Bourgade Catholic High has a familiar opponent coming up tonight, but not a familiar situation.  Last year, the Golden Eagles played Gilbert Christian, but the odds were flipped.

Going into that game, Bourgade was 2-4 and had lost four straight games. Gilbert Christian, on the other hand, was 5-1, and was coming off of back-to-back wins in which they scored 64 and 46 points respectively.

This time around, it is just about the opposite. Bourgade is now on a four-game winning streak, with a 4-1 record.  Instead of having only one loss this time, Gilbert Christian enters the game having won only one game, and they don’t get Bourgade in their own house this year.

Gilbert Christian put up a lot of points (44) last year against the Golden Eagles, but Bourgade is averaging 13 points allowed in this last four-game stretch.

This is the same program that gave up an average of 40 points per game last year.  As for how they made the drastic transformation, defensive coordinator Nick Gomez credits his players’ preparation.

“I think the preparation from the kids (is the difference),” Gomez said.  “Being able to watch film, going home understanding their alignment and their assignment, and rededicating themselves to getting it done on the football field with preparation.”

The last thing the Bourgade squad did this week in practice was practice defending a fake punt.  The coaching staff took it about as seriously as one could imagine, and drilled the linebackers hard on how they would shift if the other team had a man in motion coming across the field.

The team said that this was special preparation for Gilbert Christian, as they are known to have this in their punt scheme.  With many years of coaching experience from head coach Marcel Lopez, comes many experiences to learn from in this regard.

“You always have to be aware of things that different teams try and do,” Lopez said.  “You have to be prepared for anything, pretty much.  In the past, I’ve seen all kinds of different fake punts, all kinds of different fake field goals, and so we like to make sure our players are prepared for anything that’s thrown at them.”

The coaching staff made it clear that they also have an extra eye on the Knights’ sophomore quarterback, Zach Miller, who is dangerous in part because he is a dual-threat.

As for another strength Gilbert Christian may have, senior strong safety Isaiah Jaurigue mentioned how physical Gilbert Christian was last year when they faced off.  Coach Lopez confirmed Jaurigue’s comments, but both of them do not believe that this team will bully them on the football field.

“Last year, we had a bit of confidence, but they came off the ball hard, and I’m pretty sure that bumped us down a little bit during the game,” Jaurigue said.  “But this year, it’s at home, we have our fans, and we’re a lot tougher this year; so we’ll probably get the jump on them.”   

Friday's game begins at 7 p.m.