The Taylor Ducks varsity football team will head into district play as they go on the road to take on the Manor New Tech Titans on Friday, Sept. 27. The Ducks are looking for their first win of the season after a disappointing 0-4 start in non-district play.
Both teams are coming off losses as Taylor lost 35-7 to La Grange and Manor New Tech was beaten 54-6 versus Brentwood Christian.
Offensively, the Ducks are led by senior running back Andrias Fisher and freshman wide receiver Damien Calico. Fisher has 306 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while Calico has 285 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
While these players are reliable for Taylor, the quarterback situation is less certain as they have rotated between senior Eli Laurence, sophomore Caleb Pachicano and freshman Johnny Guzman.
Some other key pieces for the Ducks are senior wide receivers Jamarcus Seawood and Joel Lopez.
Seawood caught the only touchdown last week, while Lopez is second in receiving yards with 135 on the year.
It will be interesting to see if one of these players can secure the starting spot against a Titans defense that has allowed more than 40 points per game in its first four games. Manor New Tech is led by sophomore quarterback Christian Salazar and sophomore running back Ahmad Riley. The Titans’ offense has struggled to score, managing 19 total points all year.
This could allow Taylor to gain some confidence defensively after giving up 35 points to the La Grange Leopards last week. The Ducks’ defense is anchored by senior defensive lineman Kaddy Maravilla, who is coming off an impressive performance with multiple sacks and tackles for loss. Other notable players include junior linebacker Stephen Rogers and senior linebacker Matt Rangel, who have four tackles for loss this season.
The game is set to kick off at 7:30 p.m. at the New Tech Coliseum.
