SACRAMENTO (KTXL) — Inderkum’s one of the best teams in the Sac-Joaquin Section. After a season-opening loss to Del Oro, the Tigers have rattled off six straight wins and are off to a 3-0 start in the Capital Valley Conference.
“We just took it as an opportunity to get better,” senior defensive back Baron Taylor said. “We got a taste of the loss first week, and realized we don’t wanna get that taste in our mouth no more. It shows, the hard work that we put in after that first week, everyone’s locked in, everyone’s dialed in, so I’m excited. It really got us motivated to work even harder.”
The Tigers have a dominant defense. They’ve posted four shutouts during their current six-game winning streak. Taylor’s been a big part of it, pulling down five interceptions this season, which ranks in the top-10 in all of California.
“It’s how I was taught,” Taylor said about his ability to pick off quarterbacks. “These coaches, they taught me to read the quarterback. I’ve always been a ball hawk, so just putting two and two together, that’s how it’s been done.”
He’s picking up where he left off last year, when he finished in the top-20 in the state at the end of the year with seven picks.
“All I was really reminded of was all the picks I didn’t get,” Taylor said. “That just kinda made it a goal for myself to just do even better.”
What Baron brings to the Tigers, though, isn’t just limited to the stat sheet. He’s a leader both on the field and in the classroom, according to his head coach.
“This young man, he does so, so well with being a silent leader,” head coach Reggie Harris said. “He leads by example. He loves his teammates. He’s always asking questions … and holding everybody accountable on that defense. So I’m very fortunate to have Baron a part of this program. That’s a dynamite young man, right there. He does everything right. He has over a 3.4 GPA. He’s well-equipped for this world we live in to be able to chase greatness. His pathway is going in the right direction. He’s reaching for the stars and not the skyscrapers.”
