Garces (Bakersfield) at Tehachapi
Friday, August 25, 2006
Warrior senior running back Gabe Bressler, #34, outruns a Garces defender enroute to a 90 yard rushing performance (17 carries)
in the season opener against the Garces Rams. Photo by Michael Duffy, The Tehachapi News.
Posted by thswarriors.com, on August 26, 2006 Garces Dominates In Season Opener
Rams defeat the Warriors, 33-7
The mood was festive as an overflow crowd filled Coy Burnett Field in Tehachapi on a warm Friday evening to witness the season opener between the Warriors and long time rival Garces.
By halftime though, the carnival atmosphere on the Warrior side of the field had soured, as an opportunistic Ram defense took advantage of several offensive Warrior miscues, and took a commanding 26-0 halftime lead into the lockerroom.
A trio of Garces players lived up to their pre-game hype as quarterback Steven McDermott led all rushers with 92 yards in 10 carries; defensively, speedy Tommy Barron stripped the ball from a Warrior running back in the second quarter and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown; and fullback Xavier Tavorn picked up the tough yards inside including two first half touchdown runs. (Tavorn left the game due to injuries in the second half.)
The two teams went scoreless in the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, with Tehachapi sustaining a drive to the Rams' three yard line, linebacker Vinny Sullivan of Garces intercepted an errant Warrior pass three yards deep in the end zone and returned the ball 97 yards (a school record) to set-up the next Garces touchdown. The Rams' Cooper Thompson then scored from the three on a dive play, giving Garces a 33-0 lead.
The Warriors finally scored in the last minute of the game after a sustained drive, as Levi Lantz dove into the end zone from the 5 yard line. Stefan Bekker split the uprights with the PAT.
The final score may have been a little misleading, as overall, the Warrior defense played well Friday evening holding a potent Rams offense to 227 rushing yards, no completed passes (including one interception by Bekker), and forcing five Garces punts (including one blocked punt by Bekker). Linebacker Alek Taliulu led the Warriors with 10 tackles.
Offensively, Gabe Bressler led the Warriors with 90 yards in 17 carries. Both Ochsenrider and Lantz split the QB duties, with Ehren going 3-11 in the air for 78 yards and Levi went 2-5 for 19 yards. Louis James was on the receiving end of four passes for 88 yards.
The Ram victory now gives Garces a slight 16-15-2 series margin in the long standing rivalry that dates back to 1946.
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Garces | 6 | 20 | 0 | 7 | 33 |
| Tehachapi | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 07 |
The Scoring:
First Quarter:
Garces (6:50)-Tavorn 1 yd TD run
Garces (6:50)-PAT failed
Second Quarter:
Garces (5:38)-Tavorn 7 yd TD run
Garces (5:38)-PAT failed
Garces (4:22)-Barron 44 yd fumble return TD
Garces (4:22)-PAT by Baker
Garces (1:44)-McDermott 5 yd TD run
Garces (1:44)-PAT by Baker
Fourth Quarter:
Garces (4:59)-Thompson 2 yd TD run
Garces (4:59)-PAT by Baker
Tehachapi (:39)-Lantz 5 yd TD run
Tehachapi (:39)-PAT by Bekker
| GHS | THS | |
| First Downs | 11 | 13 |
| Rushes-Yards | 40-227 | 42-131 |
| Passing Yards | 0 | 97 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 0-5-1 | 5-16-2 |
| Total Yards | 227 | 228 |
| Punts | 5-28.4 | 7-N/A |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-0 | 3-1 |
| Penalties | 8-65 | 6-45 |
Individual Satistics:
RUSHING--Garces, Tavorn, 4-65; Thompson, 11-19; Tavorn, 8-41; and Valenzuela, 3-16; Tehachapi, Bressler, 17-90; Lantz, 4-26; James 5 (-6); Bekker, 3-9; Harris, 2-16; Strauss, 3-9.
PASSING--Garces, McDermott, 0-5-1; Tehachapi, Ochsenrider, 3-11-2, Lantz 2-5-0.
RECEIVING--Tehachapi, James 4-88; Herman 1-9.
Non-League Records--Garces 1-0, Tehachapi 0-1
JV — Tehachapi 20, Garces 7
Frosh – Tehachapi 6, Garces 14
Arvin 14 Highland 6
Bakersfield Christian 38 Fresno Christian 7
Taft 33 Foothill 7