El Diamante's opening unquestionably had an affect on Redwood's run of dominance. First, the fourth high school thinned the talent pool and left Redwood with fewer student athletes to draw from. Second, Ranger coach John Yavasile's right-hand man, defensive coordinator Mark Rogers, left the Redwood to take over the program at El Diamante. And Yavasile's son, former star safety Jacob, joined the El Diamante staff as defensive coordinator and Rogers' right-hand man.

El Diamante has been the face of Visalia football - a position Redwood used to occupy - since winning the first WYL title in 2005.

But tonight, Redwood has a chance to recapture a bit of its former glory. The Rangers host the Miners at Mineral King Bowl in a 7:30 p.m. game that will determine first place in the WYL. Both teams enter tonight's game 3-0 in league. El Diamante, ranked 11th in the Central Section by The Bee, is 6-1 overall. Redwood is 3-4.

Redwood, which dropped its first three games, has rebounded to win three of its past four, and received an emotional and physical boost last week with the return of senior middle linebacker and Division I college prospect Taylor George, who had missed four games with what was first feared to be a season-ending elbow injury.

El Diamante, which reached the Central Section Division I final for the third straight season last year, has reloaded nicely after losing several stars to graduation. Running back Aaron Sing is following in the footsteps of past Miner greats such as Stephfon Jefferson, Earl Rhodes and Wayne Jones.

This should be the best matchup between the two Visalia rivals yet. Follow along with my live scoring updates at www.blitz.fresnobeehive.com.