Access Sacramento Celebrates 24th Season of Game of the Week Coverage
by Will James
Hometown Sports
Summer vacation has ended, school is back in session, and a new high school football season gets underway Friday evening with explosive action all across the CIF Sac-Joaquin Section.
Access Sacramento kicks off its 24th season televising sports in and around Sacramento County with a marquee #1 vs. #2 match-up at Prairie City Stadium where #2 Monterey Trail invades Folsom to battle the top-ranked Bulldogs on Access Sacramento’s Hometown Sports Game of the Week.
Access Sacramento announcers (From left) Jim Dimino, Lauren Goodman and Will James.
The live telecast begins with a 7:40 p.m. pre-game and the opening kickoff at 8:00 p.m. The game may be seen in Sacramento County on Comcast and Consolidated Communications Cable channel 17, and AT&T U-Verse channel 14. The game will also be streamed live from AccessSacramento.org, and the NFHS Network. The broadcast team this year again features Will James with play-by-play and Jim Dimino and Lauren Goodman with analysis.
Though Folsom is clearly the favorite, this particular match-up has produced some of the finest and most intense battles across the entire SJS. However, in a comparative evaluation, this is one of those match-ups which on the surface has been deceptive ever Folsom came into prominence under Head Coach Kris Richardson in 2009, whose program was validated with an 11-2 breakout year marking the start of a reign of proven excellence that has remained intact.
Meanwhile, upstart Monterey Trail in just its 5th season under founding Head Coach T.J. Ewing recorded its first winning season, also in 2009, posting an identical 11-2 record. It was appropriate that the two teams would meet late in the league schedule in Folsom, and altogether fitting that the contest would require a longer duration before finally being decided in overtime, Monterey Trail 22, Folsom 21.
Friday’s game marks the 10th meeting between the schools, with Folsom holding a distinct 7-2 edge, although when looking at the Bulldogs’ narrow 27-26 and 47-41 victories over the Mustangs, one can easily see this rugged series is much closer than Folsom’s 7-2 advantage would indicate.
Moreover, a significant attraction to this spicy match-up lies in the teams’ distinctly contrasting styles; Monterey Trail’s vaunted run-heavy Veer offense vs. Folsom’s high octane big-play passing attack. Adding another measure of intrigue to the contest is the emergence of a pair of relatively unknown starting quarterbacks, each making their debut into the big game spotlight. Monterey Trail Senior Vince Arcuri takes the helm for the Mustangs’ offense, while Folsom Junior Austin Mack is the trigger man for the Bulldogs.
It’s a daunting challenge to apply speculation to the outcome of who will prevail in this 2022 edition, but it’s safe to say the fans will be treated to intense competition and premium sportsmanship Friday evening at Prairie City Stadium where a sellout and standing room crowd are assured; reason enough to tune-in to Access Sacramento’s coverage on the Hometown Sports Game of the Week.
