1973 Warriors
The 1973 Warriors include, bottom row, left to right, Fred Johnson, Jesse Luna, DeWayne Clough, Jim Stewart, Rick Dodson, Jim Johnson, Rod Grantham, Don Burgeis,
and Robert Hicks. Middle row, Scott Dye, Simon Aguilar, Mike Land, Joe Mata, Jeff Johnston, Nathan Ogan, Wayne Hopper, Dan Pinheiro, Paul Sanchez, and
Mike Ricker. Back row, Kevin Reeder, Mike Shelton, Gerald Bidabe, Steve Denman, Tom Freeman, Charlie Longcrier, Mark Lopez, Pat Summit, team manager John Reyes and assistants.
Warriors Win 2nd Straight DIL Championship
- Ten Straight Wins Before Playoff Loss -
season for the first time since 1956. The Warriors, behind third year head coach Gary Ogilvie, also claimed
back-to-back Desert-Inyo league championships.
The Warriors had key wins during the season over Desert (with future San Jose St. & NFL star Gerald Small),
Bishop, Boron, and Kern Valley.
Throughout the season, the Warriors used a balanced offensive attack, and a bend but don't break defense to win
the league title. Rod Grantham and Jim Stewart shared the top billing in the running game, and Steve Denman
passed to his favorite targets DeWayne Clough, Mark Lopez, and Grantham. Junior kicker Scott Dye led the Warrior kicking game.
Defensively the Warriors had a huge line, great linebackers, and quick defensive backs.
In the CIF 1A playoffs, the Warriors hosted highly touted Brethren of Paramount in the opening round.
In poor weather conditions, the Warriors stuck to the ground. Jim Stewart responded by putting
together the best running game of his high school career. He netted 220 yards on
the ground in 37 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. The Warriors held on to defeat Brethren,
14-7, before a delighted hometown crowd of roughly 3,000 fans.
The second round found the Warriors traveling to Carpinteria to play the perennial football powerhouse
coastal Warriors. Playing before a packed house of nearly 5,000 fans, Steve Denman went to the air
for his finest passing performance of the year. The junior quarterback lit up the evening sky
by completing 14 of 28 passes for 183 yards. But it wasn't enough as the red and white Warriors
dominated the line of scrimmage and defeated Tehachapi, 27-14.
Statistically, the Warrior ground game was led by Stewart (624 yds.) and Grantham (653 yds.), as they
combined for nearly 1,300 yards on the ground during the regular season. With his playoff performances,
Stewart gained 887 yards in 151 carries for the season. Stewart scored 15 TD's on the season to lead the Warriors.
Denman broke all known (modern era) passing records at THS in 1973 by completing nearly 60% of his
passes (82-138) and throwing for a record 1,215 passing yards in 10 games.
The Warrior kicking game was led by Scott Dye as he was good on 32-34 PAT attempts and chipped in with two FG's.
All-League 1st team selections included Gerald Bidabe (lineman), Don Burgeis (lineman), Dewayne Clough
(wide receiver & def. back), Steve Denman (quarterback), Rick Dodson (linebacker), brothers Fred and
Jim Johnson (lineman), and Paul Sanchez (def. back).
Jim Stewart and Steve Denman were named the Co-Most Valuable Players for the 1973 Warriors.
Seniors Dewayne Clough (wide receiver) and Rick Dodson (center) also earned prestigous All-CIF honors for the Warriors.
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| OPPONENT | THS | OPP | L | GAME HIGHLIGHT | |
| Sep 21 | Desert (Edwards AFB) | 24 | 14 | H | Rod Grantham: 1 TD, 105 yds. rushing |
| Sep 28 | Rosamond | 24 | 06 | H | Rod Grantham: 1 TD, 102 yds. rushing |
| Oct 5 | Bishop | 14 | 06 | A | Rod Grantham: 1 TD, 124 yds. rushing |
| Oct 12 | Boron | 28 | 21 | H | Rod Grantham: 1 TD, 75 yds. rushing |
| Oct 19 | Mojave | 28 | 00 | A | Jim Stewart: 2 TD's, 149 yds. rushing |
| Oct 26 | St. Joseph (Santa Maria) * | 35 | 22 | H | Jim Stewart: 3 TD's, 118 yds. rushing |
| Nov 2 | Kern Valley (Lake Isabella) | 33 | 20 | A | Jim Stewart: 2 TD's, 57 yds. rushing |
| Nov 9 | Lone Pine | 07 | 00 | H | This game was a forfeit |
| Nov 16 | Trona | 54 | 00 | H | Jim Stewart: 3 TD's, 59 yds. rushing |
* Denotes Non League Game
| OPPONENT | THS | OPP | L | GAME HIGHLIGHT | |
| Nov 23 | Brethren (Paramount) | 14 | 07 | H | Jim Stewart: 2 TD's, 220 yds. rushing |
| Nov 30 | Carpinteria | 14 | 27 | A | Steve Denman: 2 TD passes, 14-28, 183 yds. passing |
Warriors Gerald Bidabe #73, Fred Johnson #67, and Jesse Luna #43 celebrate an undefeated regular season
and a league championship by giving coach Gary Ogilvie the traditional hoist off of the field.