Holding aloft the Leather Helmet remains the ultimate goal for Ventura County’s most historic rivals.
But how Fillmore or Santa Paula might get there Friday night in the Route 126 rivalry’s 112th edition has evolved.
The Wing-T and speed-option attacks of their grandfathers and fathers have been replaced by balanced versions of the modern shotgun spread.
Which might be why a versatile, athletic tight end is the centerpiece of both offenses this fall.
Jarod Uridel leads Fillmore with 12 touchdowns, 11 receiving and one rushing.
“He’s everything to us right now,” Fillmore quarterback Anthony Tafoya said. “I don’t think anyone in this league can guard him.”
Bryce Zavala co-leads Santa Paula with 12 touchdowns, seven receiving and five rushing.
“Bryce is special,” Santa Paula quarterback Marcus Castaneda said. “He’s our guy.”
Which isn’t lost on either defense.
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“He’s similar to Bryce in that he can do a lot of things well,” Santa Paula coach Mike Montoya said of Uridel. “We’ll have to keep an eye on him and do our best to slow him down.”
Said Uridel of Zavala, his former youth baseball teammate, “We’re definitely putting our emphasis on him right now. That’s a main point of our practice, making sure we know where No. 3 (Zavala) is.”
Both tight ends will be in the spotlight during one of the biggest annual events in the county sports calendar.
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With a win, Fillmore (7-2, 3-0) can completed an unbeaten run through the Citrus Coast League.
The Flashes took control of the race last week, earning a share of the title with a 31-19 win at Hueneme.
But the history of Ventura County’s most historic rivalry is full of one rival spoiling the other’s campaign. Most recently, host Fillmore’s 31-24, come-from-behind win in 2018 muddied Santa Paula’s potential unbeaten regular season.
Win a win, Santa Paula (6-3, 2-1) can grab its own share of the league title and potentially earn itself an automatic postseason bid.
“It would be one of the best feelings I’ve had in a while,” Castaneda said. “Definitely something I’d remember.”
The game is potentially the first full-fledged rivalry atmosphere at Fillmore since that memorable 2018 edition.
The 2019 game was canceled by the Maria Fire and the 2020 game, played in April 2021, was delayed and played before a limited crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Fillmore hasn’t had this opportunity in a while,” Fillmore senior lineman Ivan Becerra said.
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Tickets for Friday’s game sold out in a matter of hours on Monday, despite Fillmore bringing in temporary seating to expand capacity to nearly 3,000.
For those without a ticket, Fillmore’s video production class, run by Randal Kamradt, will be streaming the game on YouTube.
Santa Paula holds a 62-42-7 all-time edge in the rivalry, which dates back to 1924.
But Fillmore delivered the rivalry’s record margin of victory in last year’s 57-7 win, powered by 195 yards and two touchdowns by junior running back Anthony Chessani.
Without Chessani, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during a basketball game in March, Fillmore was forced to adapt its offense this fall.
Up stepped Uridel, who has caught 41 passes for 733 yards and 11 TDs from Tafoya.
“Jarod has been big for us,” Tafoya said. “He’s stepped up huge. He’s a great athlete and he’s a great teammate.”
Uridel has caught a TD pass in seven of Fillmore’s nine games. He is already Fillmore’s all-time leader in receptions and TD receptions. With 104 yards Friday, he can also break Chris De La Paz’s record for career receiving yardage.
“We heavily rely on Jarod,” Fillmore coach Charlie Weis said. “We rely on his utility and his IQ. He’s an excellent run blocker. He’s smart enough to run the whole system. If I got sick, he could probably call the rest of the game.”
At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Zavala is one of the most talented athletes in the county.
“He’s an imposing figure, that’s for sure,” Montoya said. “He’s probably one of the best athletes that we’ve coached at Santa Paula High.”
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An ace pitcher for the baseball team, Zavala was 7-2 with a 0.52 ERA, striking out 92 batters in 66.2 innings, as a junior.
“I grew up playing baseball my whole life,” Zavala said. “Football kind of came along in middle school.”
On the football field, he’s played wherever he’s been needed, which includes tight end, linebacker, short-yardage running back and, at times last year, quarterback.
“We use him in a variety of ways and we do that to get the most out of his athletic ability,” Montoya said. “He can literally play any position on the football field.”
Zavala has caught 38 passes for 476 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also run 25 times for 197 yards and five scores.
“What more could you ask of out of a tight end?” Castaneda asked. “Throw the ball up to that guy and he’s going to come down with it.”
His in-line blocking, alongside tackles Arturo Alcaraz and Alias Rabago, has also helped launch sophomore Allen Macias’ breakout year running the ball. Macias is second in the county with 967 yards rushing and, like Zavala, has scored 12 TDs.
“He’s a great blocker,” Montoya said of Zavala.
Zavala describes himself as “more of a utility player.”
“I can learn the spot,” Zavala said. “I try to adapt. I try to make the team better, as I go. The more spots the better.”
WEEK 10 SCHEDULE
Thursday
- Oaks Christian vs. St. Bonaventure, at Ventura College,
Friday
- Santa Paula at Fillmore
- Newbury Park at Camarillo
- Buena at Pacifica
- Rio Mesa at Ventura
- Hueneme at Carpinteria
- Channel Islands at Oxnard
- Agoura at Moorpark
- Oak Park at Royal
- Bishop Diego at Simi Valley
- Calabasas at Westlake
- Del Norte (San Diego) at Thousand Oaks
Joe Curley covers high school, collegiate and professional football for The Star. He can be reached at [email protected].For more coverage of local high school sports, follow @vcspreps on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
