North Salinas-Watsonville football

Friday's game
North Salinas (2-2) at Watsonville (2-3), 7:30 p.m.
 A strong argument can be made that these are two of the most improved teams in the tri-region area  over the first half of the season.
 Remember, the Wildcatz held a halftime lead at Pacific Grove and lost to Scotts Valley 7-0 at Levi Stadium. Last week, they fell a few yards short of tying the game in a setback to Gilroy.
 Having already equaled last year's entire win total, North Salinas has a win over a playoff team from last year, and is 2-0 on the road.
 Quarterback Tim Burkhardt has either thrown or rushed for a touchdown in each of the Vikings four games, with Lawrence Chambers showing his versatility as a runner and receiver.
 North Salinas has outscored the opposition 26-0 in the fourth quarter in its two wins. In two losses, it has been outscored 20-6.
 An opportunist defense has scored three touchdowns this fall for the Vikings while special teams has produced one.
 Both teams have wins over Santa Cruz.