Football: Get ready for some physical games on Friday
Physicality ia big part of football, and there’s three games that stand out on on Friday: Westlake vs. Long Beach Poly at Veterans Stadium; Alemany at Narbonne and Rancho Cucamonga at Bishop Amat.
The line play will be critical in each matchup.
Westlake offers the kind of passing-running team that should prepare Poly for its future Pac-5 showdowns against the Trinity League. The Warriors must contain Poly’s Joseph Wicker, who had 10 sacks against Crenshaw and Narbonne. Narbonne gained just 82 total yards against Poly’s powerful defense, but Westlake has junior quarterback Malik Henry, one of the best in the nation.
Alemany’s front seven has played well in its first two victories. Linebackers Nolan Jackson and Tyree Thompson will have to deal with Narbonne’s speed. “They’re way better,” Alemany Coach Dean Herrington said of the Gauchos this season compared to last year. “They seem even more athletic.”
Rancho Cucamonga (2-0) had to rally to defeat Norco, 42-41, last week and now takes on a Bishop Amat team that routed one of the top teams in Texas, Aledo. It’s up front that will decide this matchup of top 25 teams.
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