For the second time this season, the Burbank High School football team travels to Santa Clarita to take on a Foothill League team.
The Bulldogs’ first trip didn’t pan out so well for them as they fell to Golden Valley 43-28. This time, they draw a hungry Hart team vying for their first win of the season.
Burbank’s quarterback Aram Araradian heads into the matchup after completing 13-of-30 passes for 213 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the team’s first win against Orange Vista in a 35-21 victory last Friday.
“After watching film, you can tell that he gets the ball out on time, he doesn’t hold the ball that long and he really does a good job of timing his throws and routes,” said Hart quarterback Zach Johnson. “We have had a really, really good week of practice and I think our defense is really studied up on what they do and I think they should be able to react and make plays.”
On the year, Araradian has completed 56% of his passes for 798 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.
The Indians also have to keep an eye on running back Isaac Glover. The Grizzlies were able to limit him to 20 yards and one rushing touchdown on 11 carries.
Defensive end and Indians’ leading sack-getter Dylan Vradenburg, who leads the team with four sacks on the year, will try to contain the running back as well as disrupt the timing between Araradian and the offense.
Hart enters the meeting winless in its first two games, but its record is not indicative of the potential and explosiveness that they have on both sides of the ball.
Senior quarterback Zach Johnson leads the Indians into battle and will be looking to hook up with leading receiver Ashton Thomas who has been on the receiving end of 11 passes for 97 yards and one score.
“We have done a good job of cleaning up the little mistakes, in terms of yardage and depth of the routes so we make sure that everyone is on the same page so we don’t make any technical errors,” Johnson said. “I think we just need to focus on playing a complete game for four quarters.”
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at College of the Canyons.
