TIGER TAMERS Warriors clinch share of SSL title with Wasco victory

WEEKLY WARRIOR BROUGHT TO YOU BY...

CLICK ON LOGO TO ENTER THEIR SITE

Posted 10-27-07

MOUNTAIN MEDIA VIDEO
Game-By-Game Video Highlights

TEHACHAPI NEWS - The top seeded team in the CIF Division III polls continued to show their force last Friday in a 34-6 drubbing over Wasco.

With the win, Tehachapi (8-1; 4-0 SSL) won their sixth South Sequoia League title since joining the central section league in 1992, and can win the title out-right with a victory against Bakersfield Christian this week.

The Warriors started out the contest with two straight three-and-outs against Wasco, but came alive in the second quarter with a 39-yard touchdown run by Adam Mullen and a 25-yard run by Kelly Lorenz to take a 14-0 lead. Both runners paced the Warrior offense for most of the game, with Lorenz finishing with 117 yards on 15 carries and Mullen taking eight attempts for 105 yards.

Wasco was able to mount two drives that reached the Warrior red zone, but a Franky Rodriguez interception that forced a touchback and a turnover on downs by the Mountain Defense kept the Tigers scoreless.

Josh Strauss put the finishing touches on the victory in the third and fourth quarters, scoring two touchdowns of 25 and 5 yards and finishing with 69 yards rushing overall.

Midway through the fourth quarter Tehachapi put in the second offensive unit, and Will Clark too the first play from scrimmage 54 yards for a touchdown to help Tehachapi go up, 34-0.

Wasco countered the score with a touchdown on their final drive of the night with a three-yard touchdown run.

Josh Schulgen also recorded an interception for Tehachapi, while Franky Rodriguez also recovered a fumble in first-half action.

In other league games, Bakersfield Christian lost a 42-14 decision to Taft to help Tehachapi clinch at least a share of the SSL title.

Bakersfield Christian (8-1; 3-1 SSL) will venture to the Mountain this Friday in an attempt to grab a share of the championship. Taft (8-1; 3-1 SSL), also has an outside chance to get a league title, but they will need Bakersfield Christian to win and defeat Arvin to potentially force a three-way title share. Arvin defeated Shafter 16-6 last Friday night.

Hit and Fly!

MOUNTAIN MEDIA VIDEO
Game-By-Game Video Highlights

	FOOTBALL ROUNDUP: Indians can clinch share of title this Thursday Junior Varsity Football: Wasco 39, Tehachapi 0 Phil Rhodes led the Tehachapi Braves with 55 yards on nine carries and Zach Maravigli hauled in a 21 yard reception for one of Tehachapi’s six first downs, but the undefeated Wasco junior varsity team was too strong in the end in a defeat on the road. A plethora of Braves (1-3 SSL) had big nights on defense, led by Austin Herman and Matt Santos with six tackles each, and Jesse Olofson, John Cramer and Nick Howell with five takedowns apiece. Zach Maravigli also recorded a quarterback sack in the first half. Freshman Football: Wasco 28, Tehachapi 0 After riding high on a three-game win streak, the Indians dropped their first league game of the season in a 28-0 loss to Wasco last Thursday afternoon. Despite the loss, Tehachapi (3-1 SSL) is still in position to grab at least a share of the SSL title this week should they record a victory over Bakersfield Christian (0-4 SSL). Wasco orchestrated their double-wing offense to perfection against the Indians, racking up 229 yards of rushing offense in the first half alone to go into the locker-room with a 20-0 lead. The Indian defense stiffened in the second half however, with Tehachapi relinquishing only three first downs overall on three separate series by the Tigers. Tehachapi was able to move the ball against Wasco, recording 206 rushing yards overall in the game, led by Trevon Harris, who had 112 yards on 16 carries. Michael Lowder, Levi Garrett, and Phil Rhodes combined for 77 yards to couple Harris’s effort. On defense, Tanner Etherton recorded nine tackles, while Travis Farewell and Michael Lowder had eight tackles and Gabe Goodwin had six takedowns. Dustin Brown, Tyler Holstrom, Cameron King, Brandon Brown, and Kash Knudson all had multiple tackles for the Indians.
	Tehachapi is second in the Central Section in interceptions (15) and second in overall team rushing (2,713). Bakersfield and Selma are the top teams in each respective category.
	Mountain Football can most likely claim a no.1 seed in the Division III playoffs should they defeat Bakersfield Christian at Coy Burnett Field. It will not be an easy task, with top passer Jake Peterson (1,534 yards) and receivers Colby Herron, Keith Hough, and Mitch Illingworth looking to test the Mountain Defense secondary, while Christian Taylor (985 yards rushing) is a formidable force in the backfield.
	Taking a peak at D-III... Delano made a strong statement for Division III playoff seeding implications in a 14-12 win over Tulare Western. The Tigers (5-4; 2-3 EYL) could be a strong dark-horse team in the playoffs at the conclusion of a very competitive East Yosemite League season. Garces also had a strong showing in a loss against Liberty-Bakersfield (48-28), and Washington Union had an impressive 58-30 win over Dos Palos. Washington Union (6-3; 4-0 NSL) is projected to enter the playoffs with the North Sequoia League championship, with their only defeats this year coming from Atascadero, Sunnyside, and Kingsburg. On another note...Tehachapi's lone loss on the year is to Righetti-Santa Maria, who just last Friday defeated Atascadero 21-13. In normal circumstances this wouldn't be significant for Tehachapi, but when you consider that Atascadero beat a couple D-III title frontrunners in Dinuba 42-0 and Washington Union 42-22, it says a lot about Tehachapi. Looking at the numbers, the Warriors are arguably now on par with Atascadero competitively because of their pre-season 21-19 loss to Righetti. These revelations should play a big role on where to gage the Warriors for the playoffs come seeding time.
	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!

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