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RAISIN THE ROOF:
WARRIORS CRUSH SELMA BEHIND SIX TANNER SCORES
Posted 11-15-03
HIGH-FIVE: Tanner
Hutchinson eludes tacklers on his way to his fifth TD of the night.
#21 would go on to score another 59-yard run in the third quarter to
give him an impressive six total rushing TD's. Tanner is now the
all-time leader for TD's for the Warriors with 46, surpassing Eric
Young, who had 45 from 1989-1990. Tanner had 19 scores in 2002,
and so far has amassed 27 TD's in 2003.
Before I write about Tanner, just want to clear
something up on the title above for anyone that may be wondering.
Bear with me, I just want to get it out.
If you're a little perplexed on the first half of
the title "Raisin the Bar" shown above, Tehachapi's opponent this past
Friday is the self-proclaimed 'Raisin Capital of the World', with over
90% of the world's raisins grown within an eight-mile radius of Selma.
What does that have to do with football?
Nothing. If you didn't pay any mind to the title to begin with,
well...I apologize, please read on and forget I even mentioned it. Just thought that the title was catchy and I wanted to
rationalize the reasoning behind it...hope you don't mind. Not
really a knee-slapper or anything, but it's an attempt at humor on my
part.
Anyways...back to game highlights...and OH MAN,
were there highlights!
Where do you start. Of course, on this first
round playoff meeting, you have to start with the performance that
Tanner Hutchinson gave. When the halftime buzzer sounded, the
numbers were 11 carries for 225 yards and five touchdowns.
Yes, IT IS worth repeating.
11 carries. 225 yards. 5 TD's.
At halftime.
Coming into the game, Selma was known for a solid
offense, playing behind the wings of one of the best backs in the
sequoia ranks in Sherman Moon. Unfortunately for the Bears, having
Moon to contend with in practice probably made for some frustration on
game nights, because the running lanes were gaping and often for
Tanner's rumbles. Having Moon only carry twice was a little odd.
Disciplinary action perhaps? Hard to say.
In addition to the non-utilization of Moon,
leading QB Steven Stalie wasn't paying, nor his top receiving target
Brison Pedersen. When you lose two of your best players, and limit
another to only two pigskin touches, it more often that not spells doom
for your football team.
For the
Raisin Men, getting to the playoffs is usually an accomplishment in
itself, and Selma should by no means hang their heads.
Two receiving TD's and a rushing score in the fourth quarter prove that.
22 points. Not to shabby, guys.
As for Tehachapi, you REALLY have to like what
they have been doing in this their sixth straight win. The
Warriors are out to prove that the South Sequoia League still produces
some of the elite, and with a 55 point performance, their highest so far
on the year, I don't think Washington Union can afford the luxury of
overlooking the Mountain Men in a semifinal showdown.
Many players did well in the win over Selma, with
some of the defensive highlights being Dan Haycock picking up four
tackles, two sacks, and three pressures, Vincent Flores with four
tackles, a sack, and two pressures, Josh Lange with five tackles,
Anthony Scott with six tackles and two pressures, David Gonzalez and
Jeremy Clark with four tackles, Mike Faulkner with three tackles, a
sack, and two pressures, while Taylor Peck, Zack Harris, AJ Barcelona,
Kris Haycock, Jon Andersen, and Marcos Saavedra each had three tackles.
Player of the week honors go to two players, with
the first one obviously Tanner Hutchinson, who finished with 12 carries
for 266 yards and six scores. Sean Finley, who
enjoyed the best defensive night with eight tackles, two sacks, a punt
block, and a punt sack, also has been selected as player of the week. On offense, Sean did well with a
37
yard, one TD performance. Way to go guys! Good luck next week!
Tanner Hutchinson (#21), Sean
Finley
(#32)
WEEKLY WARRIOR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Above: Action against the
Selma Bears
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Man, oh, man...do
the Warriors have a tough game ahead of them.
But that's the playoffs right? Bring it
on...
I've said this in previous years covering the
Warriors and the large school bracket...watch out for Washington Union.
As good as they are in basketball and soccer, it can't be long before they
brush of the grass stains and get the ball rolling on the football
program. But in all honesty, it's not like the Panther's haven't
been in this situation before.
In fact, not so long ago, 1997 to be exact, a
meeting with the Warriors occurred in very similar circumstances, the
second round of the playoffs, with Tehachapi pulling out a 28-0 victory.
The Panthers brought in an excellent football team to the Mountain that
year with talented runningbacks Gaylon Phillips and and Edward Mitchell.
Phillips had brought in over 1,700 yards to the game with Tehachapi, but
after the two combined for only a 3.1 yard per carry average, the
Tehachapi defense stymied one of the best running-duos of that time, and
pulled out a win in the frigid mountain air.
After a 2002 10-0 run with the Junior Varsity
football program...you would have to venture to guess that it would only
be a matter of time before Washington would say their "how-do-ya-do's" to
the large school playoffs again. If not in 2003...then definitely
2004.
Well Warrior fans, give credit to the Panthers
for not wasting any time getting back into the swing of things. Here
they are...right and front of you on your path to a championship.
