NorCal Football Up Close: Sonora vs. Hanford

Hanford Bullpups: 12-1, riding a three-game winning streak into Friday’s CIF Northern California Division IV-AA regional bowl championship vs. Sonora (12-1) at Dunlavy Field.

Head coach: Now in his ninth season, Josh Young is making his first CIF Northern California regional bowl appearance. Young is 69-39 with three seasons of at least 11 wins: 11-2 in 2008; 12-1 in 2014; and 12-1 this fall. He has won back-to-back Western Yosemite League and Central Section Division III championships.

Offense: The Bullpups are steered by junior quarterback Ryan Johnson, who has thrown for a school record 29 touchdowns. Johnson is completing 62.2 percent of his passes for 2,573 yards. He’s been picked off just seven times. His top targets are Brandon Sanchez (41 receptions, 630 yards, 11 touchdowns), Ju’Wuane Hughes (35 receptions, 739 yards, eight touchdowns) and Cole Taber (41 receptions, 436 yards, two touchdowns). Johnson isn’t the only record-setting member of an offensive unit averaging 39.2 points. Running back Joseph McDaniel is nearing the 2,000-yard mark. He has rushed for a school record 1,827 and is averaging nearly 20 carries per game.

Defense: Hanford is averaging three sacks per game and has taken the ball away from its opponents 18 times. The Bullpups are allowing a shade more than 22.2 points per game. Senior linebacker Kaipo Barnes has 361 tackles in two seasons, including a team-high 154 stops this fall. The 5-foot-10, 200-pounder also has 8.5 sacks. Senior defensive end Ellix Jimmeye has 7.5 sacks. Ten different players have at least one interception. Hughes has one interception, 10 pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

James Burns

This story was originally published December 9, 2015 at 10:02 PM with the headline "NorCal Football Up Close: Sonora vs. Hanford."