Picking up right where they left off a year ago, the Hawks have enjoyed yet another remarkable campaign throughout this Fall.
While Harlan did drop their lone loss of the season in the district opener against Brennan, they continued to beat up on their remaining opponents, most recently ousting Stevens 49-14 last Friday to bring their record to 6-1.
Coach Eddie Salas' offense, which is averaging nearly 40 points a game, has made it nearly impossible for opposing teams to keep up entering the ninth week of the season.
Dual-threat junior QB Aldric Carter is playing some clean football, having thrown for roughly 1,200 yards with 10 TDs to just one interception, while rushing for 361 more and has scored four times on the ground.
Joining him in the backfield is senior Adrien McDade, who's put some impressive numbers (464 yards, 6 TDs) of his own.
Regarding the wide receiver room, 2023 first-teamer and Rice-commit Payton Matthews (18 receptions, 376 yards, 5 TDs) and Caelan Grbic-Schultz (20 rec, 364 yds, 4 TDs) are Carter's top targets. Furthermore, Matthews also contributes in the run game, while Grbic-Schultz plays a key role on special teams.
On defense, the heavy-hitters for the Hawks are Brock Potter (Sr. LB), Craig Sanders (Sr. LB/DB), Dwayne Wingfield (Sr. DB), Robert Gonzales (Sr. LB), and Alexander Ciccarello (Sr. DL).
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Meanwhile, the Raiders (5-2) are coming off a tough loss against Sotomayor and will look to get back in the win column this week.
Under the direction of coach Ricky Stade, this team has shown flashes of greatness and have to proven their ability to win the close games.
Taft's offense (34 ppg) is led by Tucker Vogel (Jr. QB), who is even deadlier with his legs (652 rushing yards, 11 TDs) than he is with his arm (1018 passing yards, 9 TDs).
Vogel has spread the wealth through the air, with Isiah Delgado (Jr. RB), Raymond Foster-Davis (Sr. WR), Kenyen Skelton (Sr. WR), and David Aguirre (Jr. WR) each sharing touches.
The rushing attack is unquestionably this squad's strong-suit, as senior RB Prometheus Elmore (656 all-purpose yards, 7 TDs) adds another dynamic behind a tough Raiders O-Line.
Defensively, there are still some kinks that need to be ironed out (about 25 points allowed per game), but the veterans of the unit are likely to keep Taft in the game.
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There are several playoff-implications surrounding this district matchup, so this is one fans won't want to miss when the two face off Thursday night (7:00 pm) at Greyhound Stadium.