1975 Warriors
The 1975 Warriors include, top row, left to right, Rick Pinheiro, Dale Hamon, Darren Drake, Kerry Hawkins, Mike Shelton, Kevin Reeder,
Kenny James, Mike Backes, Pat Hawkins; middle row, Allen Decker, Earl Mitchell, Eddie Sparks, Ronald Frederickson,
Frank Shipman, Steve Barker, Brad Harrington, Mark Grantham, Joaquin Murguia, Alex Steele; bottom row, Marc Hackler, Unknown, Jon Morris,
Vince McLaughlin, Rick Ricker, Willie Bradley, Mike Capanas, Chet Bowles, and Jeff Gattian. The head coach was Dennis Ruggles.
Under first year head coach Dennis Ruggles, the 1975 Warriors finished with an overall record of 8-2; 8-1 in Desert-Inyo League play. Warriors Finish 2nd in DIL With 8-1 Mark
Under New Coach Dennis Ruggles
Behind the offensive leadership of Jon Morris, and a tough Warrior defense, the Warriors won their first three games by blanking the opposition,
defeating Trona, 6-0; Desert, 26-0; and Rosamond, 33-0.
That set up a rematch with the defending league champion Bishop Broncos. The year before, the Broncos had knocked Tehachapi out of first place, by winningthe game, on the last play of the game. This year would be sweet revenge, as the Warriors defeated Bishop with seconds remaining in the game as quarterback Chet Bowles hit Jon Morris with an 18 yard TD pass. The TD gave the Warriors a thrilling 9-7 victory.
The following week the Warriors played host to an undefeated and suprising Boron Bobcat team. The Bobcat defense stopped the Warrior offense and held on to win, 14-6. This proved to be the championship game of the season as Boron won the league championship with a perfect 9-0 record.
The Warriors finished out the regular season by knocking off Mojave, 28-6; crushing Mammoth, 34-0; spearing Kern Valley, 33-16; and overwhelming Lone Pine, 35-7.
In the Mammoth game, running back Mike Capanis rushed for 233 yards in 17 carries, scoring two touchdowns.
The effort by Capanis was one of the top rushing performances by a Warrior in many years.
The Warriors, the #2 team in the DIL, were quickly eliminated in the playoffs by a powerful Valley Christian team, 30-7.
Jon Morris finished the season by leading the County in total points scored. Morris finished the season with 16 touchdowns
and 3 PAT's (2 pt. conversions) for a total of 102 points.Selected to the all-league 1st team were defensive back Mike Capanas, kicker Vince McLaughlin, running back Jon Morris,
lineman Kevin Reeder, linebacker Rick Ricker, and defensive end Joe Verdugo. Reeder was also selected the Most
Valuable Player of the team by the coaching staff.
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LISTING OF DIL CHAMPS
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Jon Morris (27) runs for big yardage in a game during the 1975 season. Morris led
the Warriors --- and the County --- in scoring with 16 TD's and 3 PAT's for a total of 102 points scored.
Morris was a 1st team All-DIL selection.
Game-by-Game Results
OPPONENT THS OPP L GAME HIGHLIGHT Sep 19 Trona 06 00 H Jon Morris: 1 TD Pass Rec. Sep 26 Desert 26 00 H Jon Morris: 1 TD, 84 yds. rushing Oct 3 Rosamond 33 00 H Rick Ricker: 2 TD's Oct 10 Bishop 09 07 A Jon Morris: 1 TD Pass Rec. Oct 17 Boron 06 14 H Jon Morris: 1 TD Run Oct 24 Mojave 28 06 A Jon Morris: 2 TD Runs, 123 Yds. Rushing Oct 31 Mammoth 34 00 H Mike Capanas: 2 TD's, 233 yds. rushing Nov 7 Kern Valley (Lake Isabella) 33 06 A Jon Morris: 4 TD's Rushing Nov 14 Lone Pine 35 07 A Jon Morris: 2 TD Runs, 145 Yds. Rushing
CIF Southern Section 1A Playoffs
OPPONENT THS OPP L GAME HIGHLIGHT Nov 21 Valley Christian (Cerritos) 07 30 A Jon Morris: 1 TD
The 1975 team was led by all-league selections Mike Backes (64),lineman; Kevin Reeder (73), lineman;
and Jon Morris (27), running back. The trio were also the captains of the team.
