Tehachapi at Taft Wildcats
October 31, 2008
Key to the Warrior victory Friday was the Tehachapi defense who held Taft to just 114 yards rushing.
The Wildcats had averaged more than 200 yards rushing per game until Friday. Above Derek Lange, left, and Steve Bras, right,
tackle Taft's Blake Emberson. Photo by Michael Duffy, The Tehachapi News
Posted November 3, 2008 by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News Warriors Throttle Wildcats 41-13
For First Win at Taft Since 1999
Midway through the fourth quarter, a fan in the visiting stands bellowed out a loud "Welcome back, Warriors!", followed in suit by a cascade of cheers from the Mountain Football faithful.
Tehachapi is indeed back, and proved that point in a resounding way with a 41-13 thumping over Taft behind a big play running attack that netted 380 yards and a relentless defense.
"You have to give it up to the o-line," said Warrior back Adam Mullen. "They created the holes and fakes for us, we were able to switch it up and get through. This win means a lot for us, it's exciting."
Mullen ran wild all night against the 'Cats, recording four total touchdowns and 223 yards on offense and special teams. Josh Strauss also had a stellar night, recording 188 yards on 11 carries, including two scores of 63 and 73 yards.
On defense, Tehachapi (4-4; 2-1 SSL) gave up only 114 yards rushing against a Taft (6-2; 2-1 SSL) offense that was averaging 228 a game coming into the SSL contest, while also recording six sacks overall and three punt blocks.
The Warrior wing-t scored on six of eight possessions on the night, thanks in part to a pair of big receptions by Garrett Coontz, who hauled in a 17 yard grab in the first half on third and 13 and another big nine-yard fourth down reception in the third quarter to keep a Warrior drive alive.
With the victory, Mountain Football put themselves back in the SSL title race, but will need Taft to knock off Bakersfield Christian in week 10, along with strong performances the next two weeks against Wasco and Arvin, to have a chance at a share of the league crown.
"There is still much to be decided, but our kids kept up the intensity from start to finish and they did a tremendous job," said Warrior head coach Steve Denman. "It was a great win for us and we have to keep this momentum going week to week."
The Warriors will face off with Wasco this Friday night at 7:30pm.
Taft's Loren Kolb catches a ball in the end zone for the Wildcats' second touchdown in the second quarter.
The Warriors went on to defeat the Wildcats, 41-13. Photo by Rod Thornburg, The Bakersfield Californian
Posted November 1, 2008 by Tom Shea, The Bakersfield Californian Warriors Strike Quick In Win Over Wildcats
TAFT -- For nearly a decade, a back-and-forth battle has ensued between Taft and Tehachapi, with the home team rising as the victor.
For the first time since 1999, the Warriors can finally claim a victory at Taft, 41-13.
The Warriors wasted no time in finding the end zone to start the game, with Strauss taking the first offensive play from scrimmage to the endzone for a 63-yard score.
"It was important for us to come out fast out of the gate and we were able to do that," said Tehachapi head coach Steve Denman.
"Everyone on both sides of the ball did a tremendous job."
The game was a close contest the first half, with Taft finding success in the passing game through Hunter Linjeroos, who fired 14 completions for 192 yards and two scores to Loren Kolb.
We lost Kolb to a broken leg the first game of the season and we just got him back this (past) Wednesday, said Taft head coach Steve Sprague. He has the ability to take the pressure off the running game for us and he did a good job for us tonight.
Kolb went vertical to nab a 33-yard bomb in the first quarter and added a second score by sprinting under a 10-yard fade to help Taft pull within a touchdown at halftime.
After the break, Tehachapi pulled away to score 21 unanswered points, two on 70-yard jaunts by Mullen and Strauss and another 36-yard run by Mullen to put the game on ice.
"Tehachapi came in with their backs against the wall and they responded," added Sprague. "We have to do the same thing now and put this game behind us. We have the capability to win out the rest of the way."
Above left, Warrior Garrett Coontz caught a 17-yard pass and was immediately sandwiched between a pair of hard hitting Wildcats.
Above right, Warrior John Cramer, #44, makes a tackle on a Taft ball carrier. Photographs by Michael Duffy, The Tehachapi News.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Tehachapi 13 7 7 14 41 Taft 6 7 0 0 13
The Scoring:
First Quarter:
Te -- Strauss 63 yard run (Reimer Kick) 11:43
Ta -- Kolb 33 yard pass from Liljeroos (kick failed) 8:15
Te -- Mullen 2 yard pass from Knudson (kick failed) 4:07
Second Quarter:
Te -- Mullen 3 yard run (Reimer Kick) 7:17
Ta -- Kolb 10 yard pass from Liljeroos (Figueroa kick) 0:25
Third Quarter:
Te -- Mullen 71 yard run (Reimer kick) 7:59
Fourth Quarter:
Te -- Mullen 36 yard run (Reimer kick) 11:20
Te -- Srauss 73 yard run (Reimer kick) 8:31
THS vs TAFT STATS
THS TAFT First Downs 13 16 Rushes-Yards 37-380 32-114 Passing Yards 28 192 Comp-Att-Int 3-5-0 14-18-0 Total Yards 408 306 Punts N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost 1-0 4-0 Penalties 8-75 10-110
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING--Tehachapi: Mullen 14-165, Strauss 11-188, Perry 6-18, Loli 3-11; Taft: Shirreffs, 22-80, Emberson 3-18.
PASSING--Tehachapi: Knudson, 3-5-28-0; Taft: Liljeroosr, 14-17-192-0, Gant 0-1-0.
RECEIVING--Tehachapi: Coontz 2-26, Mullen 1-2; Taft: Kolb 4-84, Barnes 4-39.
Varsity Tehachapi 4-4, Taft 6-2
JV Tehachapi 21, Taft 13
Frosh Tehachapi 19, Taft 0
