Zach Westbrook (5) turns to run with an interception against Argonaut in the season opener. Westbrook had two interceptions in the win and has surprised his coaches with his impressive performance thus far as a junior.
Photo by Ron Harpin.
Saturday’s opponent will be Douglas High football’s first foe from Northern Nevada this season.
The Tigers will travel up to Reno to take on McQueen (0-2) at 10 a.m. Head coach Kyle Mays announced the kick was moved up by three hours due to expected heat Saturday.
With a mid-morning start, temperatures are expected to be in the high 90’s something the Tigers experienced a bit last week in California.
Coming off a 32-10 loss to Vanden, Douglas will be looking to capitalize on opportunities in the opposing half of the field.
Last week, the Tigers had their chances to hang with the Vikings, but having drives stall out in Vanden territory cost them.
Looking at McQueen
The Lancers don’t boast the likes of Ashton Hayes and Robby Snelling this season, but Douglas head coach Kyle Mays expects McQueen to be the same quick and tough opponent as usual.
“They fly around on offense, defense and special teams,” said Mays. “They have kids who are just out there working hard like everybody. … They still have plenty of talent. Don’t let anyone fool you.”
After seeing a big line in Vanden last week, Douglas will get a similar challenge as the Lancers have several big pieces on the offensive line.
Luke Martindale (No. 77) is listed at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds while fellow offensive tackle Justin Rickett (No. 71) also checks in at 280 pounds.
Aron Hansen (No. 22) will be the Lancers’ quarterback for Saturday and is also leading McQueen in rushing yards to this point with 111 yards rushed.
Hansen has 196 yards passing and a touchdown through two games, but also has four interceptions.
The Tiger defense has been able to force at least a pair of turnovers in both games this season, giving them confidence to potentially snag a few more takeaways against McQueen.
Mays says he expects the Lancers to run a base 3-4, but to bring blitzes in obvious passing situations.
On that defense, Jayden LaGrone (No. 13) is averaging nine tackles per contest while Alex Florez (No. 9) is right behind him with eight.
“We need to play our game, run the ball and throw when we have to,” said Mays. “Maybe we can take advantage on special teams, but that’ll be really difficult given McQueen always prides itself on special teams.”
Douglas’ Cole Smalley (No. 42) has 40 tackles through two games on defense to start his junior season.
While Smalley may have quickly presented himself as a must watch, Mays says Zach Westbrook (No. 5) has caught his attention.
“He’s really showing a lot already,” said Mays. “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t expecting him to play such an integral part of the team this year. He has absolutely worked his butt off and put himself in a position to be successful.”
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