WARRIORS REVVING FOR SEASON   Over 135 athletes vying for shot at Mountain Football glory

ROOKIE INSURGENCE - Franky Rodriguez, a major cog in the Indians SSL title run last season, is seen above here taking a buck sweep down the right sideline.  Rodriguez is one of five sophomores getting serious consideration for varsity action for the upcoming fall.

Posted 08-05-06

TEHACHAPI NEWS - With summer winding down and the school year about to begin it can mean only one thing for Tehachapi sports enthusiasts, fans, parents, and players. Mountain Football is about to begin.

 This season Tehachapi will be loaded again with a plethora of athletes, with over 135 students participating overall at the freshman, junior varsity, and varsity level.

“We have a lot of kids out this year and it’s a good crop overall,” said head coach Steve Denman. “We have been pleased at the level of effort of many of the athletes and I think that we have a solid group of players heading into the season.”

Back for the Warriors will be fullback Gabe Bressler, who will look to build on his 590 yard rushing total last season as a junior. Also back in the backfield will be Louis James and Steffan Bekker, with James scoring two touchdowns last season on 203 rushing yards.

“I like what we have in the backfield. Bekker, Bressler, and James will be involved but we also like what we’ve seen from some other players as well,” added Denman. “There have been a lot of players that have stepped up their game so I see us spreading the ball around a lot this upcoming year.”

Other looks have been given to Alek Taliulu, who was a solid one-two punch with Bressler two seasons ago when they both helped guide the Tehachapi Braves to a 10-0 undefeated SSL championship.  Kelly Lorenz, the hero of last season’s electric 80-yard kickoff return in the waning minutes of the Garces 15-15 tie, will also look to be a solid contributor, along with Will Clark and last season freshman star Josh Strauss, who helped guide the Indians last year to a 9-1 season and an SSL title.

At secondary, Tehachapi has been impressed with the emergence of Leigh Stone, a new student that looks to see playing time at defensive back and wide receiver. Josh Schulgen and Kyle Herman also look to be solid contributors on the outside. At quarterback, Tehachapi will have the services of 2005 second-half starter Ehren Ochsenrider, who threw for 236 yards and two scores last year after Tyler Hansen was lost for the season with a leg injury. Levi Lantz also looks to be a solid contributor behind center in the upcoming year.

On the offensive and defensive line, the Warriors have high expectations for players like Greg Embry, Evan McBride, Sherwin Smith, Robbie Montana, AJ Meza, Jake Harris, and Steven Tercy. At linebacker, Robert Gibson, Aaron Moore, Adam Greenwood, and Taliulu are just a few of the players that have shown skill early on. The Warrior varsity staff also has been looking at bringing up a handful of sophomores this year, with the list including Derek Lange, Josh Strauss, Garrett Koontz, JJ Balkar, and Franky Rodriguez for a variety of positions on the field.

“Everything is still very much wide open,” added Denman. “Players will see the field if they work hard, focus, and do what is asked of them. Every year we have a tough schedule out of the gate so we will need every player on the team to be ready.”

“Focus and discipline will be key points we will stress this summer. Last season we had a lot of games where we were in it in the fourth quarter but we couldn’t finish,” said Denman. “How we practice now will make a big difference in how we perform down the stretch this year. I’m confident that our players can answer the challenge.”

Hit and Fly!

MOUNTAIN MEDIA VIDEO Game-By-Game Video Highlights

	Warrior basketball was alive and kicking this summer, with the girls basketball team, led by Jana Smith and Katie Avila, defeating East-Bakersfield, Ridgeview, Cesar Chavez, Arvin, and other teams in scrimmage play while the boys basketball squad finished with a 7-3 record, including victories over East, Foothill, Golden Valley, Highland, Liberty, West, and most importantly Bakersfield Christian, the new SSL incumbent next season.  “Overall it was a good tournament for us,” said head coach Chris Olofson. “We got to see a lot of our guys in different situations on the floor and that will help with our mindset going into the season and each player’s capabilities.”
	If you get a chance check out (or even contribute) to the thswarriors.com open forum!  There's a great recent story by Sal Murguia, a former All-SSL defensive back that was the '92 team MVP and honoree for the thswarriors.com All-90's first team squad.
	This has nothing to do at all with Warrior athletics...but since the Dallas Cowboys were in town...TO and all...through I'd go check 'em out to see how they look for the upcoming year.  Here's a shot of TO against Dallas corner Anthony Henry that I took while I was there.  To be honest...Henry seemed to have a pretty good handle on the drama king...but TO did make a few nice catches on drop and slant routes over the course of the afternoon.
	Winter and spring were great months for Warrior athletics...with Jacob Rombouts (left picture) garnering All-Area honors for both basketball (honorable mention) and baseball (first team). Departing Senior EJ Muro made second team all-area in baseball, while upcoming Junior Katie Snapp received All-Area honorable mention in softball.  Swimming had Tessa Brown getting honorable mention and Michael Halaska getting first team honors.  In soccer, Rachel Avery, Chesalon Goodell, and Kalley Jo Goodell received honorable mention all-area, Jen Mumby got second team all-area, and junior sensation Candice Schlecht was the recipient of First-Team All-Area.  Schlecht was recognized for breaking the school's single-season scoring record this season with 45 goals on the year with 23 assists, while collecting first team All-SSL honors for the second straight year. In three years with the Warriors, Schlecht has scored a total of 77 goals.  In wrestling, Robert Post was an honorable mention all-area, while Jana Smith also received area honorable mention and Katie Avila first team in girls basketball.
	The Warriors' football program will continue practice from 6:30 to 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. this week and next. On Aug. 18, All three teams will run a controlled inter-varsity scrimmage at Coy Burnett Field at 5 p.m. The public is encouraged to come and see the new-look Warriors in action. Tehachapi’s first game of the year will be Aug. 24 (frosh) and Aug. 25 (Varsity/JV) at home against Garces.
	The Tehachapi Warriors Booster Club has RESERVED green seats on the 50 yard line.  Current green seat holders have the option to keep or relinquish their seats. Open green seats for the 2006-2007 football season will be sold in the form of a lottery.  You must be a 2006-2007 booster member to purchase green seats and be present at the lottery.  Green seats are sold for $10 per seat.  The green seat lottery will be held on, Tuesday, August 15th, at 6:00 pm the Tehachapi High School football field's north snack bar.  For more information please call Lisa Lopez at 822-9788.
	Be sure to tune in frequently to get the latest new, highlights, and commentary!  Be sure to check out the Central Valley Sports chat room forum at some point this year...and don't forget to follow statistical highlights on all Warrior sports on maxpreps.  On maxpreps, a link to each Tehachapi sport can be found by scrolling on the left-hand side of the page. Thanks to all of you for logging in and supporting Tehachapi High School Warrior athletics!  Keep loging on to this page throughout the season for highlights and commentary!

Questions?  Concerns?  Corrections?  Send Tom Shea an email, he'd like to hear from you.