TROJAN'S HORSES      Eric Valez and Jeremy Hernandez combine for 201 yards rushing in upset over Warriors
Posted 09-25-04

GANG TACKLE: A host of Warriors, led by Fernando Gracian, take down Foothill's Matt Alvarez in the first half of Tehachapi's 20-17 loss to the Trojans.

Not ever the easiest way to lose a football game, is it folks.

Well...we did learn a couple of things from last Friday night's game with Foothill, with the most important one being that you can never rest on your laurels.

No matter who the team is...no matter what the match-up record is...no matter the number of player you have on your roster vs. theirs...no matter the overall records.

None of what they have v. what you have really matters in the tight games.

In Tehachapi's case, even though the Warriors fought hard from start to finish, Foothill just wanted it a little more in the end.

With time on their side, and a final run by Matt Peralta, that's your difference in the closely contested game.  20-17...Foothill wins.

Now...may people might categorize this one on the "embarrassing" category.  I mean...this was Foothills third win in their last 23 games.  But it's not embarrassing, everyone. 

It's football.  Shrug your shoulders.  It happens.

Think back to about four-five years ago when these two teams hooked up last.  Those that recall that game (or even the timeframe) remember that the shoe was on the other foot between these two schools.

By all accounts, Tehachapi didn't get any respect from virtually every Yosemite-division school.

Foothill had the student body numbers....they had the history of great players (Steeler's Joey Porter and Kansas City Chiefs Rashaan Sheehee). 

And Tehachapi?  Well, we had undersized lineman and runningbacks that no one ever heard of beyond the Tehachapi barber shops.

The result?

A 34-7 win for Tehachapi, with 90 yards rushing by Dustin McBride and three scores.  The first of many blowout scores between these two schools over the next couple of years, with the final being last season's 49-13 win in a Warriors one-sided affair.

So...going into this game, the Warriors had history on their side to a certain degree, and they nixed any notion that they weren't the favorite heading into this one based on past performance.  4-0 in the last four years against the Trojans.

This being all said, the tide can turn on you...sometimes pretty quickly.  Just like what happened on Friday.

There will undoubtedly be other games between these two schools in future years, and the Warriors will need to decide how they want the perception to be in the long-term scheme of things.

Because remember folks, this series still favors Tehachpai, 4-1.  With strong performances by the freshman and braves in their wins against the Foothill underclassmen football teams, there's really no need to panic for the future.

As for our current-year Warriors, there's probably not too much argument that there needs to be some slight modifications heading into the mid-way point of the year.

Have faith in the players and the coaching staff.

And remember, sometimes heartbreaking losses can sometimes be a blessing in disguise early in a year.  With every unexpected defeat....pride has a funny way up jumpstarting the engine.

Let your pride carry you through Warriors.

Forget about the game against Foothill, and re-establish your footing  against the Mustangs and the rest of the opponents this year.

As for the rest of us, up the ante on the support-o-meter, our Warriors should receive nothing less.

	Player of the week honors for the Foothill game go to Marcus Coates and Robert Wright. Marcus was selected for doing an outstanding job on the end position with Lance Lange out of action for the week.  The second-year Warrior had a personal-high six tackles and a pressure to help neutralize the outside threat of Valez and the rest of the Foothill arsenal.  For the Warriors to turn around their slow start to the year, big plays by #33 will be vital to helping the Warriors to another winning season. As for Wright, covering Matt Alvarez is no easy task, but speed-21 was able to hold #5 to only three catches for 31 yards, while also contributing with five tackles and pressure.  Wright has consistently tried to make his presence known the last few games, scoring a touchdown last week and contributing with a solid DB performance this week against the Trojans. Great job this week to you both!  Pictures of these players of the week will be posted at a later date.
	WEEK 4:  TEHACHAPI (1-2) @ STOCKDALE (3-0) The toughest pre-season opponent, and potentially the most talented team the Warriors will face all season, will be coming to Mountain Country this Friday night. The Stockdale Mustangs come into their week 4 contest flying high, taking down Clovis High School 20-14 last week, which was a post-cursor to two big wins over Atascadero and Bakersfield, 49-7 and 24-10, respectively. Tehachapi will definitely have their hands full in this one, especially when you consider that one of the area’s best runningbacks, Francis Ojukwu, is back for action this year after reeling off a 2,016 yard season for Stockdale in 2003. Ojukwu won’t be alone in the talent category either, with two all-area linemen in Ryan Hernandez and Anthony Phillips looking to pave even more running room for #32 in 2004. Also back is All-SWYL wideout Garrett Anthony (who had over 700 yards receiving and 7 TD’s in 2003), and defensive standouts Aaron Baughman (DE), Ben Ossai (DL), and Josh Lopez (CB).  Senior Dan Hoff, a Frasier Mountain High School transfer, has performed well at quarterback this year for the ‘Stangs, completing 22 passes for 427 yards and six scores, with 342 of those yards and three TD’s going to returning wide-out Garrett Anthony. The Hoff-Anthony connection can be lethal, with both connecting for a 71-yard score against Clovis last week in a big win over the Cougars. Ojukwu accounted for over 70% of Stockdale’s total yards from the line of scrimmage a season ago, and so far as reeled off 368 yards on 63 carries with 4 TD’s this season. The Warriors will need to try and stop Ojukwu first and foremost if a win is in the cards this Friday night, but the supporting cast of Anthony, Mike Jones (WR), and Kenny Shanahan (RB) will be tough to neutralize as well. The Mustangs are potentially is an outside favorite to win the Large School Yosemite CIF Title after a strong start to their 2004 campaign. With the competition at a premium this Friday night, Stockdale should serve as a good test for Tehachapi with a week five date with Garces coming up and the SSL schedule looming on the horizon.
	Congrats to Sean Finley for getting the nod from Greg Kerr of Bakersfield Channel 29's "Hometown Sports" as player of the week for week 2, while also grabbing the Bakersfield Californian's player of the week honors for Kern County, shown in the paper's wed edition.  Great Job against Paraclete, keep the train movin'!
	Some significant injury reports to pass along from a couple of Tehachapi's upcoming opponents.  Jake Cauza, the two-year QB for the Garces Rams, might not be available to play against the Warriors in a week 5 away game due to a separated shoulder.  Also, Drake House, the two-year QB for Taft, is still recovering from a broken finger suffered in week 1 in a four-point loss to Cabrillo.  Prognosis on House is good however, he is expected to be back within the next two weeks, just in time for the Wildcat's home game against Tehachapi.

	Some big games coming up in week 4 for the Tehachapi watch list...here's a list of a few of them below. Washington Union @ Sierra-Tollhouse Hanford West @ Lemoore Chowchilla @ Selma Garces Memorial @ Shafter AND THE BIGGIE GAME OF THE WEEK Dos Palos @ Yosemite
	Some prop hand-outs are in order for a few of the other Tehachapi sports....the Warrior Cross Country team is running strong behind the leagues of all-state jogger Brandon Rooney.  Near the halfway point Tehachapi is sitting ranked #3 in the section in Division III, and look to be strong contenders for the Division III team-CIF championship behind Mt. Whitney and Shafter. Fast and Furious:  Senior Brandon Rooney is looking for another strong finish after a stellar 2003 campaign. In Lady Warriors Volleyball, Lauren Shacklock is leading Tehachapi in kills with 20 in nine games, good for 15th in the county.
	Stay tuned next week for analysis of the Stockdale game and a preview of the Rival Rams.  GO WARRIORS