Burroughs (Ridgecrest) at Tehachapi
September 4, 2015
Warrior linebacker Thomas Blewett recovers a first half fumble as the Warriors went on to defeat Burroughs 7-0 in the home opener
Friday night, September 4. The Warriors (2-0) host Centennial (1-1) this Friday night in Tehachapi. Photo by Michael Duffy, TBC Media Group.
Posted on September 5, 2015 by Tom John Nelson, The Tehachapi News Warriors Top Burros 7-0 In
Defensive Thriller In Home Opener
It was the final play of the final drive of a last-ditch effort to spoil the Tehachapi Warriors’ home opener, and Angel Garcia was having none of it.
In a play that exemplified just how well the Warriors defense played against Burroughs, Garcia launched all 250 pounds of himself toward a bullet pass thrown by quarterback Austin Griffin. “I just reacted,” said Garcia, a senior linebacker and captain of the defense. “I was surprised. I never thought I'd get to the ball, but I did.” The ball grazed Garcia's fingertips and fell incomplete on the Warriors’ 5-yard line, turning the ball over on downs to Tehachapi with 49.5 seconds left to in the game.
With no timeouts left on either side, the Warriors ran out the clock, preserving a 7-0 victory over Burroughs Friday night, Sept. 4, in a game that hinged almost entirely on defense. “The defense definitely had our backs,” said quarterback Lars Olofson, who scored the game's only touchdown on a 1-yard sneak late in the first quarter. “They picked up our offense, for sure.”
For the Warriors’ offense, it was a litany of mistakes — drive-killing penalties, missed blocking assignments, blown plays in the backfield and a near total lack of a passing game.
Only once during the rest of the first half did the Warriors cross into Burroughs’ territory, and that was on a 45-yard run by Keyron Scott to the Burros’ 29-yard line midway through the second quarter. That drive stalled on a holding penalty. In the third quarter, another drive stalled on a penalty for an illegal block at the Burros’ 38 and a subsequent sack.
That's the closest the Warriors got to the goal line the rest of the way. “The offense sputtered,” head coach Steve Denman said, “but the defense played great the whole night long. This time of the season, the offense is always a little behind the defense. We've got all the pieces offensively. We just need to put them together.”
The defense came up huge for Tehachapi at least twice in the second half. With 23 seconds left in the third quarter, Burroughs faced a fourth-and-5 situation on the Warriors 9-yard line. Griffin, who passed for 146 yards in the game, dropped back but was forced to throw the ball away under pressure from a gang of Warriors defenders.
The Warriors stopped another Burroughs drive on the 28 with 4:36 left after linebacker Thomas Blewett sacked Griffin for a 5-yard loss. After a short Tehachapi punt, the Burros got the ball back one final time on the Warriors’ 30-yard line with 3:05 to play. Burroughs had an apparent touchdown called back on an illegal procedure penalty, and then the defense went to work.
Warriors linebacker Daniel Wight stopped Burroughs running back Matthew Sevaaetasi for a 3-yard loss at the 20 with 1:09 left, and an incomplete pass gave Burroughs a fourth-and-14 at the 20 with 49.5 seconds left. On the next play, the ninth of the drive, Griffin launched a rocket toward the end zone, intended for the sure-handed Sevaaetasi. Garcia saw the ball and, leaping fully outstretched, deflected it to the ground. “I just barely touched it, but thank God it was enough to get a no-catch,” Garcia said. “The offense had a rough time tonight, but they'll pick it up.”
Scott finished with 101 yards rushing on 16 carries for the Warriors, now 2-0. Olofson completed just one of six passing attempts for 32 yards to Troy Noda.
Next up, the Warriors face another tough foe at home, Centennial, on Friday night, Sept. 11. “Centennial is huge on both sides of the line, and that'll be a big test for us,” Denman said. “Our offense has got to do a better job. You can't go three-and-out against Centennial.”
Posted on September 4, 2015 by Tom Shea, The Bakersfield Californian Warriors 7 Burroughs 0
TEHACHAPI – Defense reigned supreme on the mountain, with the Warriors overcoming a late Burroughs surge to escape with a 7-0 win.
Tehachapi (2-0) recorded the lone score in the game in the first quarter when Lars Olofson plunged forward for a 1-yard touchdown run on a quarterback keeper. The play was set up off a 35-yard run by Noah Whitlach to set up the goal line score.
Whitlach finished with 72 yards rushing on 13 carries, while Keyron Scott paced Tehachapi’s ground game with 101 yards on 16 carries.
Defensively, the Warriors forced five turnover-on-downs. Daniel Wight recorded 10 tackles, followed by Thomas Blewett and Angel Garcia with seven tackles each.
Burroughs (0-2) nearly tied the game late in the fourth quarter when Ja’Von Johnson raced for a 30-yard touchdown run on a fourth down play. However, the run was called back on an illegal shift. Tehachapi eventually ended the game with a Garcia pass deflection in the secondary.
The Burros were led on offense by Austin Griffin, who had 18 completions for 146 yards. Griffin’s favorite targets were Mehki Ayers and Brandon Tate, who collectively combined for 13 receptions for 115 yards. Burroughs was led in the ground game by Tyler Watts, who had 59 yards rushing before leaving the game in the third quarter with a leg injury.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Burroughs 0 0 0 0 00 Tehachapi 7 0 0 0 07
The Scoring:
First Quarter Summary:
Teh -- Olofson 1 yard run (Lins kick)
Burroughs vs Tehachapi Stats
BHS THS First Downs 12 9 Rushes-Yards 20-98 37-159 Passing Yards 146 32 Comp-Att-Int 18-32-0 1-6-0 Total Yards 244 191 Punts 2-32.0 5-25.8 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1 Penalties 6-65 5-40
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING—Tehachapi: Scott 16-101, Whitlach 13-72, Macon 2-5, Olofson 6-(-19).
Burroughs: Watts 11-59, Johnson 4-21, Sevaaetasi 6-11, Griffin 6-3, Hernandez 1-2, Nelson 1-2.
PASSING—Tehachapi: Olofson 1-6-0 32. Burroughs: Griffin 18-32-0-146
RECEIVING—Tehachapi: Noda 1-32. Burroughs: Ayers 6-67, Tate 7-48, Abdul-Raheem 4-34, Johnson 1-(-3).
Varsity – Tehachapi (2-0), Burroughs (0-2)
Junior Varsity - Tehachapi 15 Burroughs 00
Frosh-Soph Game - Tehachapi 21 Burroughs 19
