After last week's loss to West Valley leader Andrew Hill, Prospect knows it cannot afford any more defeats if the Panthers want to stay in the hunt for a division title. That task does not get much easier this week, facing an Evergreen Valley team which has been competitive in all three league games so far.
Racked by injuries, Prospect was unable to move the ball on the ground last week against Hill in the 28-14 loss, but did get a productive outing from quarterback Amarone Makasini, who did not move into the signal-caller position until two weeks ago, after injuries to the first three players under center for the Panthers. Makasini completed 10-of-14 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns last week, but the defense allowed over 300 yards on the ground, as Andrew Hill ran 64 plays compared to just 41 offensive snaps for Prospect.
"We just have to get back to playing our brand of football. We are focusing on the fundamentals as we again are dealing with several injuries up and down our roster," said Prospect coach Mike Cable. "Evergreen will be a tough test for us. We are hoping to eliminate our mistakes and play with discipline."
There is no doubt that Prospect will also look to get the ball in the hands of receiver Conor Messier, who had 11 catches for 212 yards and both scores last week, giving him 36 catches for 628 yards this season.
For Evergreen Valley, it has been back-to-back close calls in its past two defeats in West Valley play, after opening league action with a win over James Lick. The host Cougars have their Homecoming this Friday against Prospect, and will look for an improved defensive effort after a series of strong games offensively. Last week, in a 40-31 loss to Mt. Pleasant, junior running back Joshua Pitt carried the ball 10 times for 174 yards and two touchdowns, while senior Sergio Gama also scored twice. Evergreen Valley has scored 88 points in the last three games, only to come up on the short end in the past two.
Evergreen Valley has won five of the past seven meetings in this rivalry, including last year's 29-14 victory for the Cougars.
