By Tom Price Jr.
One win separated the Lindsay Cardinals football team on Nov. 4 from a seat at the playoff seeding meeting the following day in Porterville.
The Cardinals left nothing to chance with a 40-0 win over Corcoran on Friday giving them a .500 record and a bargaining chip at the table.
"We barely made it, but the talent in this league is pretty even," Cardinal wide receiver Pablo Rios said. "I am just glad we get to show what we can do."
Lindsay scored on their first possession after a blend of powerful runs from Memo Orozco and Modesto Marquez set up short accurate passes from quarterback Abel Gamboa.
Marquez would cap the drive by leaping over two defenders to break the goal line on a 10*yard run.
Marquez would score three more touchdowns including a 55-yard scamper in the third quarter. He finished the night with 113 yards on nine carries and Orozco had 100 yards on eight carries.
The Cardinals displayed much more confidence in the running game giving the ball to its backs 27 times in the game.
"There's no doubt we ran the ball a lot better," Marquez said. "I don't care if we run the ball more or pass, whatever is better for the team."
Along with Orozco and Marquez, Matthew Wollenman found success on the ground as well running for two touchdowns.
The Cardinals were consistent through the air, with receivers Rios and John Gonzalez making easy targets for Gamboa.
Gamboa connected on 11 passes for 143 yards.
The Cardinal's defense stifled the Corcoran running game behind safety Anthony Gonzalez and linebacker Tomas Cervantes. Corcoran's misdirection offense was misdirected all night long with runningbacks getting stuffed before they even took their first step.
The defense also limited the Panthers to just four yards through the air.
