Tehachapi at Garces (Bakersfield)
September 11, 2009
Warrior running back Jesse Olofson (above) had a tremendous game against Garces rushing for 166 yards and 4 TD's.
The Warriors defeated the Rams 27-6 to claim the Ogilvie Bowl III trophy. Photo by The Bakersfield Californian.
Posted September 12, 2009 by Zach Ewing, The Bakersfield Californian Warriors Find the Right Mix Against The Rams
Jesse Olofson took the handoff as a decoy sprinted to the right, then burst through Garces' defensive line and dragged defenders through the secondary for a big gain.
Hitting the 100-yard mark? Check. Icing the game? Coming right up. Proving that Tehachapi will be just fine and dandy with its replacement running backs? You bet.
A few carries later, Olofson jaunted three yards into the end zone to effectively clinch Tehachapi's 27-6 victory at Garces' Sam Tobias Field on Friday night.
"That's us," Olofson said. "We keep rolling, never go down. It always feels nice to have a couple of bodies on you."
The 28-yard carry during the drive was typical Tehachapi -- deception, speed and toughness turned into success -- and it gave Olofson his second straight 100-yard game and helped the defending Division III Central Section champions improve to 2-0, even with the graduation of stud backs Josh Strauss and Adam Mullen.
"Those two kids we had last year were two of the better running backs we've had for years," 28th-year Tehachapi coach Steve Denman said. "But Jesse came in and stepped up, Clark has stepped up ... It's going to be four or five guys. We just have to continue to mix it up."
Last year, Mullen and Strauss both went over 1,300 yards rushing for a 10-4 team that beat Hanford for the school's second straight D-III title. This year's team is less experienced but apparently just as dangerous.
"A lot of it has to do with that coaching staff over there," Garces coach David Fanucchi said. "They don't just have great teams; they have (a) great program. And great programs continue to have great teams. That's why they keep having guys every year."
Garces (0-1) struck first, on the first drive of the game, with a balanced 67-yard march that ended with Grant Campbell's 3-yard touchdown run. Tehachapi answered right back with Olofson's 8-yard score on a fourth-and-inches play.
Both teams had extra-point problems, and the defenses owned the next two quarters. Finally, Tehachapi broke through. It converted a first-and-30 with the help of a 25-yard pass from Chris Rush to Olofson, then banged in the go-ahead touchdown with 3:28 left in the third quarter.
"That pass play was the key play for us," Denman said. "And then after that, we played good defense."
From there, Tehachapi beared down. Olofson's run sparked the next TD drive, and, forced to pass, Garces quarterback Blake Campbell was sacked twice and intercepted twice after halftime.
"All week we talked about we couldn't come out and make those first-game mistakes against a team like Tehachapi," said Fanucchi, whose team had three costly turnovers. "And at times, we played like a team playing its first game."
About the only unclear aspect of Tehachapi's dominant second half was what it makes the all-time tally between the teams. A Warriors fan would tell you it's now 18-17-2 for Tehachapi, counting a 1946 victory against St. Francis High School, a parochial academy that was replaced by Garces a year later. But Garces keeps its own history separate from St. Francis and so counts the series at 17-17-2.
Either way, Friday was the first time this group of Tehachapi seniors had defeated Garces since youth football. And it felt good for the guys who have reloaded Tehachapi.
"The best thing about the last two years is that we watched and saw how it was done," Olofson said. "We know what to do."
Warrior running back Max Clark stiff arms a Garces defender enroute to his first 100+ yard rushing game as a running back.
The Warriors defeated Garces at Sam Tobias Field in Bakersfield, 27-6. Photo by The Bakersfield Californian.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Tehachapi 6 0 7 14 27 Garces 6 0 0 0 06
The Scoring:
Gar -- Campbell 3 yd. run (PAT kick failed) 7:46
Teh -- Olofson 8 yd. run (PAT kick failed) 0:38
Third Quarter:
Teh -- Olofson 3 yd. run (Reimer PAT kick) 3:28
Fourth Quarter:
Teh -- Olofson 3 yd. run (Reimer PAT kick) 10:00
Teh -- Olofson 1 yd. run (Reimer PAT kick) 1:41
THS vs GHS STATS
THS GHS First Downs 17 10 Rushes-Yards 51-280 28-71 Passing Yards 40 106 Comp-Att-Int 3-4-0 11-16-2 Total Yards 320 177 Punts 2-33.5 2-31.5 Fumbles-Lost N/A N/A Penalties 13-120 5-53
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING--Tehachapi: Olofson 30-166, Clark 18-106, Rush 2-5, Maravigli 1-3.
Garces: G Campbell 10-41, Puente 8-34, Sykes 6-10, B Campbell 3- (-11).
PASSING--Tehachapi: Rush 3-4-0, 40 yards. Garces: B Campbell 11-16-2, 106 yards
RECEIVING--Tehachapi: Olofson 1-25, Maravigli 2-15.
Garces: Sykes 4-30, Sumlin 3-21, Puente 1-34, Anspach 1-6, G Campbell 1-3.
Varsity – Tehachapi (2-0), Garces (0-1)
Junior Varsity - Tehachapi 29 Garces 0
Frosh - Tehachapi 0 Garces 20
