Tehachapi at Arvin Bears
Friday, October 24, 2003
Arvin running back Hector Velasquez fakes out Tehachapi defensive back Bryan Frank and linebacker Josh Lange.
(Photo by Roger Hornback, Special to the Californian)
Tehachapi Topples Arvin, 17-13
ARVIN -- Before the start of the season, Tehachapi High's trip to Arvin seemed like a lopsided matchup, let alone a game that would help decide the South Sequoia League football crown.
But both teams entered Friday undefeated in league play, and the 2003 incarnation of the hard-luck Bears gave the Warriors all they could handle before Tanner Hutchinson imposed himself on his hosts.
Hutchinson was key in a monster scoring drive that chewed time off the clock and put Tehachapi ahead for good in the third quarter as the Warriors edged Arvin 17-13 at Frank Barle Stadium.
"We came out in the second half pumped because we needed this game if we were going to have a shot at winning league," Hutchinson said. "We stopped doing all that fancy stuff and went right at them. The blocking was good and there were some big holes for me."
Trailing 13-10 after the half and starting at its own 12-yard line, Tehachapi (3-0 SSL, 5-3 overall) put together a 13-play, 88-yard scoring drive that took more than six minutes off the clock, culminating in a Hutchinson 29-yard touchdown run.
"We told our kids that (Arvin) was going to come out with a lot of emotion," Tehachapi coach Steve Denman said. "In the third quarter, we got our act together and controlled the ball and the clock. We went back to basics."
The Bears (2-1 SSL, 4-4 overall) had a chance late in the game even with horrible field position on their own three. A pass interference call with just more than two minutes in the game spurred the Arvin charge, moving the ball to its 25. The Bears went as far as the Warriors' 44 before a fourth-and-six pass attempt by quarterback Jose Tamayo fell harmlessly to the turf, turning the ball over to Tehachapi with only 42 seconds to play.
"The game against Highland that we lost earlier in the season really hurt because the kids had practiced so hard," Arvin coach Edgar Mares said. "It was like death around here.
"After we beat South and then Ridgeview, the team started gaining confidence every week. We just made too many mistakes tonight."
Arvin's recovery from an 0-9-1 campaign in 2002 this season is nothing short of amazing, but the Bears had no answer for Hutchinson, his offensive line and teammate Kris Haycock.
Haycock, playing quarterback, kicker, punter and defensive back, marched the Warriors down the field on their opening possession and kicked a 27-yard field goal to open the scoring.
"That was the first field goal we kicked all season," Haycock said. "It felt great, and I was excited to know that it helped make the difference tonight."
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| Tehachapi | 10 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
| Arvin | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Teh - Haycock 27 FG
Teh - Hutchinson 8 run (Haycock kick)
2nd Quarter
Arv - Tamayo 1 run (Diaz kick)
Arv - Tamayo 2 run (kick failed)
3rd Quarter
Teh - Hutchinson 29 run (Haycock kick)
| THS | AHS | |
| First Downs | 14 | 9 |
| Rushes-Yards | 51-203 | 28-65 |
| Passing Yards | 58 | 65 |
| Comp-Att-Int | 4-9-2 | 6-18-2 |
| Total Yards | 261 | 130 |
| Punts | 4-26.0 | 5-32.6 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 1-1 | 1-0 |
| Penalties | 6-60 | 5-55 |
Individual Statistics:
Rushing, Tehachapi: Hutchinson 34-168, Clark 3-5, Haycock 4-(-3), Wright 3-11, Lange 7-22. Arvin: Velasquez 16-64, Tamayo 5-(-14), Reyes 6-16, Lopez 1-(-1).
Passing, Tehachapi: Haycock 4-9-2-58. Arvin: Tamayo 6-18-2-65.
Receiving, Tehachapi: Wright 2-41, Papac 1-11, Lange 1-6. Arvin: Jones 1-4, Lopez 4-69, Reyes 1-(-8).
Varsity -- Tehachapi (3-0 SSL, 5-3 overall), Arvin (2-1 SSL, 4-4 overall).
JV --Tehachapi 34, Arvin 12. (Tehachapi, 3-0 SSL, 7-1 overall)
Frosh -- Tehachapi 14, Arvin 14. (Tehachapi, 1-1-1 SSL, 4-3-1 overall