It's time to shine

Eight months of waiting is over — now it's time to strap it up and play.

Nine Mid-Valley area football teams will kick off their seasons tonight while Sutter will begin its 2010 campaign in Vallejo on Saturday.

All four local Sac-Joaquin Section schools will start a week early this season and the only matchup between two local teams this evening takes place in Olivehurst, where Lindhurst welcomes in visiting River Valley from across the Yuba and Feather rivers.

Mike Mason returns as coach at Lindhurst after a two-year hiatus and will look to pick up where he left off after guiding the Blazers to back-to-back Sac-Joaquin Section Division VI championships in 2006 and 2007.

Offensively, the Blazers will be led into action by tailback Brandon Viatautolu and slasher Stephen Paxton in the backfield along with a slew of big receivers, including 6-foot-5, 220-pound wideout Miguel French.

Junior Christian George will make his varsity debut at quarterback for Lindhurst, which finished 4-7 under coach Dan Crabtree last season.

The Falcons, led by second-year coach Brandon Asher, will rely on the right arm of junior quarterback Greg Cannon as well as a strong backfield that includes seniors Dustin Terrell, Colin Gault, Troy Thomason and juniors Apollo Duran and Cameron Boomgaarden.

The Falcons went 2-8 last season but defeated the Blazers 40-0 when they met last year in Yuba City.

Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.

Yuba City at Cosumnes Oaks

The Honkers begin their season with a trip down to Elk Grove to take on Cosumnes Oaks of the Sierra Valley League.

Yuba City will be led by the backfield duo of Taylor Rowe and Raul Lozano, who combined for 2,345 yards and 21 touchdowns as juniors a year ago. Also looking to make an impact for the Honkers is second-year quarterback David Schroeder as well as big-play wide receiver Bernell Barmore.

The Wolfpack went 4-6 last year, the school's first season playing football. They will be keyed by senior standout Robert Ash, a 6-foot-3, 260-pound tight end/defensive end who has already committed to Boise State.

Colusa at Willows

It's a new era at Colusa High as Randy Watt makes his debut after taking over for Bob Miller as the Redskins coach.

Colusa will be led into action by running backs Vicente Gutierrez, Anthony Mojca and Dylan MacPherson. Junior Cyrus Yerxa will play quarterback for the Redskins with initial starter Tyler Martin missing the first few weeks of the season with an injured knee.

Colusa went 8-5 last season, advancing all the way to the Northern Section Division III title game, which they lost to eventual champion Trinity 16-13. The Honkers finished 4-7 a year ago, including a 22-21 loss to Live Oak in the opening round of the playoffs.

East Nicolaus at S.R.C.

The Spartans will have a test on their hands when they travel to Merced to take on Stone Ridge Christian in the opener.

East Nicolaus will be led by senior running back Josh Wilson, defensive end Allan DePrato as well as an experienced offensive line after going 6-5 last season and bowing out in the opening round of the Northern Section Division IV playoffs to Quincy.

Although the Knights went 3-7 a year ago, they graduated only two seniors and should be much improved this season.

Pierce at Esparto

Another new coach makes his debut as Scott Burnum replaces Roy Perkins at the helm of the Bears' program.

Pierce, which finished 6-5 last season, will be led by quarterback Taylor Cabral while original starter Kyle Duncan recovers from a knee injury. Mike Villanueva, Jaime Moreno and Isaiah Garcia should get the bulk of the carries for the Bears.

The Spartans went 2-8 in 2009 including a 20-6 loss to Pierce in the season opener.

Biggs at Durham

The Wolverines look to bounce back from their 3-7 campaign when they travel to Durham to take on the Trojans.

Biggs will be led by a strong, experienced line and talented quarterback Michael Torres. Mike Pena enters his 21st season as coach and has the most team speed he's had in the previous five years.

Durham finished 7-4 last season including a 28-27 loss to Colusa in the opening round of the playoffs.

Los Molinos at Williams

The Yellowjackets will look to start their year off on the right foot when they welcome in the Bulldogs for the season opener.

Williams returns senior quarterback Carlos Velazquez, who put up 1,186 yards passing and 466 yards rushing. He also had 14 touchdowns to lead the offense.

Williams finished 1-9 last season while Los Molinos went 3-7.

SATURDAY

Sutter at Bethel (Vallejo)

The Huskies start their season with a tough opponent right off the bat. They travel down to Vallejo to take on Sac-Joaquin Section foe Bethel.

Bethel, which is the bigger of the two schools, finished 4-6 last season while competing in the Solano County Athletic Conference, but is expected to be much improved this year.

Sutter, led by second-year coach Ryan Reynolds, will rely on a talented backfield consisting of halfback Justin Gildemeister and fullback Trent Elwood. Sophomore quarterback Trent Little will make his varsity debut for the Huskies, which should be solid on defense once again with the return of defensive back Cameron Brown.