Weekly Football Previews: Burroughs at Diamond Ranch; Bell-Jeff at Discovery Prep
BURROUGHS AT DIAMOND RANCH
•WHEN: Friday 7 p.m.
•WHERE: Diamond Ranch High
•RECORDS: The Indians are 1-0; the Panthers are 1-2
•LAST WEEK: Burroughs defeated Royal, 45-30; Diamond Ranch lost to Ayala, 10-7
•OUTLOOK: The Indians were finally able to open their season and coach Mike Reily’s squad made the most of its opportunity. Burroughs had its opener against West Ranch the week before scrapped twice because of poor air quality and heat. The game will not be made up and the Indians will play just nine contests this season. Against Royal, junior quarterback Nathan Piper had a fine effort in his first varsity start, completing 19 of 35 passes for 324 yards and three touchdowns. Senior receiver Cerain Baker had two touchdown catches. The Indians were also able to move the ball on the ground, as senior Ben Peters rushed for 146 yards in 22 carries and had an 80-yard touchdown. Diamond Ranch has two more games under its belt and the team has had close results in all three of its contests. The Panthers lost in overtime to Chino, 30-23, and their win came against Bakersfield Centennial, 14-7. Diamond Ranch has received fine efforts from its defense, which surrendered less than 210 yards of offense last week against Ayala. In that game, Diamond Ranch junior running back Connor Clark rushed for nearly 110 yards in 24 carries. The game will be the last nonleague contest for Burroughs, which opens Pacific League play Sept. 22 at home against Pasadena.
•SOMETHING INTERESTING: The Indians will be looking to start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2008 when they notched wins against Schurr and South Torrance.
BELL-JEFF AT DISCOVERY PREP
•WHEN: 4 p.m. Friday
•WHERE: El Cariso Park (Sylmar)
•RECORDS: The Guards are 0-1; the Warriors are 0-0
•LAST WEEK: Bell-Jeff lost to La Verne Calvary Baptist, 58-20; Discovery Prep didn’t play
•OUTLOOK: The Guards are coming off a tough start to their season in their nonleague eight-man opener last week. Bell-Jeff fell behind early against Calvary Baptist and couldn’t fight its way back. The Guards received a fine effort from senior Canaan Williams, who had a 73-yard kickoff return for a score in the first half, added a one-yard touchdown run and carried the ball on a two-point conversion. Senior Ronald Jurok had a 75-yard kickoff return for a score. Discovery Prep, which plays in the Valley League, was scheduled to kick off its season Sept. 1 against Westmark, but the game was not played.
BURBANK ON BYE WEEK
The Bulldogs will get a chance to regroup and recharge after completing their nonleague campaign with a 1-2 record. Burbank is coming off a 35-7 loss against Downey. Under first-year coach Adam Colman, the Bulldogs began the season with a 23-8 win against Monrovia and suffered a 14-6 loss to Canyon Country Canyon. One of Burbank’s few highlights against Downey was a 12-yard touchdown run from junior quarterback Matthew Porras. When the Bulldogs return to play on Sept. 22 to open Pacific League competition against Glendale, they will host a rare game on campus. It will mark only the second time in 70 years Burbank will host a football game on its field.
Jeff Tully
Twitter: @jefftsports
