Tehachapi at Bakersfield Christian (Bakersfield)
September 16, 2016
Warrior defender Carson Bethany (#11) brings down a Bakersfield Christian player Friday night in Bakersfield. The Warriors dropped their third straight
road game to the Eagles, a last minute 14-7 loss. The Warriors return home this Friday night with another tough opponent in Paraclete, a 49-27 winner
over Burroughs. The last 0-3 start by a Warrior team was in 1941 --- and a first for a Denman coached team. Photo by The Bakersfield Californian.
Posted on September 17, 2016 by John Nelson, The Tehachapi News Warriors Return To Home Looking For Win #1
The Warriors are 0-3, and guess what time it is. It's time to go home. Finally.
Despite an historically slow start, the Warriors will not be coming home with their tails between their legs, however.
“It's been a tough preseason. We told them that. These are championship caliber teams we've lost to,” head coach Steve Denman said.
“But we're going in the right direction. A few mistakes cost us, but we're improving. We just have to stay positive, and we'll be OK.”
The Warriors third straight loss to start the season – something they haven't done in their 35 years under Denman – came Friday night, Sept. 16 at Bakersfield Christian.
The Eagles recovered a Warriors fumble on their own 10-yard line with 2:14 left in the game and, seven plays later, scored on a 17-yard touchdown pass with 39 second left for a 14-7 victory.
The loss made the Warriors 0-3 for the first time since their 1941 team went 0-8, at the same time leaving Denman still five victories away from the 300 career plateau.
“I don't even want to think about that,” Denman said. “I just want one.”
Now, after three straight road games to start the season – at Burroughs, at Garces and at Bakersfield Christian – the Warriors finally open at home against Paraclete on Friday night, Sept. 23.
“Paraclete is another one of those private schools that's done very well, like Garces and Bakersfield Christian,” Denman said. “They haven't had great seasons the last couple of years, but I'm sure we'll have to play well to beat them.”
They played well enough to beat Bakersfield Christian – almost.
The Warriors went ahead of the Eagles 7-0 in the first quarter on a 5-yard touchdown run by Tyler Metzler, set up by a interception and 38-yard return by Troy Noda to the Eagles 31-yard line.
Quarterback Paul Stephens had a 21-yard bootleg to the 5 on the play before Metzler's TD.
Bakersfield Christian tied the score 7-7 in the second quarter when Braden Wingle hit Jeremiah Foster with a 5-yard scoring pass. Wingle wound up completing 30 of 36 pass attempts for a career high 377 yards and two touchdowns.
“Pass defense is something we need to work on,” Warriors linebacker Jackson Caudle said. “These Bakersfield teams have more kids to choose from, they're bigger, they have more talent – and we just have to step it up.”
Tehachapi had a long drive stall on the Eagles 32 in a scoreless third quarter, then put together its most impressive drive of the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Connor Timm ran the ball eight times during the 12-play drive as the Warriors marched from their own 20 to the Eagles 10 with the players on the sideline shouting “Warriors on the grind.”
With the clock ticking down to the two-minute mark, Timm slashed to his left, crashed through the line, and the ball came loose, recovered by Elyhah Chester of Bakersfield Christian.
“We had a positive drive going, and the ball popped out and there it all went,” Timm said. “We'll just have to play harder next week – and I have to hold onto the ball.”
Wingle completed five passes on the winning drive, including a 32-yarder to Foster to midfield and the game-winner on a slant pattern over the middle to Foster once again, covering 17 yards.
A Hail Mary pass by Warriors backup quarterback Chris Garcia with 14 seconds to play was intercepted, and the Eagles took a knee to let the clock run out.
The Paraclete game begins a stretch of four in a row at home for the Warriors. They have one more preseason game against North on Friday, Sept. 30, then begin South Yosemite League play against Independence and East Bakersfield on the next two Friday nights.
Like Tehachapi, Paraclete started 0-3 but won its fourth game on Friday night, Sept. 16 – 42-27 over Burroughs, a team that beat Tehachapi 22-14 in Week One.
