Prep Preview: Valley View at Arlington
I’m covering the Moreno Valley Valley View-Riverside Arlington varsity football game for The Press-Enterprise tonight. The best part of this assignment will be assessing Valley View. Are the 4-0 Eagles for real?
THE LOW DOWN:
The Eagles feature one of the Inland Area’s top runners (Michael Harrison) and one its best ball-hawking defenses. The slight-of-build Harrison ranks fifth in the Area with 506 rushing yards and eighth with six TDs, while a trio of DBs (Shaquille Gibson, Rakeem Griffin and Andrew Walker) each have two interceptions.
The Lions went to the desert and left snake-bitten after losing defensive struggle with La Quinta. Coach Pat McCarthy’s troops are now 1-2, and haven’t won since defeating Oceanside El Caminore in the season opener. Tailback Derrick Stokes has received the bulk of the carries, and scatback Paul Lopez has had some big gains. There seems to be some indecision about who the QB will be, though. And you know what they say about a team with two QBs…
KEY PLAYERS:
Valley View — QB: Abraham Nuno, Soph. (6-foot, 170 pounds); RB: Michael Harrison, Sr. (5-7, 160); Will Evans, Sr. (5-10, 200); WR: Sterling Winston, Sr. (5-9, 145); Rashad Stevenson, Jr. (6-2, 180); TE/DT: Hayden Hornsby, Sr. (6-2, 190); LB: Anthony Rivera, Jr. (6-foot, 200); DB: Rakeem Griffin, Sr. (5-7, 160); Andrew Walker, Sr. (5-6, 165); Shaquille Gibson, Jr. (5-10, 150).
Arlington — QB: Jose Medina, Sr. (6-foot-1, 200 pounds); Roman Holston, Jr. (5-11, 185); RB: Derrick Stokes, Sr. (5-11, 190); WR: Kevin Grant, Sr. (6-1, 170); TE: Jihad Johnson, Sr. (6-2, 222); OL/DL: Bryce Jeter, Sr. (6-2, 315); Samson Kafovalu, Sr. (6-5, 270); LB: Joe Avila, Jr. (6-1, 200); DB: Paul Lopez, Sr. (5-11, 175).
THE DIFFERENCE:
Though talented in spots, the Eagles lack size throughout their roster. Coach Jack Fogarty seems to make up for this deficiency with offensive efficiency as his team averages more than seven yards per play this season. The Lions are without much big-play potential on offense but remain stout on defense. If McCarthy’s offense fails to gain traction, it could be a reverse of last season’s 41-18 scoreline.
PREDICTION: Valley View 35, Arlington 23
INLAND FIELDHOUSE 