Thursday Night Football Madness: The Primer

October 18th, 2012, 2:56 pm · · posted by CARLOS ARIAS

A buddy of mine told me to go on YouTube and do a search on “boxer can’t get in the ring.” He said it was hilarious, so I checked it out. It turned out to be a video from an old “ABC’s Wide World of Sports” and my pal was correct.

This boxer can’t seem to get through the ropes and into the ring. It’s like there is some invisible force field preventing this boxer from getting through the ropes and into the ring. Eventually, he drops to the canvas and rolls into the ring … Success!

Somehow, this genius wins his fight. Uh-oh … now this victorious fighter has to find a way to get himself out of the ring. Remember those pesky ropes threw him for a loop earlier. Our hero ends up flipping out of the ring and somersaulting awkwardly to the ground below.

The lesson I learned from this video is keep it simple and stick to the basics. Get in and get out. Nobody gets hurt. Don’t overthink things.

That’s a lesson many O.C. football teams should keep on their minds heading down the stretch this season. Don’t overcomplicate things. Just step through the ropes and into the ring and play your game.

Game of the night: Segerstrom (7-0, 2-0) vs. Orange (4-3, 1-1) at El Modena High, 7 p.m.

Why you should care: The Jaguars, ranked No. 1 in the Southern Division, are trying to become the first Santa Ana school to win four consecutive league championships and they can control their own destiny in the Golden West League with a victory over the Panthers.

Segerstrom’s wing-T offense is generating 406.1 rushing yards per game and is averaging 45.7 points per game. Running back David Perkins (1,093 yards, 17 TDs) provides the speed and running back Sonny Roa (744 yards, 11 TDs) and fullback Joseph Gomez (214 yards, 1 TD) deliver the power running.

Orange bounced back from a 13-7 loss to Westminster in the league opener with a 34-7 victory over Loara. Panthers running back Aaron Aguilar has rushed for 821 yards and seven TDs on 129 carries.

ALSO ON THE THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL MADNESS AGENDA:

Corona del Mar (5-2, 2-0) at Irvine (4-3, 1-1), 7 p.m.: If the Vaqueros, ranked No. 5 in the Southern Division, can pull off the upset, the Pacific Coast League race will be up for grabs. The Sea Kings, ranked No. 3 in the Southern Division, control their own destiny with a victory.

Northwood (2-5, 1-1) vs. Beckman (2-5, 1-1) at Tustin High, 7 p.m.: Both the Timberwolves and the Patriots went 1-4 in nonleague games, but have put themselves in position to battle for a playoff berth in league. Northwood beat Woodbridge and Beckman lost to Woodbridge.

Katella (5-2, 2-0) vs. Century (3-4, 1-1) at Santa Ana Stadium, 7 p.m.: Knights running back T.J. Ashmeade has put together back-to-back 200-yard rushing games. Can he make it three in a row against the Centurions?

Santa Ana Valley (4-3, 1-1) vs. Anaheim (3-4, 1-1) at Glover Stadium, 7 p.m.: The Falcons are looking to bounce back from last week’s shutout loss to Katella. The Colonists are looking to stay in the hunt for the playoffs, so this should be an intense Orange League battle.

Santiago (3-4, 1-1) at Garden Grove (5-2, 2-0), 7 p.m.: The Argos have outscored their Garden Grove League opponents 110-14 this past two weeks. This one could get ugly.

Sage Hill (0-7, 0-0) vs. Brethren Christian (4-3, 0-0) at Ocean View High, 7 p.m.: My Spidey sense is tingling and I’m sensing a lot of touchdown passes from Warriors QB Brett McInally, who is third in the county with 25 TDs.

Rancho Alamitos (5-2, 1-1) vs. La Quinta (3-4, 1-1) at Bolsa Grande High, 7 p.m.: Keanu Duquet rushed for a season-high 129 yards and three TDs in the Vaqueros’ 47-10 victory over Bolsa Grande last week. Rancho could use another strong performance from Duquet. La Quinta snapped a two-game losing streak with a 26-21 victory over Santiago last week.

Kennedy (1-6, 0-3) at Western (3-5, 0-4), 7 p.m.: This is the battle to stay out of last place in the Empire League.

OCVARSITY INSIDER’S GUIDE TO WEEK 8