Our Friday Night Fever week four Game of the Week kicks off this Friday between two Bulldogs. It's a Marquee Matchup between two undefeated teams, Banquete (3-0) at Three Rivers (3-0).
"They're not much different than us. They're always physical," said Ramon Soliz, Three Rivers head football coach. "They always seem to be well-coached."
Banquete will take the field without the heart of their defense, senior linebacker Nate Hererra, but now is the time for a new leader to rise.
"My backup linebacker, Andrew Elizondo, I hope he steps up and plays to the best of his ability," said Herrera. "My D-line and a few of my safeties and cornerbacks hopefully they can do it without me."
Both Bulldogs rely on their quarterbacks. Three Rivers junior Caden Soliz leads a well-balanced attack.
"They bring a lot of skill, size, speed and they can catch the ball at any time," said Caden Soliz, Three Rivers junior quarterback and safety. "You know we've known each other since we were little, so they have a lot of trust in me."
Banquete senior Joseph Riddell also takes charge of a very versatile offense, but the Bulldogs in green lean more toward the run game.
"Our corps is mostly seniors, so we have a lot of experience because we've been on varsity since our freshman year," said Joseph Riddell, Banquete senior quarterback and safety. "I mean we have me and Aaron and then we're all really coming together as a team."
"We're both seniors and we both talk a lot," said Ryan Salinas, Banquete senior center. "We both have a lot of experience and we like to help the younger guys a lot to get them where they need to be."
Three Rivers is stacked with a fountain of youth behind only two seniors. Their early chemistry has played a key factor to their best undefeated start since 2014.
"Excited for the fans more than anything to see the community come out and just come together," said Jacob Amaro, Three Rivers senior slot receiver and defensive end. "I mean it's been a while since we've been (3-0), so it really is bringing energy back to this town and life back to this town."
Our Marquee Matchup between the battle of the Bulldogs kicks off on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Three Rivers. Both teams are playing for their first Game of the Week trophy.
