Homecoming game preview

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Photo courtesy / Mark Cooledge

Team captains prepare for the coin toss against the Chapin Huskies.

Varsity football has had a troubling start to the new season to say the least. Between injuries and players losing eligibility due to grades, the group has started with an underwhelming 0-3 record, citing losses to Del Valle, Chapin, and Carlsbad.

The team is going to need a hail mary if they want to revive their season and get back on track for the district title. And it starts with the homecoming game next week.

“Losing our quarterback in the first snap of a scrimmage game really took a toll on us. It’s forced us to call up sophomore players who don’t have that much experience playing at the varsity level,” said wide receiver Ethan Wells. Senior quarterback Tristan Escobedo went down with a torn ACL in a scrimmage against Bel Air. The unexpected injury has caused sophomore quarterback Blake Randag to get the starting nod.

“It’s been hard because our offense has not been clicking and chemistry is something that we need to work on as a whole,” Blake Randag said. In all three games so far, the offense has posted 14 combined points.

This past week marked a bye week for the team, as they prepare to face off against the 1-2 Socorro Bulldogs for the homecoming game. The players agree that the homecoming game will be their spark to turn things around.

“Lately we have just been working on improving our physicality and working to bring a sense of chemistry and unity that seemed to be missing,” Wells said. If the team can form a sense of cohesion and get the offense clicking, there is no telling how drastically they will improve.

The group will need explosive performances from Ethan Wells, who had missed the first game of the season due to a concussion, and leadership from Blake Randag if they want to turn their season around.

The homecoming game will take place at the Jack Quarles Stadium on Friday, September 24th at 7:00 PM and will be available to watch on a livestream at https://www.coronadotbirdsathletics.com/broadcasts.