Saturday: Gavilan (2-6, 0-3) at Hartnell (2-6, 0-3), 7 p.m., Salinas High School.
GILROY -- Hartnell and Gavilan have a rivalry rich with history, as the two schools have competed against one another in football since 1963.
Saturday's 7 p.m., game at Salinas High School doesn't have the same stakes as year's past, but it will be important to both. A win will offer one of the teams a chance to escape the Coast Conference cellar.
"We're both hungry for a win and we have similar roster sizes," second-year Hartnell coach Matt Collins said. "That means there's an opportunity for a really exciting football game."
Both teams hold the exact same records (2-6 overall, 0-3 conference), right down to having wins over both Marin and Contra Costa.
While Gavilan stumbled last weekend against conference pacer Monterey Peninsula College 38-14, De Anza blanked the Panthers 25-0 in muddy conditions on the winners' field.
"The score doesn't indicate how well we played and how close the game was," Collins said. Despite losing 10 starters over the past month, Hartnell has scored at least 20 points in five contests. Gavilan has broken 20 points four times, but never surpassed 26.
C.J. Crausby is Hartnell's do-all quarterback, leading the team in rushing with 313 yards while throwing for 1,366 yards.
"Hartnell passes first, then runs second, while we run first, pass second," Gavilan coach John Lango said.
"Crausby's really mobile, and their top two receivers, Chava Josey and Mike Willrodt, are pretty good," he added. "If (Hartnell's) timing is on with that spread offense, it would be a long night."
Collins lauded the play of Panther linebackers Ricardo Garcia and Micah Splane-Wilson this season, as well as Daniel McCoy at defensive end.
"We had 360 yards in total offense against MPC," Lango said. "If we can do that against Hartnell and play good defense, we have a good shot at a win."
Gavilan sophomore quarterback Nick Kalantari has thrown for 952 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Kalantari needs 18 yards to move past Rich Goularte (1978-9 with 2,476 yards passing) into ninth place in career passing at Gavilan.
The Rams will close out the season the following Saturday against visiting West Valley College.
Bob Burch Bob Burch is a sports writer for the Morgan Hill Times.
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