1979 Warriors
First row, left to right, Matt Villalobos, Shelly Harrington, Bruce Schkade, Bill Cook, Russ Thompson, Randy Lawson, Tony Elizondo, Jim Phillips, Jim Brown,
Second row, Mark Madden, Thor Parker, Jorge Herrerra, Chris Coon, Joe Huston, Kelly Harrington, Leroy Peters, Tony Uli, Greg Cortez,
Third row, Mike Cervantes, Glynn Schkade, Mike Stockburger, Chris Lorenz, Keith James, Mark Padgett, Mike Stainer, Darryl White,
Back row, Coach Crumpacker, Coach Schkade, Mark Ricker, Robert Lewis, Mike Sheahan, Erik Oberg, Benjy Stoebner, Steve Bailey, Manuel Zendejas, and head coach Gary Ogilvie.
The 1979 football season marked the return of Gary Ogilvie as the head varsity coach. Ogilvie, after a four year absence, Warriors Finish 2nd in New DIL "South"
- Coach Gary Ogilvie Returns -
was the Warrior head coach from 1971-1974. In his second term, Ogilvie would go on to coach the Warriors from 1979-1981.Another change for the Warriors was the splitting of the Desert-Inyo League. The league was split into two divisions --- the North and South. As members of the Southern DIL, the Warriors went 3-2 in league play, finishing in 2nd place behind league champion Mojave. In the post-season, Mojave advanced to the championship game of the CIF Inland Division playoffs, losing to Whittier Christian.
The Warriors opened up the 1979 campaign with an impressive 53-0 victory over Calipatria before a large hometown crowd. Junior running back Mark Ricker ran for 151 yards on 18 carries to lead the Warriors, scoring 3 TD's; Glynn Schkade added 2 TD runs; QB Keith James connected with Bob Lewis on a short TD pass; Mark Padgett recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD; and Manuel Zendejas scoring on a TD run. The Warrior offense amassed 414 total yards for the game.
In Week 2, the Warriors improved to 2-0 with a 28-7 win over the Broncos of Lake Isabella. QB James scored 1 TD;
Ricker scored 3 TD's on 136 yards rushing; Bob Lewis hauled in 6 passes; and PAT specialist White was a perfect 4-for-4 kicking.
In Week 3, the Warriors made the long trip to Bishop and came out on the winning side, 14-2. Joe Huston recovered a fumble in the end zone for the first
Warrior TD and Ricker rushed for the second TD. Ricker rushed for 139 of the 192 Warrior rushing yards and QB James went 6-11 passing.
In Week 4, the Warriors topped Mammoth 30-7, to remain undefeated. Ricker led the scoring parade with 1 TD and 107 yards rushing on 26 carries;
James also rushed for a TD; and Erik Oberg connected on TD passes to Tony Uli and Lewis.Week 5, a non-league game, was a heartbreaker at The Pit as the Warriors were shutout, 3-0, by Trona.
The Tornadoes scored with 10 seconds left in the game on a 15 yard field goal. Ricker rushed for 111 yards on 26 carries and the
Warrior offense generated 213 total yards but could not score.
In Week 6, the Warriors won their DIL opener, 14-2, over the Desert Scorpions. Ricker rushed for 137 yards on a season high 36 carries,
scoring 1 TD; QB James hit Tony Elizondo on an 11 yard pass play for the other TD.
In Week 7 at Rosamond, a lackluster Warrior team outlasted the Roadrunners, 20-12. This was a key point in the season, as Ricker sustained an
injury and his play was limited against Rosamond. Running backs Zendejas scored 1 TD rushing while Schkade scored the other 2 TD's.
The convincing 21-0 loss to Mojave in Week 8 was only the second time a Warrior team had lost to the Mustangs since the two schools began playing each other in 1957. The talented Mojave team went on to win the league championship. The Warriors managed 232 yards of offense (7-17 passing for 93 yards) but costly fumbles and interceptions stopped several important drives. Ricker was knocked out of the game in the 1st quarter with a mild concussion and missed the rest of the game.
In Week 9, without Ricker, the Warriors were shutout for the second straight week in a defensive battle against Paraclete, 6-0.
In Week 10, the Warriors rebounded to win their final league game of the season defeating Boron, 28-3. A healthy Ricker returned to the lineup to score 2 touchdowns
and rush for 100 yards and quarterback Keith James was 11-12 passing for 141 yards. James connected with Lewis and Madden for TD passes.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors were knocked out by Brethren of Paramount, 21-14. Kelly Harrington
and Ricker scored one touchdown apiece.
In 11 games, Mark Ricker rushed for 1,035 yards on 202 carries and scored 12 touchdowns (and one 2 point conversion)
for a 68 point total on the season.
Quarterback Keith James completed 53 passes in 103 attempts on the season, for 630 passing yards, and 5 TD tosses.
Wide receiver Robert Lewis caught 26+ passes for over 300+ passing yards.
Earning all-league 1st team honors were defensive back Tony Elizondo, defensive back Erik Oberg, lineman Jim Brown, wide receiver Robert Lewis,
and running back Mark Ricker. Ricker was also selected as the team Most Valuable Player by the coaching staff.
Warrior running back Mark Ricker #34 (with ball) scampers for big yardage against Mojave. Mojave defeated the Warriors, 21-0, going on to win
their first league championship. Ricker finished the season with 1,035 yards rushing and 12 TD's.
Click Here For |
| OPPONENT | THS | OPP | L | GAME HIGHLIGHT | |
| Sep 14 | Calipatria | 53 | 00 | H | Mark Ricker: 3 TD's, 151 Yds. Rushing |
| Sep 21 | Kern Valley (Lake Isabella) | 28 | 07 | H | Mark Ricker: 3 TD's, 136 Yds. Rushing |
| Sep 28 | Bishop | 14 | 07 | A | Mark Ricker: 1 TD, 139 Yds. Rushing |
| Oct 05 | Mammoth | 30 | 07 | H | Mark Ricker: 1 TD, 107 Yds. Rushing |
| Oct 12 | Trona | 00 | 03 | A | Mark Ricker: 111 Yds. Rushing |
| Oct 19 | Desert (Edwards AFB) * | 14 | 02 | H | Mark Ricker: 1 TD, 137 Yds. Rushing |
| Oct 26 | Rosamond * | 20 | 12 | A | Glynn Schkade: 2 TD's Rushing |
| Nov 02 | Mojave * | 00 | 21 | H | |
| Nov 09 | Paraclete (Lancaster) * | 00 | 06 | A | |
| Nov 16 | Boron* | 28 | 03 | H | Mark Ricker: 2 TD's, 100 Yds. Rushing |
* Denotes League Game
| OPPONENT | THS | OPP | L | GAME HIGHLIGHT | |
| Nov 23 | Brethren (Paramount) | 14 | 21 | A | Mark Ricker: 1 TD, 85 Yds. Rushing |
Warriors Jim Phillips, Tony Elizondo, and Robert Lewis bring down a Brethren ball carrier in CIF playoff action.
Brethren scored late in the game to top the Warriors, 21-14.