And not only are they formidable this year, this young team is 10-0 (4-0
NSL) ta boot.
Ichiban. Numero Uno seed.
And when you look at what they've done this year,
they've earned that number one distinction. No complaints from the
peanut gallery, here. San Joaquin Memorial...Dos
Palos....Chowchilla....all very good football teams. And the
Panther's success against them? 3-0. Look out.
There's a couple of blue-chippers on the U-Dub
squad that the Warriors will have to watch out for, lead by sophomore Evan
Christin in the ground game, who has picked up 1,101 yards and six
touchdowns so far on the year. Any time a sophomore like Christin gets a 1,000
yards, it definitely warrants some attention. Remember when Alex
Prevendar of Clovis East had a 1,000 yard season and chipped in a 100-yard
game against the Warriors in 2001? Yeah. Watch out for this guy
the next couple years, everyone.
Who else? Landon McCray is a big play
specialist for Washington, catching 29 passes this year and taking 13 of
them to the house, for 705 yards overall. McCray is also a big
threat in the return game on special teams, already connecting for three
touchdowns on punt/kickoff returns, including a clutch 100-yard kickoff
return for a touchdown in the Panthers' 20-16 victory over NSL rival Dos
Palos.
Junior Mike Garza is probably as good as they
come in quarterbacks for the sequoia division, and he has the numbers to
prove it so far on the 2003 season. 75 completions for 1,476 yards
and 22 touchdowns is quite an accomplishment, especially when you consider
that he has hit five different receivers for over 100 yards with McCray,
Mark Pestorich, Maurice Graham, Alex Pacheco, and Shawn Joice. Garza
is not picky either, any one of these players could haul in the pigskin
for a reception at any time if the Warrior linebackers and secondary are
not careful.
On defense, the Panthers boast a very solid
secondary, with McCray and Pestorich leading the charge with five
interceptions, while Junior Therell Clark helps to take away the outside
threat, posting six turnovers overall on the year.
Make no mistake about it, a very good 10-0 team
will have to be confronted on Friday night. But this is
what the playoffs are all about. Tehachapi has faced some outstanding
players and teams before...with this week's matchup providing the more of
the same.
A CIF final with Yosemite would be nothing short
of exciting, but for that to happen, the Warriors will need to pull out
their slingshot, grab a piece of granite from the ground, and sling it
hard. For Tehachapi to secure a bus trip to either Oakhurst or
Dinuba next week, a big-time performance will be needed in this week's
section semifinal.
GO WARRIORS!
Panther Power: The
last (and only) time Tehachapi and Washington faced off, it was a '97
second-round playoff victory for the Warriors, 28-0. |
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Arvin played the Emperors tough, but in the end
the Bears couldn't stop the high-octane offense that the East Sequoia
League Champions dished out. For Warrior baseball followers, a
Dinuba win creates an interesting scenario. Just last spring, many
thought that Yosemite had the best large-school baseball program, but
after a second round encounter with Dinuba, the Badger's season was
ended abruptly, forcing a section championship meeting between the
Warriors and the Emperors. Will we have a repeat of the large
school baseball finals from just six short months ago? Only
Saturday's newspaper will tell...
Analysis of the the other Sequoia Large School Game...
#3 Dinuba
@ #2 Yosemite
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Many are picking the Badgers in a lock for the
win, but nothing comes easy in the second round, especially when you
have a clash of league champions. As far as strength of schedule
between these two 10-1 programs, you have to give the nod to the
Badgers, but with exception to the lone-loss against Selma, you have to
admit that this Dinuba team has played consistently well against the
competition they've been pitted against. Badger Junior QB Shawn
Long has played big this year, connecting for 19 TD's and 2000+ yards in
the passing game, but look for Yosemite to bruise it on the ground with
juniors T.J. Grijalva and Alec Campbell. Dinuba's Daniel Avila and Jose
Guerra are some of the best secondaries in the business this year in the
sequoia division, with both players leading the Emperors in
tackles....so testing the passing lanes could lead to turnovers if
Yosemite isn't careful.
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MOVIN' ON UP - There were a few
'double numbers' out on the varsity sideline last Friday night, with
some of the SSL Champion junior varsity team members suiting up in
Warrior regalia. From what I can tell, ballers Tyler Hansen (#16)
, Michael Barboa (#45) , EJ Muro (#1) , Eric Tercy (#44) , and Robert
Wright (#21) were brought up, with all actually seeing playing time in
the fourth quarter with the game out of hand. Congratulations on
the promotion, guys! If there are any other JV players that moved
up that I might have missed, please let me know and I'll be sure to add
them. |
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A special
congratulations goes out to the Warriors Cross Country Team, led by
Brandon Rooney, who qualified for the Division III state meet with a
second place finish at the CIF championships last Thursday. Rooney
finished the course in 16:22, taking the individual section honors
championship. Fellow runner Brian Noonan finished with a time of 17:25,
helping Tehachapi with 39 points overall and a berth in the state
finals. Way to go Coach Mike Heckathorn and the rest of the Warrior
marathon men! |
Questions? Concerns?
Corrections? Praises? Send Tom Shea an email,
he'd like to hear from you.
  
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