Delano Heads to West for First Test on the Road

After coming out victorious during an exciting week-one shootout against Mira Monte, the Delano Tigers are headed to West (Bakersfield) in what has the potential to be another marquee matchup. 

Here is a breakdown of the Thursday-night matchup. 

What to Expect From the West Vikings

West has just as much of a winning energy on their side, following a 35-31victory in a thrilling matchup which was decided by a 68-yard kickoff return touchdown by Solomon Harris. 

Harris, a quarterback himself, is the spark of the West offense having 228 of the teams 372 total yards. This cements a quarterback battle that has star-studded potential. 

As far as the game strategy, the team focuses heavily on the run game, but when they choose to pass it’s considerably effective. Harris completed just two passes, but both were touchdowns.

In comparison the team rushed 34 times for 285 total yards, which made up the majority of the offense. 

While the Vikings may appear one-dimensional, the squad does have potential to break a big play at any given moment. This makes them an especially exciting opponent for the Tigers. 

What to Expect From the West Vikings

Quarterback DJ Huizar will certainly be a focus for the West defense, as the underclassmen threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns in a fantastic season debut.

However, while the Tigers gunslinger threw 26 times, they also rushed the ball 24 times, making their offensive philosophy nearly as evenly balanced as you can get. So, it’s safe to assume running backs Daniel Romero and Julian Herrera will enter the offensive mix as well. 

If the Tigers do lean on their passing game, seniors Diego Carrillo and Raul Quezada will need to be the receivers to step up. Both had five catches and touchdowns respectively in their performance last week, and the veteran pass catchers will have to help lead the pass attack against an athletic West squad. 

Where Delano Needs to Improve

Despite winning in exciting fashion last week, the Tigers had quite a few areas of improvement on display. 

The main emphasis was in the amount of penalties racked up, especially at inconvenient times. There were multiple drives in which Delano defensive linemen jumped offsides on crucial late-down situations, leading to multiple scores for Mira Monte. 

This coupled with a handful of missed tackles and near-broken plays due to blown coverage assignments will certainly need to be cleaned up in a road game. 

Yet, even with the penalties and early-season jitters, the Tigers put up 39 points on a team with comparable talent to West. Therefore it would be exciting to see them perform at their full potential.