Approaching the midway point in the football season, the football coaches will shake things up in the hopes of igniting an offense similar to what the Hanks faithful has been used to under head coach Jeff Cleveland.
Sophomore Emilio Noriega is replacing junior Paul Pendergrass. Cleveland has the final say on who plays the toughest position in his offensive system. The move to Noriega is perhaps an attempt to salvage an uncharacteristic 0-5 start (0-3 district) at the halfway point.
Up until now, Noriega has not shown any particular raw ability. The change derives more from the play of Pendergrass, who has accounted for a touchdown to interception ratio of 4-10 and 638 yards in five games. The offensive line seems to have the most trouble with the young quarterback’s performance due to his lack of poise in the pocket, the countless missed opportunities, holding the ball to long and honestly not knowing when to take the sack.
Tonight at the SAC, Noriega has a chance to show if the move was the right one. He will try to put a team on his back and try to lead the Knights in the right direction and possibly a .500 win record, a shot at winning back an irritated crowd and beating a fairly formidable Americas team showing no signs of sympathy for Hanks.
Americas is 3-1 with their one loss coming to the head of district play, the Coronado Thunderbirds, who the Knights got shut out by at the homecoming game.
The passing game for Americas is somewhat staggered but the run game is the centralized theme of the Trailblazer offense. Carrying the load with nine touchdowns and quickly becoming an elite player in the city is Jack Fields. Fields rushed for a season high 213 yards against New Mexico’s Onate high school. He’s averaging 150 yards per game running and has five touchdowns this season opening the door to a new set of problems for a defense who has been on the field a lot this season.
Even though the evident test for the Knights would come on defense — the Trailblazers averaging 223 yards per game rushing — a sign of offense is essential for the Knights to hope of gaining a win in any of their upcoming games. If they don’t establish the quarterback position — Pendergrass, Noriega or even overlooked senior Issac Thompson — the rest of the season for Hanks football seems oblique.
