23ABC Sports: Garces and Wasco gear up for football season while other teams opt out; meanwhile Condors heating up

WHO IS READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?IT'S BEEN MORE THANA YEAR SINCE A COUNTY FOOTBALLTEAM HAS TAKEN THEFIELD.AND THIS WEEK WE HAVE TWO COUNTYTEAMS KICKING OFF THISSHORTENED FOOTBALL SEASON AS WELEARNED ALL THESCHOOLS WHO HAVE OPTED IN ANDWHO HAVE OPTED OUT OFPLAYING.FOR THE SCHOOLS WHO HAVE OPTEDOUT OF PLAYING THIS SCHOYEAR..

THOSE ARE ALL THREEDELANO SCHOOLS, TAFT, TEHACHAPIAND MCFARLANAS SMALLER KERN COUNTY SCHOOLSMANY MADE THE DECISION BASEDON LOW NUMBERS FOR A SEASON ASWELL AS DIFFICULTIESSCHEDULING GAMES WITH LIMITEDOPPONENTS WITHE KHSD PLAYING A DISTRICT ONLYSEASON.AS FOR THE SCHOOLS PLAYING.

.

.IT WILL BE ALL 18 KHSDTEAMS WHICH BEGIN THE WEEK OFMARCH 26TH.

DEFENDING STATECHAMP.BAKERSFIELD CHRISTIAN WHOSTARTS ON THURSDAY THE25TH.WITH GARCES MEMORIAL ANDWASCO BOTHKICKING OFF THEIR SEASONS THISWEEK WITH GAMES ON FRIDAY.THERE'S AN OBVIOUS CONCERN OFSAFETY WITHONLY HAVING A FEW WEEKS TOPREPARE VERSUS A TYPICAL COUPLEOF MONTHS WITH PRESEASONWORKOUTS AND PRACTICES.CATCHING UP WITH THE RAMS LASTWEEK.

.

.THE TEAM HAS MADE THEMOST OF THIS TIME TOGETHER ASTHEY TRY TO EASE INTO ITSSEASON.WE STARTED OFF SLOW.

WE'VE BEENBLESSED BECAUSE WE WERE ALLOWEDBACK IN SCHOOL, A LITTLE BITBEFORE, BUT HEALSO, OUR KIDS HAVE BEEN IN THEWEIGHT ROOM, YOU KNOW, BUTHELMET WISE,WE'VE BEEN LIVE ONCE SINCE WE'VEBEEN BACK, AND SO EVERYTHINGREALLY REALLY CONTROLLED.OUR PRACTICE INTENSITY HASDEFINITELY KICKED UP SINCE WEHAVE A SHORTER AMOUNT OF TIMETILL LIKEUSUALLY A REGULAR SEASONS,USUALLY HAVE LIKE A COUPLE OFMONTHS.

RIGHTNOW WE ONLY HAVE A MONTH, SO IFEEL LIKE WE'RE IN PRETTY GOODSHAPE FORWHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW.RAMS KICK OFF THEIR SEAOSN ATHOME THIS FRIDAY AT SEVENAGAINSTTULARE UNION.WHILE WASCO OPENS UP A THREEGAME SEASON ON THEROAD AT TEMPLETON.DURING THE MONTH OF MARCH SOMEFOCUS ON THE LUCK OF THEIRISH I'M FOCUSED ON THE LUCK OFTHE BAKER'S BOOK ON DOORS,BUT I DON'T THINK HEAD COACH JAYWOODCROFT WOULD CALL ITLUCK AS THIS TEAM HAS RATTLE OFFEIGHT STRAIGHT WINS, SIX OF THEMTHIS MONTH.THE MOST RECENT OF THOSE COMINGFROM A SATURDAY 4-3 OVERTIMETHRILLER.RYAN MCLEOD WITH THE GAME WINNERAFTER A FOLLOWING HISTHREE ASSISTS.AND COOPER MARODY COMING AWAYWITH ANOTHER HATTRICK.THEIR LINE STILL STANDS AS ONEOF THE HOTTEST IN THE LEAGUEWOODY PROUD OF THE CONSISTENOVERALL EFFORT ALTHOUGH HEWISHES THESE PERFORMANCES COULDBE WITNESSED INPERSON."CHARACTER WIN FOR OUR TEAM, OURTHIRDGAME IN FOUR NIGHTS IN A REALLYBUSY MONTH AND WE'RE ASKING ALOT FROMTHAT FORWARD GROUP THAT REALLYDUG IN.

MY ONLY REGRET IS THATTHERE WERE NO FANSCONDORS HIT THE ROAD TO TAKE ONSAN JOSE BARRACUDABACK-TO-BACK NIGHTS STARTINGTUESDATHE CAL STATE BAKERSFIELD TEAMSENDED THEIR UP ANDDOWN SEASONS EARLY IN THE BIGWEST CHAMPIONSHIPSTHIS PAST WEEK IN LAS VEGAS.AND WHILE THAT FELT LIKE NORMALTO WATCH OUR FIRST COUNTYTEAMS EVEN COMPETE IN ATOURNAMENT SINCE THE SHUTDOWN AYEAR AGO.

.

.SEEING A MARCHMADNESSBRACKET SET FEELS EVEN MORENORMAL.THE TOURNAMENT IS SET TO TIP OFFON MARCH 18TH WITH ALL GAMESBEING HELD IN INDIANAPOLIS TOLIMIT TRAVEL.THE TOP FOUR SEEDS THIS SEASONARE GONZAGA,MICHIGAN, BAYLOR AND ILLIN