Giddy-up on down to Norco this Friday

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The cowbells will be ringing Friday night in Norco, alright. The Cougars, ranked No. 17 in the Southland by The Times, host top-ranked Corona Centennial in a game that will decide the Mountain View League championship. You can bet every Stetson in the Saddle Sore Saloon will come bustin’ out for this shootout.

Just one thing. Before you go strappin’ on those spurs and polishing your oversized belt buckle, Norco Coach Todd Gerhart told me he’s already looking down the horse trail, er, road.

You see, his star running back, Josh Nakamoto, has been out since dislocating his ankle on the second play of the season. He was expected to be cleared to return this week, but that’s too soon for Gerhart to feel comfortable running him all out against a defense like Centennial’s. And, knowing Nakamoto, he wouldn’t try to hold anything back.

‘We’re not going to sell him out next week and hurt him,’ Gerhart said Friday night after his team’s 27-24 nonleague victory over visiting Rancho Verde. ‘We always make a run at the playoffs, that’s what we do.’

Indeed, the Huskies have advanced to four straight section championships, winning the last two years. Gerhart doesn’t play many Cougars on both sides of the ball, an element that tends to pay off this time of year.

‘That’s why we wear people out,’ he said. ‘That’s why we’ve been in the finals a lot of years in a row.’

And I thought it was just the beef.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image from www.norcoladycougars.com