Despite 0-3 Start, Chavez sees best opportunity this season

Senior defensive back Jacob Castellanos during his pregame warmups

The Cesar Chavez Titans are looking to claim their first win of the season this Friday as they travel to Centennial High School for their Week 4 matchup. 

Despite not having won a game yet this season, the Titans are now faced with their best opportunity at a victory as they face an 0-3 Centennial squad. 

The matchup may serve as a reprieve to Chavez’s stacked schedule, as the Titans have suffered back-to-back 40+ point losses to Porterville schools in the past two weeks. 

Although the last two losses have come by wide margins, the key to Chavez’s success may lie in their offense rather than the defensive side of the ball. 

Entering Week 4 the Titans are yet to score any points and total 410 all-purpose yards. Their ability to move the ball and finally convert it into points will be the determining factor in claiming their first win of the season. 

One bright spot on the offense is junior quarterback Aiden Mendez Jr., who threw for 126 yards and rushed for 34 more against Monache. While he may not have scored a touchdown, the performance accounts for 39% of Chavez's total offensive yardage this season. 

As for their opponent in Centennial, the Hawks host the Titans after a 38-13 loss to Independence. 

Centennial’s offense will look to quarterback Grant Scott and running back Mikel Iturriria to lead the charge as they did last week. 

In terms of opponents on their schedule, Chavez’s next two opponents are considerably more beatable than their SSL counterparts. Their Week 5 opponent South High School is currently 1-2 and hosts Atascadero this week. 

However, upon entering SSL play the Titans will have to face Kennedy, Shafter, and Wasco squads which are all ranked as Top-30 teams in the Central Section.

This ringer of schedule puts added pressure onto the team to claim their victories now while they can, and hopefully use that momentum to progress as the season goes along.