PART TWO:  AN EARLY-BIRD LOOK AT NEXT YEAR'S SCHEDULE

Posted 01-23-04

THE REGULAR SEASON

This weekly warrior is the second of a four-part series highlighting Tehachapi’s opponents for 2004 and what the Warriors will have at their disposal for the new season next fall.  Due to high demand, this issue is coming your way a little early...so hope you enjoy the early look at the 'new-look' south sequoia league.  In this addition, we'll focus on the 'games that count', and who looks to have breakout years around the valley within league foes.

Wasco Tigers

It was a year to forget for Wasco Head Coach Joey Mayo and the 1-9 Tigers.  After dispatching McFarland in a week 1 date 46-0, Wasco was outscored 356-61 in a disastrous nine-game losing streak to close out their year, including a painful 40-26 loss to cross-town rival Shafter to give the Generals their first and only win on the season.

Jail Break:  Offensive Line standouts Frank Andrade (#55) and Chris Estrada (#58) provide protection for the Tigers in their 2003 contest with Tehachapi

Unfortunately for the Tigers, the bleeding doesn’t look to clot for the 2004 season.  Gone are two of the league’s best players last season for Wasco in Corey Hood (defensive line) and Chris Ballard (wideout), but there are some capable players that could replace the two Wasco stars.  Corey Lewis and Frank Andrade are two big defensive bruisers that could cause some problems in the defensive front while providing some protection on offense, where they will join center Alex House and tackle Chris Estrada on the line of scrimmage.  This being said, on paper, Wasco will still have much to overcome if they want to turn around their football program and make a stake at a league crown.

Taft Wildcats

Daniel Kerr may be the South Sequoia League’s best kept secret leading up to the 2004 pre-season, but rest assured, when league play begins, Kerr and company will undoubtedly give you plenty of highlights to sift through on the game film.  Kerr had a very solid season as the feature back in the Taft offense, collecting 913 yards on 165 carries and four touchdowns, and will be joined on offense by quarterback Drake House, who finished the season’s last two games against Arvin and Woodlake with nine completions for 57 yards.

Hold It Right There:  Tehachapi’s Chris Bowman takes down Taft’s Daniel Kerr (bottom center) at the line of scrimmage in the Warriors’ thrilling 2003 victory over the Wildcats

The playoff experience for House should be invaluable for the Wildcats in 2004, and he should have a couple of blockers back to help him out in Chase Blackwood and Guillermo Lozolla, who were instrumental in helping Taft to a solid 3,080 yards of total offense.  On defense, experience should play a hug role for Taft with Senior Jeff Fannon and Junior Mike Bryant leading the way at linebacker, while C.T. Twisselman and Scott Cooper should help keep the secondary big-play free at the corner slots.  Taft boasted one of the best defenses in the Valley in 2003 with only 2,249 yards relinquished during the season, including an impressive 30 yards given up on the ground against Hector Velasquez and the Arvin Bears.  Look for Taft to vie for a top spot in the SSL and a CIF Division IV playoff spot if the experienced leadership returning can rally the other players around them.

Arvin Bears

An early favorite in some minds to be a frontrunner in the SSL race, the Bears return two notable premier players to their 2004 contingent in 1^st Team All-SSL backs Jose Tamayo and Hector Velasquez.  Tamayo and Velasquez consistently caused a maelstrom in their respective positions last season, with Tamayo finishing the year with 1,248 yards passing on 72 completions, while Velasquez led the ground attack with 945 yards and a team leading 15 touchdowns.

The supporting cast for these two sequoia league stars should be solid, with Alphonso Valencia and Saul Perez set to return on the offensive line.  For Tamayo, the receiving lanes should be dissipated somewhat with the graduation of Randy Jones, Walter Lopez, and Joey Ugues, but the talented quarterback should find some inviting targets in Jose Diaz and Frankie Garza, who combined for nine completions and 159 yards in 2003.  On defense, the Bears will boast a tough-nosed unit, with James Anfield, David Jiminez, and Sam Montero at the linebacking spot, while 2^nd Team All-SSL defensive linemen Alphonso Valencia is all but assured to see action on both sides of the ball.  Arvin will be fast and vested in 2004, making them a team to watch in both league and the playoffs.

