Prep football: Morro Bay, Paso Robles go for three wins in a row
A look at this week’s high school football games involving San Luis Obispo County teams:
Tribune Sports Game of the Week: Kern Valley (Lake Isabella) at Morro Bay, 7 p.m.
Armed with a new sophomore quarterback in Aidan Moriarty, Morro Bay (2-0) will try to match its best start to a season since 2009 when it plays host to Kern Valley (1-1). Former starting quarterback Danny Koval has moved to running back, pairing with triple-threat Brandon McGinley to form a potent attack that scored 34 points last week against San Marcos. Koval has also become a starter on a Pirates defense that has new life under head coach David Kelley.
Viewpoint (Calabasas) at Mission Prep, 7 p.m.
Mission Prep will look to rebound from a nightmare start to the 2016 season in its home-opener against Viewpoint (1-1). Mission Prep quarterback Bryce Fledderman had one of the worst games of his high school career last week, throwing for just 37 yards and an interception against Bishop Diego. Fledderman should produce a much better performance against Viewpoint, a team that lost to Morro Bay to open the season, but it wont be easy.
Paso Robles at McClymonds (Oakland), 7:30 p.m.
Paso Robles (2-0) will have to travel a long way for a chance to start the season 3-0 when it takes the 200-mile drive up US-101 to take on McClymonds (2-0). It will likely be the toughest test of the season for a Paso Robles team that has generated more than 433 yards of offense per game behind quarterback Steven Schouten and running back Christian Erickson.
Independence (Bakersfield) at Arroyo Grande, 7 p.m.
Another Bakersfield team will visit Arroyo Grande (1-1) following a thrilling game against Garces Memorial last week, though Friday’s matchup with Independence (0-2) will likely provide less of a challenge. Expect Arroyo Grande to get back to its roots in this game with a strong ground attack and a smothering defense led by Sam Ness.
Carpinteria at Nipomo, 7 p.m.
Nipomo (0-2) ran into a buzzsaw in the form of Lompoc last week, leading to a 41-10 loss. Carpinteria (0-1), a team that hasn’t scored yet this season, provides a chance to regroup for the Titans. Expect Tony Dodge’s defense to come out fired up after allowing a combined 76 points in its first two games.
San Luis Obispo at Templeton, 7 p.m.
The last time these two teams play, the game was overshadowed by tragedy — the injury of Isaac Lindsey. Coming off losses last week, both teams will be out to prove something. Templeton (0-1), with Lindsey back on the sideline, lost to Stratmore thanks to a handful of mistakes late in the game but looked to have found an exciting quarterback combination in Jack Trimble and Morgan Scovell. The Eagles defense will need to stop SLO High running back Pierson Mosichuk if it wants to prevent the Tigers (0-2) from earning its first win of the season.
Stockdale (Bakersfield) at Atascadero, 7:30 p.m.
Atascadero (1-1) put up a fight against a really good Ventura team and just missed coming home with a win. This week, the Greyhounds play host to another good team in Stockdale (2-0), a team that likes to air it out. Atascadero will need another good game from quarterback Carson Rinkenberger, who has thrown for five touchdowns and completed 65 percent of his passes through two games, if it wants to move to 2-1.
This story was originally published September 8, 2016 at 5:30 PM with the headline "Prep football: Morro Bay, Paso Robles go for three wins in a row."