“It'll be good to get home,” Caudle said. “We know our town wants a win, and we're hoping we can play some good old mountain football and get one for them.”
Warrior defender Jason Caudle (55) tracks down a BCHS Eagle running back Friday night in Bakersfield. The Eagles defeated the Warriors, 14-7.
Tehachapi will play their first home game of he season this Friday night against a tough Paraclete team (that defeated Burroughs). Photo by The Bakersfield Californian.
Posted by Jeff Evans, The Bakersfield Californian, on September 16, 2016. Eagles Edge Warriors With Late TD
Jeremiah Foster and Braden Wingle were all the offense Bakersfield Christian needed Friday night.
Wingle was 30 of 36 passing for a career-high 377 yards with Foster catching two touchdown passes, including the game-winner with 39 seconds remaining,
to give BCHS a 14-7 non-league win over Tehachapi.
“I’m glad they trusted me with it,” said Foster. “It was a great throw. Braden Wingle is a great quarterback.”
Tehachapi (0-3) had a chance. The Warriors drove to the BCHS 10-yard line but Connor Timm fumbled with 2:14 left and BCHS’ Elyhah Chester recovered.
“That’s big time,” BCHS coach Darren Carr said of the game-winning, 90-yard drive. “When you get in times like that you want to see if the kids respond. They finished. That’s what you want to see.”
As for the fumble, Carr said: “We told our guys to keep fighting. You don’t know what will happen. I still don’t know what happened, if he lost it or someone hit it out.
Wingle completed a 31-yard pass to Foster that gave the Eagles a first down at midfield. Two more completions got it close, and Wingle hit Foster in stride in the end zone.
It was 7-7 at halftime. Tehachapi scored on Tyler Metzler’s 5-yard run with 6:26 left in the first quarter, which was set up by Troy Noda’s interception and 67-yard return to the Eagles’ 30.
BCHS (3-1) tied it on Wingle’s first TD pass to Foster, a 5-yard play, with 2:54 left in the second quarter.
Timm had 126 rushing yards on 19 carries for the Warriors.
Denman remains at 295 career wins.
“I don’t even want to think about that,” Denman said of his march toward 300. “I just want one.”
Denman added: “We could be 2-1 as well as 0-3. The same thing happened against Burroughs. We were right there and we fumbled inside the 5 with two or three minutes left.
Same thing happened tonight. We got down there, it was a big swing. They got momentum and scored. You’ve got to hand it to them.
“Little things are killing us now. We’ll be fine.”
Carr praised Tehachapi’s performance.
“That coach has been there a long time for a reason,” Carr said. “He had a tremendous game plan for us. He made us work really hard. Kudos to them.”
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Tehachapi 7 0 0 0 07 BCHS 0 7 0 7 14
The Scoring:
First quarter
T—Metzler 5 run (Graham kick)
Second quarter
BCHS—Foster 5 pass from Wingle (De Los Santos kick)
Fourth quarter
BCHS—Foster 17 pass from Wingle (De Los Santos kick)
Tehachapi vs BCHS Stats
THS BCHS First Downs Rushes-Yards 50-187 17-32 Passing Yards 5 383 Comp-Att-Int 1-6-3 29-35-2 Total Yards 192 415 Punts 3-31.0 0-0.0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1 Penalties
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING—Tehachapi: Timm 19-126, Podratz 10-30, Garcia 5-30, Stephens 4-15, Powell 5-11, Mata 2-3, Metzler 4-3, Team 1-(-5).
BCHS: Figures 10-25, Wingle 4-6, Gaines 1-2, Holloway 2-(-1).
PASSING—Tehachapi: Stephens 1-4-1-5, Garcia 0-2-2-0. BCHS: Wingle 29-35-2-383
RECEIVING—Tehachapi: Metzler 1-5. BCHS: Foster 8-159, Figures 10-101, Wallace 5-74, Jimenez 3-31, Holloway 2-5, Balfanz 1-13.
Varsity Records: Bakersfield Christian 3-1; Tehachapi 0-3.
JV: BCHS 19, Tehachapi 07.
Frosh: Rosamond JV 48, Tehachapi 13.
