Bell-Jeff football preview vs. Brentwood

BELL-JEFF VS. BRENTWOOD

WHEN: 7 p.m. tonight.

WHERE: Memorial Field (Burroughs High).

RECORDS: The Guards are 1-0; the Eagles are 0-0.

LAST WEEK: Bell-Jeff defeated Monroe, 65-35; Brentwood didn’t play.

OUTLOOK: The new-look Guards opened a new era under first-year coach David Machuca with a victory last week in a zero week game on the road. The Bell-Jeff defense was able to bounce back and keep the Guards in the game against Monroe. Along with an interception by Noah DeCorsi, the Guards forced two fumbles. In addition, the Bell-Jeff defense forced Monroe to turn the ball over on downs six times. After a slow start in the first half, sophomore starting quarterback Jonathan Porter came on in the second half and had a respectable outing in his first varsity start, throwing for two touchdowns. The Guards also received a solid effort from senior running back Josh Martinez, who tallied three touchdowns and gained 181 yards in 19 carries. Senior Mitch Kellogg also scored two touchdowns. The Guards will be facing a Brentwood team that went 5-6 last season and was 4-2 in the Alpha League to finish third. The Eagles return senior quarterback Connor Boggs. However, the team also has an up-and-coming signal-caller in sophomore Eli Stern. Brentwood also possesses a talented player in senior wide receiver/defensive back Garrett Swanky.

SOMETHING INTERESTING: Bell-Jeff had just three wins last year, all in nonleague games against Fairmont Prep, Rosamond and Mountain View.

Jeff Tully