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The Taft High football team, fresh off its second home victory of the season, will get its final tune-up for league play Friday when it visits unbeaten Class 3A counterpart Yamhill-Carlton.
7 p.m., KBCH (1400-AM)
w/Eric Goss and Boone Marker
The Taft Tigers, of the Special District 1 West, have sandwiched a 33-18 road loss at Sutherlin between 14-6 and 24-6 home wins over Harrisburg and Knappa entering the 7 p.m. game against the Yamhill-Carlton Tigers of the SD 1 East.
“Every game is a new game,” Taft coach Jake Tolan said. “I am proud of our effort. Our kids are resilient and believe in our ability to get better day-in and day-out.”
Fifteenth-ranked Taft will open league play Friday, Oct. 4, at third-rated Amity (2-1).
Photos by Lon French
“With our schedule, every game is a big game and must-win,” Tolan said of this week’s matchup against fifth-ranked Yamhill-Carlton. “League or not, we have a tough schedule with top-rated opponents.”
Yamhill-Carlton has scored at least 40 points in each of its three victories and outscored opponents by a combined score of 137-56 (46-19). It opened with 49-34 and 40-14 road wins at Warrenton and Jefferson before a 48-8 home win last week against Willamina.
Yamhill-Carlton coach Brennon Mossholder is expected to look to quarterback Jaime Garcia to target fellow senior and team captain Jakob Jarvis, while senior lineman and tri-captain Samuel Dixon will be counted on for protection up front and for pressure on the defensive line.
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Taft, which has outscored its opponents 56-46 (19-15) this year, is coming off an 18-point home victory over Knappa that featured nearly 150 yards of offense from junior receiver JJ French and the return of a healthy line.
“We had our full line in place and spent the week rebuilding our continuity on the line,” Tolan said. “JJ French had a great game, and I was equally impressed with Logan Gilleo’s play at linebacker.”
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Tolan said Taft’s defensive line “pressured all night,” and that its special teams, led by junior Fco Ramos, converted twice on two-point conversions “with two athletic plays off the snap.”
French scored two touchdowns and senior wide receiver Jordan Hall added another in Taft’s victory last week over the Loggers (1-2).
“Every player, position and side of the ball will work to continue to get better every day,” Tolan said. “Yamhill-Carlton is a tough team, and we will spend this week preparing. It is nice to have a full JV squad to get a preview of the program.”