Clovis East at Tehachapi
CIF Central Section - Sequoia Division Large School Playoffs
November 23, 2001
Tehachapi's Season Ends In Disappointment
By Jeff Evans, Californian Staff Writer, Posted Saturday, November 24, 2001
TEHACHAPI -- It isn't often an offense in a 13-6 game is the most critical element of a football contest.
But that's what happened Friday night.
Clovis East used a clock-controlling ground attack and coupled it with a strong defense to hand Tehachapi the upset in the first round of the CIF Central Section Sequioa Division Large School playoffs.
The sixth-seeded Timberwolves (7-3), who are playing their first varsity season and have zero seniors at their school, advance into Friday's semifinals at Yosemite High in Oakhurst, which downed Arvin in another first-round playoff game Friday.
Tehachapi finishes 7-3.
The third-seeded Warriors were making their 16th playoff appearance in coach Steve Denman's 20 years.
But Denman's squad faced a bigger, more physical opponent on Friday that never let Tehachapi get untracked.
The Warriors had only four first downs and 89 yards in offense, all on the ground.
"This was a tough one to lose, especially for the seniors," Denman said. "We knew coming in that Clovis East had a disciplined, physical team. The offense just could not get untracked."
Tehachapi was especially frustrated in the first half. The Warriors ran only eight plays from scrimmage -- and two of those were punts -- and had the ball for only 4:26 of the 24-minute half.
Clovis East, by comparison, ran 32 plays and had 154 yards of total offense in the first half.
But Tehachapi was still in the game. Thanks to a fumble recovery by the Warriors' Jacob Perry on the Tehachapi 25-yard line midway through the second quarter, Clovis East only led 7-0 at halftime.
But things didn't get any better for Tehachapi in the second half. The Timberwolves continued to grind it out on the ground -- they attempted only three passes all night -- and simply didn't give the Warriors a chance to get into an offensive rhythm.
"Our goal was to hold them under 21. If we did that, we thought we'd win," said Clovis East coach Tim Murphy. "Defense has been the strength of our team."
Perhaps the most amazing statistic for Clovis East was fourth-down conversions. The Timberwolves were 7-for-7 on fourth-down conversions until they were stopped at the Tehachapi 8-yard line with 49 seconds left in the game.
"We've done that all year," Murphy said. "I'll bet we were 13-of-17 or -18 this year before tonight. We've gone for it on fourth down as much as we've punted this year."
The stoppage on the 8-yard line late in the game gave Tehachapi one last shot, but that ended on the first play when Clovis East intercepted.
The Timberwolves scored on their first possession when running back Casey Hammond caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Joey Palacio. That capped a 55-yard drive that featured a 46-yard pass from Palacio to running back Bryan Ruiz, who slipped behind the defense on a third-and-7 play.
Another big play gave Clovis East its other touchdown. On a fourth-and-2 from the Timberwolves' 45, running back Austin Nakagawa broke through the line behind 308-pound center David Ferguson and slipped into a wide-open secondary. Nakagawa outraced the Warrior defense to the end zone to conclude the 55-yard run.
Late in the third quarter, Tehachapi finally began a scoring drive. Senior Derik Easttom replaced Jared Warner at quarterback and directed a 46-yard drive. Easttom kept the drive alive with a 13-yard gain on an option with the Warriors in a fourth-and-9 situation from the Clovis East 22. Easttom eventually scored on a 5-yard run, getting into the end zone with a dive as he was hit by two would-be tacklers at about the 1-yard line.
The extra point failed when the snap was high, which led to an incomplete pass. At that point, 8:24 remained and the Warriors' defense needed a quick stop to maintain Tehachapi's momentum and give the Warriors a chance to come back.
Instead, Clovis East ran 14 plays and ran the clock down to the 49-second mark before turning the ball over on downs. At that point, the Warriors simply didn't have enough time to drive the necessary 92 yards.
"I'm proud of our defense," Denman said. "They were on the field an awfully long time tonight."
For Clovis East, the win continued its remarkable turnaround from last year. Playing a JV schedule one year ago, the Timberwolves were only 1-8.
Tehachapi had a scare midway through the third quarter when tight end-linebacker Josh Christy was injured and removed from the field in an ambulance. But Denman reported that Christy was hospitalized briefly for precautionary reasons and was treated and released. Christy suffered from back spasms, Denman said.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Clovis East 7 0 6 0 13 Tehachapi 0 0 0 6 06
Scoring Summary:
CE--Hammond 11 pass from Palacio (Hammond kick)
CE--Nakagawa 55 run (kick blocked)
T--Easttom 5 run (pass failed)
CLOVIS EAST vs TEHACHAPI GAME STATS
CEHS THS First Downs 13 4 Rushes-Yards 57-247 21-85 Passing Yards 71 0 Comp-Att-Int 3-3-0 0-7-1 Total Yards 318 85 Punts-Avg. 1-32.0 4-44.7 Fumbles-Lost 3-1 0-0 Penalties 6-30 3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS:
RUSHING--Clovis East: Nakagawa 16-92, Palacio 8-42, Prevender 11-43, Ruiz 9-38, Hammond 9-13, Flores 3-4, Millard 1-15.
Tehachapi: Evans 9-39, Easttom 7-38, Bannett 4-13, Vandeventer 1-(-1).
PASSING--Clovis East: Palacio 3-3-0, 71 yards. Tehachapi: Warner 0-4-0, 0 yards; Easttom 0-3-1, 0 yards.
RECEIVING--Clovis East: Ruiz 1-32, Baumbach 1-14, Hammond 1-11.