Tehachapi at Bakersfield Christian
Friday, October 24, 2008
THS quarterback Kurtis Knudson, #2, set a school record passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns Friday against the Eagles.
Above, Knudson fades back as he scans the field for a receiver. Photo by Mike Duffy, The Tehachapi News
Posted October 27, 2008 by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News Eagles Escape The Warriors, 40-35
Knudsen Sets Single Game Passing Record
In a highly anticipated South Sequoia League showdown with Bakersfield Christian, a valiant effort by Tehachapi in the second half came just short in an eventual 40-35 loss on the road.
The Warriors found themselves behind 34-7 at the beginning of the third quarter, with the Eagles looking poised to run away with the league game in a rout. Tehachapi (3-4; 1-1 SSL) proceeded to outscore Bakersfield Christian 28-6 the rest of the way, refusing to quit down the stretch.
Mountain Football clawed back in the game by taking advantage of a bunched Eagle line-of- scrimmage defense that produced nine and 10-man fronts. The end result gave Tehachapi wide-open passing lanes on mid and short routes, with the final game stat tally giving the Warriors 305 yards through the air.
The passing mark set a new school record, with Kurtis Knudson collecting all 305 yards on 11 completions, breaking the 1992 record set by Joel Nash, who had 240 passing yards in a 23-0 victory over Wasco.
Mountain Football racked up 578 yards overall, with Josh Strauss leading the way with 203 yards receiving on six completions and 16 carries for 122 yards and two total touchdowns. Adam Mullen also had 126 yards on 21 attempts and two catches for 43 yards and three scores, while Garrett Coontz had a solid all around game by hauling in two completions and two long runs on kickoff returns for 99 total yards.
Despite the loss, the SSL title race is still wide-open with Bakersfield Christian still set to lock horns with Arvin and Taft, both considered league championship contenders along with the Warriors and Eagles.
Mountain Football will invade Taft (6-1; 2-0 SSL) this Friday night. With the win, Tehachapi can record the first win at Taft since 1999. Game will start at 7:30pm.
Jake Peterson of Bakersfield Christian makes a one-handed catch for a touchdown against Tehachapi
in the second quarter Friday night. Photo by Troy Harvey, The Bakersfield Californian
Posted October 24, 2008 by Zach Ewing, The Bakersfield Californian Eagles Hold Off Warriors In Slugfest
Carr throws for career-high 441 yards, 3 TDs
What was once an exhibition of the spread offense turned into a matter of survival Friday night for Bakersfield Christian.
Derek Carr threw for a career-high and school-record 441 yards and three touchdowns as BCHS held on for a 40-35 home victory against Tehachapi at Eagle Field.
The Eagles (6-1, 2-0 South Sequoia League) led 34-7 early in the third quarter before Tehachapi rallied, cutting the lead to as little as six midway through the fourth quarter.
"I wouldn't say nervous, but you do get anxious, because you wonder what they're going to come out and do," Carr said of a high-flying affair that puts BCHS atop the SSL with Taft. "That's what I'm so proud of everybody doing today. When we needed a play, everybody stayed calm."
Carr found five different receivers, all for at least two catches and 40 yards, and he had 248 passing yards at halftime. He found Jake Peterson for a 20-yard touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first half -- on a spectacular, one-handed catch by Peterson as he fell backwards -- and Colby Herron for a 25-yard score on the Eagles' first offensive play of the second half.
By that time, it was 34-7 with 10:52 to go in the third quarter, and it appeared the rout was on.
"The coaches got us really prepared for what defense they were going to come out in," Carr said. "We were just hoping they were going to come out in that 3-3 stack (with five defensive backs dropped into the secondary), and that's what they came out in. That opened up holes for us, created mismatches."
Tehachapi (3-4, 1-1), the defending SSL champion, adapted its running-oriented Wing-T attack into comeback mode, consistently finding receivers open over the middle of the field off of play action.
"They're a running team, and we didn't expect it," said BCHS' Herron, who finished with 11 catches for 145 yards and two touchdowns on offense. "We thought they were going to pass like five times the whole game."
The Warriors quickly scored on a 70-yard pass from Kurtis Knudson to Josh Strauss to cut the lead to 34-14, then got the ball back and, driven by two more long passes to Strauss, drove down for a 14-yard touchdown run by Adam Mullen to cut it to 34-21.
