Generals stay undefeated, beat Taft

The Shafter Generals improved to 2-0 in SSL play, beating the Taft Wildcats on Friday night 41-16.

Shafter had another slow first quarter, allowing the Wildcats to take a 9-0 lead on a touchdown and a field goal. The Generals got into gear in the second quarter, with quarterback Ezekiel Osborn connecting with Hector Cruz on a touchdown pass, and then scored another touchdown before halftime, going into the locker room with a 14-9 lead.

Osborn ended the game with 19-28 passing for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Three of those touchdowns were to Cruz, who had seven catches on the night for 89 yards. Osborn spread the ball around again, using a variety of receivers, including Maryon Sloan, who caught a 57-yard touchdown pass to make the Generals' lead 34-9 early in the fourth quarter.

Alex Aguirre had five catches on the night, and also had a couple of key stops on defense. The Shafter defense had another outstanding game, holding the Wildcats scoreless for the last three quarters of the game. They also gave the offense the ball on a couple of key interceptions.

It would be remiss to not mention the play of the offensive line, which gave running back Christopher Espinoza holes to run through and gave Osborn time to throw the ball.

The Generals will be home on Friday night, taking on McFarland on Homecoming Night. In addition to the game, there will be the crowning of the Homecoming King and Queen and the skits put on by each class.

The Generals are currently ranked #1 in the Central Section Division IV and have been since the beginning of the season. What might scare the rest of the SSL is that the Generals haven't really put together four quarters of good football in one game. The junior varsity game will begin at 5 p.m. and the varsity will kick off at 7:30 p.m.