Atascadero High set to kick off 2010 under Thursday Night Lights

Posted: Sep 1, 2010 5:35 PM by Andrew Masuda
Updated: Sep 1, 2010 8:00 PM

Greyhounds ready to run on the gridiron in Thursday opener

The high school football season officially kicks off on Friday when more than a dozen local teams will be in action. However, the Atascadero High Greyhounds will be off and running tomorrow.

Atascadero High will play under Thursday night lights when it opens the season at Salinas tomorrow. The Hounds will be the first local team to open the 2010 season.

They are excited to get the season underway, even if it is a day earlier than most. "I mean obviously I've never played a high school game on a Thursday for a varsity team. It's kind of nerve wracking having only three days to prepare. But that should be enough for us. We've been doing this for a couple weeks now. So I feel like we're prepared," said senior guard Ricky Fleming.

The Hounds have plenty of talent returning at the skilled positions on both sides of the ball. Senior Jesse Whitten returns at quarterback for Atascadero. He threw for 1,022 yards last year. Running back Tanner Thompson will see plenty of carries. He rushed for 606 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2009. Cornerback Troy Norris, tight end Weston Walker and linebacker Spencer Ruggles will also play vital roles this year for the Hounds.

Salinas went 7-5 last season and made it to the second round of the playoffs. The Cowboys rely on the running game. They're led by Alvin Jelks, who as a junior in 2009 rushed for 1,063 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry.

Kick off in Salinas will be at 7:30 pm Thursday night. KSBY Sports will have highlights for you on the late newscasts and on-line. The last time the two teams played was in 2003 and Atascadero won 7-6.

Our season premiere of Friday Night Highlights will be this Friday around 11:10 pm. Our game of the week will be the defending Pac-7 champions from Righetti High at Dos Pueblos.

Below is the list of games for this week.
Thursday: Atascadero @ Salinas, 7:30
Friday: Cabrillo @ San Marcos, 7 pm
Arroyo Grande @ Lompoc, 7
Pioneer Valley @ Santa Maria, 7
CVC @ Templeton, 7:30
Coast Union @ Mission Prep, 7
Paso Robles @ Central, 7:30
Righetti @ Dos Pueblos, 7 (Game of the Week)
Saturday: Kingsburg @ San Luis Obispo, 7pm