The second East Bakersfield senior running back Raymond Marquez puts on his football helmet, he looks like someone ready to run. "He's definitely ben the guy carrying us late in the game," said head coach David Fanucci.
In last Friday's 27-21 win over rival Highland, Marquez ran in three touchdowns including what proved to be the game winner late in the fourth quarter. From the outside it looked to be a nervy finish for a team hoping to stay perfect but Blades' players say there was never a doubt.
"No," said Marquez. "We put our fours up for the fourth quarter and decided we're going to put our foot down and get in the end zone." That winning mindset might seem obvious for a team that's now 4-0 but it's a big change from last year's team that picked up just 1 win.
Marquez says playing through a season like that was difficult but "just fought through it."
Fanucci says he's most happy with how his team has won, showing a tough resiliency in close games that he says reflects the toughness shown by their speedy back. "I've been most impressed with Ray this year (with)...his willingness to stick his nose in there and get the tough yards."
East will play Friday against McFarland in a game that will count on their overall record but not for their playoff seeding purposes. You can catch highlights tomorrow night on 23FNL at 11:15 PM.
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