Football preview: Burbank vs. Ayala

BURBANK VS. AYALA

WHEN: 7 p.m. Friday

WHERE: Ayala High

RECORDS: Both teams are 0-0

LAST YEAR: Burbank went 10-3 and 5-2 to tie for second in the Pacific League; Ayala went 3-7 and 1-4 for fifth in the Sierra League.

OUTLOOK: In the battle of the Bulldogs in a zero week nonleague contest in the season opener for both sides, Burbank hits the road for the first in a string of four away games to open the campaign. The team won’t return to the friendly confines of Memorial Field until it hosts Crescenta Valley in a Pacific League contest Oct. 3. Burbank comes into the season after proving it could rack up points last year. The Bulldogs ended as the second-highest scoring team in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division, averaging 44.1 points a game. Only division champion Norwalk (54 points a game) averaged more points against divisional foes. Burbank was able to advance to the division semifinals for the first time in 86 years. The Burbank offense is spearheaded by senior running back James Williams and senior quarterback Ryan Meredith. In 2013, Williams, an All-CIF tailback who has committed to Washington State, set a school-record with 22 rushing touchdowns in 164 carries. Meredith set a school record for touchdown passes in a season with 29 and had just two interceptions. He completed 128 of 226 passes for 2,320 yards to break another season school record. Ayala has a solid running back in senior James Carter, who had six touchdowns last season. Richard Broussard will be making his coaching debut with Burbank after taking over for former coach Hector Valencia.

SOMETHING INTERESTING: Williams is just 532 yards shy of breaking the Burbank career rushing record of 3,078 held by Ulises Ochoa.

Jeff Tully