1977-78 Warriors

League Record: 10-3 (15-8 Overall)

The 1977-78 Warriors include, left to right, Art Vasquez, Bob Wonacott, Vince McLaughlin, Scott Shelton, Jeff Line, Kevin Austin,
John Villacana, Tim Smithson, James Villacana, John Rolin, Bobby Carll, and Kurt Beerline.


Warriors Finish 2nd In DIL To Champion Bishop
MVP Jeff Line Earns 1st Team All-DIL Honors

Under sixth year coach Bill Carll, the 1977-78 Warriors tied for second place in the rugged Desert-Inyo League (DIL) along with Desert High School.

For Tehachapi, it was their seventh straight season of having a winning record --- finishing 10-3 in DIL play and 15-8 overall.
The Warriors also advanced to the post-season playoffs for the fifth consecutive year.

Throughout the season, the Warriors were consistently led by forwards Jeff Line (6'2"), John Villacana (6'1"), center Tim Smithson (6'2"),
and guards Vince McLaughlin, Scott Shelton, and John Rolin.

The 1977-78 Warriors had a competitive December schedule of non-league contests, finishing 5-4 before the new year began. On the positive side,
the Warriors won the annual Rosamond Invitational Tournament defeating Trona, Desert, and host Rosamond. Jeff Line was selected the
MVP of the tournament and was joined by Scott Shelton and James Villacana on the all-tournament team.

Games were a little more challenging at the annual Fillmore Tournament as Tehachapi finished 1-2, defeating host Fillmore for their only victory.
In the annual Kern County Tournament, the Warriors dropped two straight games to Kern Valley and North Bakersfield.

In league play, Tehachapi rolled to a perfect 7-0 start and seemed destined to repeat as league champions. But long time rival Bishop easily
defeated the Warriors, 58-41, dropping Tehachapi into second place at 7-1. The Warriors suffered two more crushing losses in league
play late in the season to Desert and Rosamond

In the post-season CIF Southern Section 1A playoffs, the Warriors traveled to Rosemead and played Cathedral LA on a neutral court.
The overall team heighth of Cathedral proved too much for Tehachapi, as Cathedral defeated the Warriors, 70-50. Jeff Line led Tehachapi with 20 points.

Line and Smithson were the leading scorers and rebounders on the team, and both were awarded with all-league 1st team selections.
Line was also selected the Most Valuable Player of the team by the coaching staff. Line scored 182 points in DIL play for a 14.0 scoring average per game.
Overall, Line scored just over 330 points (23 games) for the season. Smithson scored approximately 240 points for the season (23 games) for a 10.4 season scoring average.


Click Here For
LISTING OF DIL CHAMPS
FROM 1958-1992


Game-by-Game Results

 Non-League Play
OPPONENTTHSOPPLLEADING SCORER(S)
Dec 1Trona ## 56 44ATim Smithson: 12 pts
Dec 2Desert (Edwards AFB) ## 61 48AJeff Line: 17 pts
Dec 3Rosamond ## 56 51ATim Smithson: 12 pts
Dec 6Kern Valley (Lake Isabella)   65 52ATim Smithson: 23 pts
Dec 20Fillmore ## 62 52ATim Smithson: 18 pts
Dec 21Nordhoff (Ojai) ## 52 77ATim Smithson: 12 pts
Dec 22Santa Paula ## 56 69AJames Villacana: 16 pts
Dec 28Kern Valley (Lake Isabella)  ## 45 46ATim Smithson: 13 pts
Dec 29North Bakersfield ## 38 51AJeff Line: 13 pts

Desert-Inyo League Play
OPPONENTTHSOPPLLEADING SCORER(S)
Dec 15Mojave * 60 47ATim Smithson: 16 pts
Dec 16Desert (Edwards AFB) * 52 42HJeff Line: 12 pts
Jan 6Mammoth * 66 53HTim Smithson: 19 pts
Jan 7Trona * 64 37AJeff Line: 16 pts
Jan 11Lone Pine * 55 51ATim Smithson: 12 pts
Jan 16Boron * 67 30HTim Smithson: 17 pts
Jan 20Rosamond * 61 42AJeff Line: 16 pts
Jan 24Bishop * 41 58AScott Shelton: 10 pts
Jan 27Kern Valley (Lake Isabella)  * 59 48HTim Smithson: 19 pts
Jan 31Desert (Edwards AFB) * 56 66AJeff Line: 26 pts
Feb 3Mojave * 53 39HJeff Line: 21 pts
Feb 7Rosamond * 26 28HJeff Line: 11 pts
Feb 9Boron * 56 55AJeff Line: 25 pts

## Rosamond Tournament     ## Fillmore Tournament      ## Kern County Tournament     * League Game

CIF Southern Section 1A Playoffs
OPPONENTTHSOPPLLEADING SCORER(S)
Feb 17Cathredal (LA) 50 70NJeff Line: 20 pts

The 1977-78 Warrior leaders include Jeff Line on the left and Tim Smithson on the right. The Tehachapi - Bishop game was played in Bishop, won by the eventual league champion Broncos, 58-41.
Line and Smithson earned 1st team all-league honors; Line was named the team Most Valuable Player. Photographs provided by Cindy Dodd Tomasulo.



BACK TO WARRIOR HISTORY PAGE