Buena Park High football team faces Cypress High in its first game of the CIF southwest division playoffs on Friday, Nov. 14 at the Coyotes’ stadium.
This first round playoff match will pin two strong offenses against each other and will have close match-ups at the quarterback and wide receiver positions.
The first key matchup of the game is at the receiver role.
Coyotes’ Jaylinn Hawkins has tore it up this season for Buena Park as he’s scored 14 touchdowns so far this season and he’s averaged just under 200 receiving yards per game. Hawkins never stops working throughout any game he plays in, and he’s constantly an offensive threat no matter what the scoreboard says.
Hawkins will need to be in near-perfect form on Friday as he and the Coyotes will be going up an elusive and relentless Cypress receiver.
Cypress’ Quintin Pounds has been at the head of the scoring department for the Centurions all season. His quickness when on the ball has led to many of Cypress’ touchdowns and has helped Cypress finish league with a 4-1 record.
Both Hawkins and Pounds stand at 6-foot-1 and both will be looked to by their respective teams to put points on the scoreboard.
What both of these stand out receivers will need to have a good night is for their quarterbacks to perform to their highest potential.
Buena Park’s Zach Taylor is currently averaging over 300 yards and has been pivotal for Coach Anthony White’s program this year. Taylor is durable enough to rush the ball in pressure situations and has the talent to throw a 40-plus yard pass into the endzone for a touchdown. Taylor has been that good for the Coyotes so far this season and his connection with Hawkins out on the football field has been highly successful.
Between the two, they’ve contributed to over 40 of Buena Park’s touchdowns this season by either being involved in the play or assisting.
Versatility will be the name of the game in the quarterback duel this Friday, as Cypress has one versatile quarterback by the name of Nick Buras.
Buras has shown so far that he can not only throw a football but he can also run the ball as hard as any running back. Buras is a gritty quarterback that isn’t afraid to go into a tackle. Buras can even brush off a few tackles if he’s allowed to let his feet going. Not only is he versatile enough to rush but Buras also he takes the extra point kicks and even occasionally can tackle when needed on kickoffs.
These two quarterbacks are both tough as nails and both will need to come up with something brilliant to come away with a win this weekend.
Buena Park is a highly well-organized squad backed by its huge amount of supporters that fill the stadium every game day. Coach White’s program encourages his players to ‘stay hungry’ and never lose focus on the task at hand. White and his squad will need outrally Cypress, which also has its own huge supporting fan base.
The Coyotes are coming off a 39-0 win over Fullerton High, which will give them a huge boost of confidence going into this week’s match up.
The Centurions head coach Rick Feldman led his team to second place in the Empire league in his first season in charge. Cypress will need to buckle down and secure itself defensively in this first round game as the Coyotes have the potential to put up a lot of points. The Centurions defense will need to deliver another solid performance like it did last week against Western when they won 39-15.
