SPRING IS IN THE AIR Defending CIF champions begin off-season training

TORCH BEARER - With Ehren Ochsenrider lost to graduation, the QB job early on belongs to soon-to-be senior Kurtis Knudson, who saw limited action in 2007. Knudson guided the Braves program in 2006 to an 8-2 overall record and is known for a quick release and good scrambling ability. --Photo by Michael Duffy, Summit Photography

Posted 06-01-08

TEHACHAPI NEWS - Expectations are high and early indications show great promise for the 2008 Mountain Football squad.

Coming off the school’s ninth section title last year and an impressive 12-1 (5-0 SSL) campaign, the hunger to win seems apparent from the near 100 athletes that have flooded the field for the upcoming football season.

“We have a great group. We have guys that tasted success last year and have an opportunity to fill leadership roles for us this season,” said head coach Steve Denman. “We have a lot of talent, and with that come great expectations.”

The feature area for Tehachapi will be a vested group on the offensive line, with four starters set to return in Kevin Ruiz, Vince Ortiz, Dominic Chavarria, and Drew Howell. With only the center from last season’s championship team lost to graduation, the hogs up front may be one of the Warrior’s strong suits heading into the new year.

Also returning are the 1-2 punch of Josh Strauss and Adam Mullen, who each had over 1,000 yards rushing and receiving last season, and a combined 27 touchdowns.

“So far we have been happy with the way things have gone, with a lot of guys returning it makes the transition that much better. There will be plenty of opportunities for guys to step up and play big roles for us this season, nothing is decided yet,” added Denman.

Taking first team snaps for Mountain Football at quarterback has been Kurtis Knudson, who saw limited action last season but was a lethal force at the junior varsity ranks in 2006 with his quick arm and scrambling ability.

On defense, Tehachapi returns a core group of linebackers in Garrett Coontz (second in tackles last season with 110), Derek Lange and Jason Hail, while Joey Hack and John Cramer are looked to get in on the mix as well. The defensive backfield should also be stout with JJ Balkar, Justin Hansen, Zach Maravigili, Brennen Davis, and Robert Siegmund just a few names marking a great deal of depth.

The lineman on both offense and defense feature a great deal of talent, with Bo Mixon and Steve Brass showing promise in the scrum while Geo Higareda, Matt Bloom, Tyler Guyon, Travis Hall, Eric Harroun, John King, Luke Mears, Gene Wahlstrom, and Dylan Fralick will all be looked upon to keep the Tehachapi tradition of a strong front.

Upcoming events for Tehachapi include the Golden State Offensive Football (Wing-T) camp on June 20-22 at the Benz-Visco Youth Football Fields, a Warrior-to-Tomahawk Youth Football clinic on June 23-25, and the fourth-of-July pancake breakfast fundraiser at City Park. The public is encouraged to attend all events.

Hit and Fly!

	Ochsenrider and Taliulu play in the "Edge Arena" Bowl VI Representing Tehachapi in the Blitz Bowl a couple of months were a couple of local big names in Ehren Ochsenrider and Alek Taliulu, who closed out their senior season with a trip to the Kern County all-star game...played arena style. The talnted QB and LB were major cogs in the Warriors 12-1 CIF championship season in 2007, with Taliulu leading Tehachapi with 131 tackles and Ochsenrider finishing with 48 completions, 816 yards, and 12 touchdowns in his final year. Taliulu and Ochsenrider both plan on playing football in college, with Taliulu narrowing his choices down to Nevada-Reno, Northern Arizona, and San Jose State, and Ochsenrider set to attend Allen Hancock. Both players join former Tehachapi alumni Bob DiRado and Matt Whitlock in 2003, Tanner Hutchinson and Tyler McCann in 2004, Mike Faulkner and Trenton Pera in 2005, Ralph Curiel and Mike Papac in 2006, and Louis James and AJ Meza in 2007 as participants in the Bakersfield Arena All-Star game.
	Tehachapi OWNS the SSL! Tehachapi officially has made their claim as the most dominant program in the South Sequoia League in 2007-2008, wrapping up their 15th league championship with girls swimming. The closest competitor to Tehachapi in the overall SSL title race in 2007-2008 was Bakersfield Christian, who garnered nine titles overall, followed by Taft with eight titles overall. Winning team titles in 2007-2008 were Boys Varsity Football, Boys Freshmen Football, Girls Junior Varsity Cross Country, Boys Junior Varsity Cross Country, Boys Junior Varsity Tennis, Girls Junior Varsity Tennis, Boys Junior Varsity Basketball, Girls Varsity Basketball, Girls Junior Varsity Basketball, Boys Varsity Wrestling, Boys Junior Varsity Wrestling, Girls Varsity Soccer, Girls Junior Varsity Soccer, Girls Varsity Swimming, and Girls Junior Varsity Softball. Congratulations to ALL athletes this season for making Tehachapi the #1 school in the SSL!
	Be sure to tune in frequently to get the latest new, highlights, and commentary!  Be sure to check out the 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!