TIOGA BULLDOGS
With its second district win of the season under its belt, the 5-3 Tioga Bulldogs varsity football team heads back out on the road this week to face the 2-6 Olney Cubs on Friday.
The Cubs have a 1-2 district record through come into the district matchup with momentum after a 37-24 win over Chico on Oct. 23.
“We’re going to the road to a place we’ve never been to [face] a team we’ve never played that has all the confidence in the world after a big win last Friday, so we have to be locked in and ready to roll from the get-go,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “They have a couple of skill players that we’re impressed with and a really good quarterback. We may also be battling some weather on a grass field, but at the end of the day, we’re looking to go on the road and handle our business.”
It's been an up-and-down season so far for the Cubs’ offense, with them being held to 7 points or less through the first two weeks of district play before their 37-point showcase against Chico.
Quarterback Tucker Cortez spearheads Olney’s offense, with over 1,000 yards of total offense and 15 touchdowns, while running back Kyle Stewart leads the Cubs’ ground attack, with 453 yards rushing and 5 total touchdowns.
“We’re finally facing a team that likes to sling it around like we do,” Birdwell said. “That’s not the norm for us, so our scout team has been excited to get to do some of the stuff that we run, and we get to flip the script this week because we have to get pressure on their quarterback because he’s dangerous when he has time. They’re probably going to throw it 40 plus times, so we have to challenge their throws and limit the big plays.”
On the other side of the ball, Tioga’s offense may feature new faces on the field with multiple Bulldogs nursing injuries, but Tioga should still be able to move the ball efficiently against Olney’s defense that has allowed 42 points per game through three district games.
Linebacker A.J. Solano and safety Kanton Rodgers lead the unit, combining 78 total tackles and 6 tackles for loss.
Despite the changes, Birdwell said the Bulldogs are still looking to close out their season in the winner’s circle.
“Our minds and eyes are staying focused on understanding that in order to win big games later on, we need to be playing well now,” he said. “We can’t wait two weeks hoping we can flip a switch, and we can’t let who we’re playing, whether that’s Alvord or going on the road against Olney, dictate anything. We want to continue finding ways to clean up mistakes, fine-tune some things, and make sure we’re ready to be at our best.”
The Bulldogs and Cubs will square off at 7 p.m. Friday at Cubs Stadium in Olney.
