Victor Valley trying to stay afloat

3-6-1 might not be that gaudy of a record, but for the Victor Valley football team, it marked a great deal of progress. Prior to last season, the Jackrabbits had endured consecutive winning seasons and were entrenched in the basement of the Desert Sky League.

Victor Valley broke both of those strings last fall, as a September victory over Yucca Valley broke the losing streak and an October win over Granite Hills assured the Jackrabbits of leaving the DSL cellar. In fact, Victor Valley had a chance to grab a playoff berth in the season finale against Ridgecrest Burroughs, running out of gas late in a 30-16 loss.

“We had a shot last year, just didn’t get it done,” Victor Valley coach Leland Eudy said. “The problem with our team last year, and the last couple of years, as been not reacting well to adversity. Things go wrong in a game and we tend to get flustered. If we want to make the next step, we have to get better at that, otherwise we’ll be lucky to win a league game.”

A stacked Desert Sky League will make it tough for the Jackrabbits to make the next step, although they do have some talent coming back. Victor Valley is especially intriguing at the quarterback position, where seniors Nate Burnaman and Bryan Boyd could both see time. The duo will throw to seniors Jordan Calhoun and J.W. Morgan, among others.

“Our quarterbacks are great kids and they will definitely be the key for us,” Eudy said. “Whatever offense we get is going to be due to them making plays and taking a leadership role.”

The Jackrabbit defense has the uneviable task of playing in a league with four potentially explosive offenses. The defense is also the area where Victor Valley has the least amount of experience, as senior linebackers Tyree McClure and K’von Richards-Tyco will be counted on early to get the job done.

Victor Valley’s schedule (Home games in CAPS, league games with *)

Sept. 10 – at Bellflower
Sept. 18 – at Yucca Valley
Sept. 25 – APPLE VALLEY
Oct. 2 – at Sultana
Oct. 9 – RIVERSIDE PATRIOT
Oct. 16 – SILVERADO*
Oct. 23 – HESPERIA
Oct. 30 – vs. Granite Hills (Apple Valley HS)*
Nov. 6 – BARSTOW*
Nov. 13 – RIDGECREST BURROUGHS*

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