andy Arrenquin

Lindhurst 21, Wheatland 16
Marysville 28, Gridley 7
East Nicolaus 27, Williams 6
Bella Vista 21, Yuba City 14
Colusa 20, Quincy 14
Live Oak 27, Mt. Shasta 14
Portola 42, Biggs 14
Rio Vista 49, Pierce 7
Stone Ridge 28, Maxwell 7
River Valley 21, Rio Americano 20
Sutter 35, North Valley 21

Cassie Bryant

Wheatland 21, Lindhurst 19
Marysville 39, Gridley 0
Williams 14, East Nicolaus 6
Bella Vista 21, Yuba City 13
Quincy 17, Colusa 13
Mt. Shasta 42, Live Oak 6
Portola 20, Biggs 14
Rio Vista 47, Pierce 7
Stone Ridge 19, Maxwell 0
Rio Americano 21, River Valley 6
North Valley 27, Sutter 13