Shafter Generals

Ending the season on a high note with a 40-26 victory over heated rival Wasco, the 7-22-2 record that Head Coach Erich Smith endured in three seasons with Shafter was enough…with Smith signaling his resignation with the Shafter administration in January of this year after a career low 1-8-1 mark.

It was a trying year all the way around for Shafter, and with leading rusher James Zrofsky, linebacker James Figueroa, and wideout Daniel Valle all set to graduate in June, the well might be a little dry for the new General coaching staff that comes in.

Dog Pile:  Shafter linebackers James Figueroa (top left) and Steven Verdugo (bottom left) take down the Warriors Josh Lange in 2003.

Returning starters Joe Montemayor (WR), Mario Perez (OL), Casey Torres (OL), Steven Verdugo (LB), and Juan Zamduio (DE) should have solid years, but the Generals will need to find immediate help from the 2003 Junior Varsity squad to turn in a good year.  The JV Colonels put together a 3-1-1 league mark in 2003, good for second in the SSL, tying Taft and losing to Tehachapi.  Shafter will have talent at their disposal next season, the only question is whether or not the school administration will find a good coach to harness the potential.

Golden Valley Bulldogs

The new school in Bakersfield sure got their football program started on the right foot with the hiring of Tim Hartnett, former coach of the Bakersfield High Drillers.  Coach Hartnett, a long-time staff member of the Bakersfield power, helped guide BHS to five CIF titles and a 52-12 record overall as head coach.

Hartnett was able to lure former head junior varsity coach Nate Johnson away from the BHS coaching staff ranks to join Golden Valley, hoping that the Bakersfield influence will instill an immediate tradition in 2004 for the Bulldogs.  Johnson will serve as offensive coordinator on Hartnett’s varsity staff. 

Next season will have no seniors on the Bulldog varsity team, but Golden Valley still has some action in battle to hang their hat on.  Compiling a 4-4 record overall against junior varsity and frosh teams in 2003, the Bulldogs will look to have leadership come from talented Quarterback Jeremy Johnson and Wideout Gabe Monarrez, two players that helped guide Golden Valley to victories over newly-formed parochial school JSerra (San Juan Capistrano), East High JV and Varsity reserves, Centennial Frosh, and Arvin’s freshmen squad.  Coach Hartnett will also have some talent on the defensive side of the ball, with down-lineman Martin Saldivar and stong safety Leonard Banks having strong seasons as sophomores.

Next year’s pre-season schedule will be tough for the Bulldogs, with a scrimmage against Liberty and pre-league match-ups against East, Firebaugh, Caesar Chavez, Kern Valley, and Quartz Hill (Lancaster) on the docket.  Golden Valley and Tehachapi will hook up in the last game of the season in Bakersfield.

The next weekly warrior (March) will highlight Tehachapi’s potential playoff opponents, some of which include sequoia powers Washington Union and Yosemite, and new-start schools Caesar Chavez and El Diamante.  Part Four (April) will highlight the returnee's and up-and-comers for the Mountain Men next season.  If you missed part one highlighting Tehachapi's pre-league schedule, you can read all about it by clicking here.

	The Warrior banquet went off great on the 14th of January...with many Warriors receiving recognition on a great CIF title run.  For info on how the party went, you can read all about it by clicking here.
	The potent Tehachapi Warrior Offense struck again for the men's team with 15 3-pointers in a 100-44 thrashing over the Bishop Broncos in a pre-season game.  The men's basketball team is currently 9-10 (2-1 SSL). On the women's side, Bree Barrett continues to lead her team to victory, helping the Lady Warriors to a 15-4 (3-0 SSL) record.  If you would like a more in-depth look at the Lady Warriors and their statistics, please visit maxpreps.       On the Warpath:  Bree Barrett (left) drains one of her five 3-pointers in the Lady Warriors' 57-32 victory over the Broncos.  Later that night, Matt Patience (right) sinks his second free-throw with five seconds remaining in the game to give Tehachapi their first 100 point game of the season.

A reminder that the next weekly warrior (Part Three of the Four Part Series) will arrive sometime in the mid-to-late February/March timeframe, highlighting the division III competition should Tehachapi be fortunate enough to make a CIF playoff run in 2004.  There will be some great teams and players to watch out for, stay tuned for all the info!