By FREDDY GONZALEZ
Staff Writer
LYFORD – For Bulldogs John Rivera, Benji Vela and Joseph Esparza, this week’s game against their northern neighbors won’t be anything new.
Last year’s loss still lingers in their minds but they will get another opportunity this week.
After opening the season with a victory against La Villa, last weeks humbling loss to St. Joseph Academy was an eye-opener for the Bulldogs.
But it may have been something the team needed.
As Lyford head coach Jaime Infante puts it, “When you get beat soundly like we did, you have to look at your mistakes and work on correcting them.”
Offensively, some bright spots for the Bulldogs included the play from both Rivera and Esparza. As a junior, Rivera passed for almost 2,000 yards and led the Bulldogs to the playoffs. This season the 6’1” quarterback has already thrown for a more than 400 yards in his first two games alone.
“I think John is doing a good job but we’re capable of producing more yards than we have,” said Infante.
“Obviously we’re happy with the way he’s played and the experience he has under his belt has helped him read defenses much better and he’s been able to maintain his composure much better.”
However Rivera has had some help from his team, most notably Esparza and Vela. Esparza’s burst onto the scene this season has been a pleasant surprise for the Bulldogs who are looking for a playmaker to complement Rivera.
“We’ve been impressed with the leadership of our junior running back Joseph (Esparza),” said Infante.
“I think he’s done a great job for us and last week he had a little more than 100 yards rushing.
“We’re trying to run the ball a little more this year and Joseph has taken the leadership role in that position. He’s extremely hard working and we’re extremely proud of the way he’s played up to this point.”
As with any team, the heart of squad lies within its offensive and defensive line. Fortunately for the Bulldogs ,Vela has stepped up his play on both sides of the ball.
“We have been really impressed with the way Benji been able to play on both the offensive line and defensive line. He’s the type of player that rarely wants to come off the field,” Infante said.
“He’s also been a force on the defensive line and has done an excellent job blocking for us.”