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• Lodi City Council plans to cap number of taco trucks at 22

• Lodi City Council will consider redevelopment next June

• Water surges in Mokelumne River yield more salmon

• Lodi Unified School District board votes to cancel summer school for 2010

• Sales tax hike yields dividends: 5 new officers join Galt Police

• Galt Joint Union High School Distric hires new superintendent

• Chase ends in crash

• Suspect arrested after hiding in fridge

• Corrections

February 8th, 2010

• Public Meetings

• Locals pick best, most memorable Super Bowl commercials

• Regional Roundup

February 6th, 2010

• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch

• Meet Larry, Curly and Moe

• Baboon business

• Regional Roundup

• Several Lodi venues let you watch the Super Bowl in style

• Lodi Library celebrates 100 years of serving the community

• Culinary craft

February 5th, 2010

• Kids, teachers help Haiti by collecting pennies for Learning Link

• Lodi, Galt students reach out to help Haiti earthquake survivors

• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam

• Hours of sweat and work go into putting on crab feeds

• Things looking up for state's real estate

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Stray bullet strikes Lodi home; police suspect gang activity may be factor

February 4th, 2010

• Managers at Geweke Toyota answer questions about recall

• Lodi City Council votes to replace play structure at Century Park

• Lodi extends ban on pot shops for another year

• Mokelumne River triathlon set for June

• Family, friends to run half-marathon in memory of Galt family

February 3rd, 2010

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• Delta College trustees again collide over stipend committee

• Lodi-area senators Dave Cox, Lois Wolk admit to gifts; Tom Berryhill case pending

• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts

• Galt City Council avoids budget cuts — for now

• New Lodi Memorial Hospital emergency room opens to the public without a hitch

• Bad bugs, weeds are hot topics at Grape Day

February 2nd, 2010

• Big rig plows 7 cars

• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future

• Former Lodian Erica Davis is first paraplegic woman to summit Kilimanjaro

• Jumpers across California

• Correction

• Regional Roundup

• No snow leopards, otters for Micke Grove

• McNerney leads in campaign cash

• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen

February 1st, 2010

• Find cuddly alpacas not too far from Lodi

• Public Meetings

• Patients can expect faster, better service when Lodi Memorial Hospital's new emergency room opens

• Man killed by Amtrak train in Lodi

The following stories have received the most reader comments during the last 7 days.

• President Obama's first year (67)
• Lodi Unified School District president issues warning to speakers over cuts (64)
• Will terrorists be given Miranda warnings? (64)
• Local business leaders say tourism, Costco, Home Depot may play roles in city's future (58)
• Islamic symbol in mosaic — what is all the fuss? (49)
• Writer comments on Neely column (42)
• The Home Depot hopes to join Costco at Reynolds Ranch (39)
• Police: Train victim was a Lodi teen (32)
• We need to conduct respectful conversations (30)
• Tasered suspect claims he is Yosemite Sam (25)

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Pacers pose big challenge for Tokay trenchmen

There is a big reason the Tokay High football team is in the playoffs for the first time since 2002. Even though that reason may not tip the scales, the Tigers offensive line has cleared the path for Tokay's return to the postseason this year.

The Tokay line, which sees most of its minutes played by Justin Lewis, William Gomez, Aaron Hinkle, Esteban Chavez, Matt Powaser and Jonathan Sam, has paved the way for not only Tokay's most dominant run game in eight years, but also one of its most potent offenses in school history.

The Tigers have rushed for 2,652 yards this season, just 50 yards shy of Tokay's best rushing season ever (2001). Tokay has put up 3,585 yards of total offense, which ranks third in the Tokay record books. While much of the credit is due to star running backs Patrick McCarthy (917 yards) and Michael Hernandez (565), as well as mobile quarterback Seth Siddle-Mitchell (630 rushing, 761 passing), it the Tokay line that makes it all possible.

"(The offensive production) is one thing we've been really excited about this year. With our no-huddle offense, we get to run more plays, but bottom line is that kids have to execute and the line is the unit we are toughest on," said Tokay head coach Louis Franklin. "That has been a pretty special unit. You talk about Patrick, and Seth and Michael, but without that line there isn't anywhere for them to go."

The unit, which averages 214 pounds and a height of 5 feet, 11 inches, isn't as big as most of the lines they battle each game. In contrast, Grant's offensive line, which has long been known to be anchored by monstrous Polynesians, averages 6-2, 271 pounds.

Tokay's O-line is used to being outsized, but the Tigers are rarely outworked, outplayed or outdone. Every time they dig in at the line of scrimmage, they are confident they are going to do their job.

"You can't go in thinking you are going to get beat," said Powaser, one of Tokay's bigger linemen at 6-2, 227. "You have got to go in knowing you can take your guy."

Tokay's line will need that mentality when it enters the trenches against Grant in Friday night's Sac-Joaquin Section Division II first-round playoff game in Sacramento. Grant, the undefeated No. 3 seed and defending section and state champion, brings a big defensive line ready to attack the Tigers.

The Pacer line is led by 6-foot-3, 325-pound Vei Moala, who is being recruited by colleges around the nation. Grant's defense has held teams to an average of 64.6 rushing yards per game this season, registers six sacks a contest and only gave up 35 points in 10 regular-season games.

But the Tigers aren't intimidated by the Pacers' size or stats.

"They've got big guys, but it doesn't matter. As long as we do what we do best, we got it," said Lewis, a junior that stands at 5-8, 173. "We are a lot faster than a lot of lines and we play a lot more physical that a lot of lines do."

Chavez, the 5-11, 223-pound senior who is the anchor of Tokay's offensive and defensive lines, said he and his linemen are out to make a statement. He's seen other linemen point at the Tigers and talk trash. He said the Tigers are disciplined enough to brush off the taunts and validate their abilities — and Tokay's right to be in the playoffs — though their performance on the field.

"Some people still don't think Tokay is good, especially the line since we are smaller," Chavez said. "It is just another chance for us to prove to them that we deserve to be in the playoffs and not just as a wild card."

At 5-6, Gomez is the shortest of Tokay's linemen. He's also the perfect example of Tokay's attitude that size doesn't matter. Gomez said that 80 percent of winning the wars in the trenches is being mentally stronger and having confidence. His physical strength doesn't hurt either. Franklin said Gomez, like Chavez, can squat and clear over 1,000 pounds in the weight room.

"He is small, but he is one of the strongest kids around," Franklin said of Gomez. "They are a very explosive, special group."

Contact reporter Joelle Milholm at joellem@lodinews.com.