Coming off of its bye week, the Canyon football team is ready for its matchup with Palmdale tonight at Harry Welch Stadium.
The Cowboys (0-2) will have their hands full with the Falcons, who enter the contest 2-0 and held Division 5 Oak Hills to nine points last week.
Palmdale is led by junior quarterback Marcus Hearn, but the Falcons do most of their damage on the ground. The senior running back tandem of Darl Jordan and TyJoun Cavins have combined for 309 yards and three touchdowns on 40 carries.
Sophomore running back Anthony Woods is also capable of breaking off big plays. He has 59 yards on nine carries this season.
“They have a lot of talent, a lot of speed, well-coached program,” Canyon head coach Joe Maiale said. “They’ve been good for years, they are a perennial playoff team, really talented.”
Canyon will rely on its bevy of offensive skill players including running backs Sam Nguyen and Dylan Roof, and receivers Reno Sifuentes, Colin Figueroa and James Mendibles.
Maiale thinks there will be a few more players who will step up tonight as well including wideouts Felo Ibrahim, JJ Fechtelkotter and running back Josh Perrin.
“It’s more about finding the open guy, going through our progressions,” Maiale said. “Felo Ibrahim will be featured prominently and we have JJ as well, that’s another receiver who will be showing up for us. We have a third guy, Josh, who is starting to emerge. Get [Nguyen and Roof] all in the mix and rotate carries.”
Maiale knows the competition will be fierce, but he believes as long as the Cowboys handle their business and execute their game plan, they can come away with a win in what’s shaping up to be a fun-filled Friday night clash.
“We have to do our thing, it’s always just about execution. You can’t dictate what they’re going to do, but we have to do our thing and execute,” he said. “Stay on schedule, stay ahead of the sticks, can’t get in those long situations. It’s going to be an exciting game.”
The contest is scheduled to start at 7 p.m.