Mullen ran for 138 yards and two scores, and Strauss caught six passes for 203 yards and added 122 rushing yards. Knudson was 11-of-16 passing for 305 yards. For Bakersfield Christian, Jake Peterson caught 10 passes for 123 yards to add to Herron's total.
Tehachapi actually outgained BCHS 558-498, but the Warriors fumbled four times and turned the ball over on downs on another possession.
"We dug ourselves a hole in the first half, and that hurt," Tehachapi coach Steve Denman said. "When you have that many turnovers, that just kills you. But we played a great game; we just made a few more mistakes then they did."
The Warriors scored again to cut the lead to 34-28 with 7:48 to play, but then the BCHS offense got back on track. The Eagles scored in two plays -- a 51-yard strike down the sideline to Aryton Oliver and a 24-yard TD run from Christian Taylor.
Still, it wasn't enough. Tehachapi scored with 2:30 to play on Knudson's second touchdown pass, this one to Mullen, and cut the lead to 40-35.
BCHS' Marcus Hall recovered the ensuing onside kick, but instead of trying to kill the clock, the Eagles continued to pass -- effectively. They drove inside the Tehachapi 10-yard line before kneeling on the ball -- putting the brakes on a wild game.
"I've been saying all week that this was going to be a fun game," BCHS coach Doug Barnett said. "Whoever had the ball last was going have an opportunity to win. I didn't want to say that all week, but that's what it turned out to be."
ACTION AT BAKERSFIELD - Above left, a familiar sight on Friday night was 6'5" wide receiver Jake Peterson catching passes from Derek Carr.
Warrior Brennen Davis, #28, tries to track him down. Warrior Adam Mullen, right, follows his block enroute to another big night as both a runner and pass receiver. Photographs by Mike Duffy, The Tehachapi News
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Tehachapi 7 0 14 14 35 BCHS 13 14 7 6 40
The Scoring:
First Quarter Summary:
BCHS (10:45)- Herron 13 yd TD PASS from Carr (Howes PAT Kick Good)
BCHS (8:00)- Taylor 6 yd TD RUN (Howes PAT Kick Failed)
Teh (2:53)- Strauss 14 yd TD RUN (Reimer PAT Kick Good)
Second Quarter Summary:
BCHS (5:55)- Taylor 3 yd TD RUN (Howes PAT Kick Good)
BCHS (0:19)- Peterson 21 yd TD PASS from Carr (PAT Kick Good)
Third Quarter Summary:
BCHS (10:58)- Herron 25 yd TD PASS from Carr (Howes PAT Kick Good)
Teh (9:16)- Strauss 70 yd TD PASS from Knudson (Reimer PAT Kick Good)
Teh (2:57)- Mullen 14 yd TD RUN (Reimer PAT Kick Good)
Fourth Quarter Summary:
BCHS (7:12)- Taylor 24 yd TD RUN (Howes PAT Kick Blocked)
Teh (7:46)- Mullen 1 yd TD RUN (Reimer PAT Kick Good)
Teh (2:30)- Mullen 5 yd TD PASS from Knudson (Reimer PAT Kick Good)
THS vs BCHS STATS
THS BCHS First Downs Rushes-Yards 45-273 17-57 Passing Yards 305 441 Comp-Att-Int 11-16-0 30-41-1 Total Yards 578 498 Punts 0-0 2-N/A Fumbles-Lost 6-4 2-1 Penalties
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING--Tehachapi: Mullen 21-138, Strauss 16-122, Olofson 2-7, Knudsen 4-8, Balker 1-(-2); Bakersfield Christian: Taylor 16-79, Carr 4-23, Oliver 1-3
PASSING--Tehachapi: Knudson, 11-16-305-0; Bakersfield Christian: Carr, 30-41-441-1
RECEIVING--Tehachapi: Strauss 6-203, Coontz 2-54, Mullen 2-43; Bakersfield Christian: Herron 11-145, Peterson 10-123, Hall 4-48, Garrett 4-44, Oliver 3-81
Varsity – Tehachapi 3-4, Bakersfield Christian 6-1
JV — Tehachapi 23, Bakersfield Christian 0
Frosh – Tehachapi 45, Bakersfield Christian 7
