By Ray Hamill — Local fans will get the opportunity to see just what Redwoods is all about this weekend, as head coach Jason White and his players begin a month without travel when they host Foothill.
CR is off to its best start in some time after posting three straight wins over the last three weeks, and the local community college program will try to continue that impressive run on Saturday afternoon.
But it won’t be easy for the No. 18 team in the state going up against a Foothill team that is ranked just outside the top-25 in this week’s coaches poll.
“They’ve got an athletic quarterback (Esean Johnson), and they’re pretty big, especially their two defensive tackles,” White said. “They’re not small by any means and traditionally they’re pretty physical, so we’re expecting a dog fight.”
The good news is that CR has been pretty good in dog fights so far this season, including a hard-fought 37-34 double-overtime win at Sacramento City College last week.
After a tough start to life in the more competitive National Division last year — when they dropped their first six games after making the jump from the American Division — White and his players have won six of seven games since then.
And that suggests they not only belong among the better programs in the state but are beginning to thrive there.
While still a work in progress, this year’s team has impressed in multiple ways early in the season.
Through the opening three games CR is averaging 267.3 passing yards a game and 182.7 rushing yards (450 total), while the team defense is giving up 173.3 yards passing and 173.7 rushing (347 total).
And White is hoping to see continued improvement this weekend.
“I think improving our run defense, that will be key, slowing them down up front,” he said. “On both sides of the ball to be honest. I think it’l really come down to what we do in the trenches.”
Foothill comes into the game averaging 102 yards on the ground and 182 through the air (284 total), and the team defense is giving up 114.7 yards rushing and 183.3 through the air for a total of 298 a game.
The Owls are 1-2 after opening with a 27-3 loss to CR’s conference rival Butte and following that with a 24-10 loss to Fresno City.
They got their first win of the campaign last week, beating Reedley 48-22.
CR played the Owls at Foothill last year, with the home team prevailing 13-3 in a low-scoring showdown.
With no other local games scheduled here on the North Coast for Saturday afternoon, the CR game will be the only one in town, giving local fans the opportunity to check out this year’s team in action.
And after traveling for two of their first three games, White and his players will not hit the road again for almost a month, with back-to-back home games — they also host Monterey Peninsula next week — and a bye before their next road contest.
Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. and the game as always will be broadcast live on local ESPN radio (1340 AM and 107.3 FM).
