Cowhide preview: 'It should be one of the biggest Cowhides in recent memory'

High school football fans, get ready for one of the biggest games between two Visalia teams of the 21st century.

The 68th annual Cowhide rivalry game between Mt. Whitney (6-3, 4-0) and Redwood (6-3, 4-0) will feature two teams who are undefeated in East Yosemite League play.

The winner will capture an outright EYL title and will also clinch the Sid Hosking Trophy city championship (trophy awarded to top Visalia public school team).

Year-long bragging rights are on the line, too.

Friday’s rivalry game will mark the first time since 1997 that both programs roll into their regular-season finale with a perfect record in conference action.

It’s been more than two decades since Mt. Whitney has won a league crown. In 2000, the Pioneers shared the West Yosemite League title with Golden West. Both teams finished that season with a 4-1 league record.

Redwood, the reigning EYL champion, has a shot to claim back-to-back league championships for the first time since the 1998-99 seasons.

The Rangers lead the all-time Cowhide series 38-28-1.

"I'm hoping it's as big as it should be," Mt. Whitney head coach Nathan Chamberlain said. "You're talking generational. It should be one of the biggest Cowhides in recent history, for sure, since '97 when all the stakes are on the table like they are. It should be really big. I'm hoping fans come out and support the kids because both sides have worked really hard to get to this point."

Chamberlain and Redwood head coach Kevin Scharton both played in the Cowhide during their Rangers’ days.

Scharton played in the ‘80s and Chamberlain appeared in the rivalry games in the early ‘90s.

What do they remember most about the Cowhide?

"I know when I played it was awesome," Chamberlain said. "When you go into the Mineral King Bowl, it's packed to the brim. It doesn't get much better than that. I'm hoping that these kids get that same experience."

Scharton is 2-1 leading Redwood in the Cowhide game since taking over before the start of the 2019 season. As a player, the former running back participated in the Cowhide in 1984 and 1985.

"It's a longstanding rivalry," Scharton said. "It's in good taste also. We don't hate them except on Friday night, you know, it's all in good fun. We just hope our community comes out and supports us. I think we will be put on a good show."

Redwood shut out Mt. Whitney 28-0 in last year's rivalry game to win back the Cowhide. The Rangers are aiming to capture back-to-back league crowns for the first time in more than 20 years.

"That would be awesome, you know, for our school, our community, our student body," Scharton said. "Everybody who supports our school. For our high school, it would absolutely be amazing but we have one task at hand and that's to score more points than Mt. Whitney on Friday. It's not going to be a piece of cake. We're going to do the best that we can and go out and see what we got."

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Mt. Whitney is on a roll.

The Pioneers have won five straight, beating Reedley, Porterville, Golden West, El Diamante and Monache. During that stretch, they have allowed just 15.6 points per game.

Offensively, Chamberlain's squad is led by sophomore quarterback Micah Rodriguez, sophomore receiver Israel Briggs and junior running back Kysen Sing.

Sing has rushed for more than 700 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns this season. One of his best individual performances came in a 33-23 win over Golden West where he registered a career-high three rushing touchdowns.

How have the Pioneers been able to stack five straight wins?

"Being able to run the ball," Chamberlain said. "Solid defense. If the defense isn't playing very well, the offense picks them up. If the offense isn't playing very well, the defense picks them up. It's very complimentary football. The games that we've lost, we had a bunch of turnovers. The games that we've won, we won the turnover battle. It's an easy way of saying it, but if we can be on the right side of turnovers, we'll have a chance."

Mt. Whitney senior receiver Carter Myers started his first Cowhide game as a sophomore in 2021. That year, the Pioneers entered the rivalry game with only one victory on the season but pulled off one of the biggest upsets, beating Redwood 13-7 to deny the Rangers's bid of winning a piece of the WYL championship.

Myers had one catch for three yards in that game but plays a starring role this year as a senior. He has six receiving touchdowns and has 21 catches for nearly 300 yards heading into the Cowhide game.

For the first time in his career, Myers and the Pioneers will have an opportunity to win a city and league championship. What's that feeling like?

"It's definitely exciting," Myers said. "It's something I haven't experienced yet but I know that if we play the best that we can, we should definitely come out on top."

Mt. Whitney's six wins this year are the most the Pioneers have totaled since the 2018 campaign when they won eight games and advanced to the Central Section Division III semifinals.

What makes this Pioneers team special?

"We're big on family here," Myers said. "We're always bonding with one another, especially since we're a small team. We're always around each other. We're big-time friends."

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Redwood is winners of four straight since finishing non-league play with a 2-3 mark.

The Rangers played one of the toughest non-league schedules in Tulare County this season.

That prepared Scharton's team for EYL competition.

Redwood has outscored their league foes a combined 117-21. The defense has allowed only three touchdowns in four games and no EYL team has scored more than seven points on the Rangers this season.

"We really honestly take one game at a time," Scharton said. "You have some good games and some bad games but I felt like there were a few games where the offense didn't play so well and the defense kept the team out of the end zone and we got the victory, so it's a game-by-game basis. You never know what you're going to get each game, especially, I feel like as the Redwood Rangers, we have a target on our backs. I really think we get everybody's best and it's not going to be any different on Friday night."

Redwood senior wideout Moses Burk has played in two Cowhide games. In his first, the Rangers lost 13-7 in 2021 but he got a taste of being on the winning side last season when he caught five passes for 94 yards to help Redwood earn a 28-0 win.

Burk has battled injuries as a senior but has registered 13 receptions for 133 yards and two touchdowns. He has even lined up at quarterback and scored on a one-yard run in the team's 47-7 rout of Monache.

"We were proud because we lost the year before and we won it back," Burk said. "It made it even better so hopefully, we can keep it this year."

Redwood should be considered the favorite in this year's Cowhide game based on their season-long level of competition and the Rangers' outstanding defense.

Dating back to 2022, Redwood has surrendered just 54 combined points in its last nine EYL games. During that run, the most points an EYL team has scored on Redwood in a single game is when El Diamante dropped 14 in a 56-14 loss last season.

"Everybody wants to play us hard so we have to play everybody harder than we usually do," Burk said. "And it's Cowhide, they're going to play harder whether they're a bad team or not. We just gotta follow our game plan."

Tickets for the 68th annual Cowhide game are now on sale online only at GoFan.co. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Gates open at 5 p.m. at Mineral King Bowl. Game time is 6:30 p.m. The Rangers are the home team this year.

"It's crazy how many people will come out and support us for the Cowhide," Myers said. "It's definitely a crowd that we've never seen all year. We know we will have some nervousness but in the end, as long as we do our thing, we will be OK."

How would Myers describe the Cowhide atmosphere?

"It's just lots of cheering," Myers said. "You can't hear anything. You can't even hear the quarterback say his cadence. You just have to be watching the ball and be ready to go."

Burk shared similar sentiments.

"It's just super fun, loud," Burk said. "Everything, it's a different game. It makes everything feel more, more exciting. It's super loud. My mom's super loud enough and I could barely hear her when I came out."

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Cowhide preview: Mt. Whitney and Redwood to play for EYL, city title