North Bakersfield at Tehachapi
October 3, 2014
Tehachapi running back Noah Whitlach runs through North defenders in the first half. Tehachapi went on to defeat the Stars, 28-20.
Photo by Mark Nessia, The Tehachapi News.
Posted on October 6, 2014 by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News Comeback Win On Homecoming
Warriors Strong Second Half Seals Victory, 28-20
It was a tale of two halves at the homecoming game last Friday night.
A forgettable first half completely shifted to the home team's favor after intermission, with the Warriors rallying from a two-score deficit to record a 28-20 win over North High.
A pair of penalties erased a pair of long runs by Chris Rhodes and Willy Urciel in the first half, stymying the run-heavy Warrior offense from establishing any momentum early on. North took full advantage, going into halftime with a 12-0 lead.
Tehachapi (3-2) eventually got going on offense on their second possession of the third quarter, driving 70 yards down the field and capping the march with a three-yard Urciel touchdown run to cut North's lead, 12-7.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, the Warriors took their first lead of the game when Keyron Scott found some open room off tackle and raced 18 yards for a touchdown and a 14-12 advantage.
North answered Tehachapi's touchdown with one of their own on their next drive, converting two fourth downs and recovering a muffed punt to eventually register a three yard running score. After a successful two-point conversion, the Stars re-took the lead, 20-14.
On the ensuing kickoff, Caleb Huebner wasted little time in retaking the lead back for Mountain Football, picking up a squib kick and bolting 79 yards for a touchdown and a 21-20 THS advantage.
Urciel clinched the comeback win with a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, finishing with 60 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Nick Steele helped set up the short yardage touchdown with an interception deep in North territory.
Abraham Katona connected on all four point after attempts in the game. Katona also recorded three touchbacks on kickoffs along with a 47.3 yard average on three punts.
Rhodes also had a strong night, recording 84 yards rushing on 22 carries. Scott finished with 27 yards on four attempts and the fourth quarter touchdown.
With the win, the Warriors recorded their sixth-straight victory over North and now hold a 7-1 series lead over the Stars.
Tehachapi will open up league play at home this Friday night against Independence. Kickoff will be at 7:30 p.m.
Warrior Caleb Heubner #42 returned a kickoff 79 yards in the fourth quarter to give the Warriors a commanding
lead and eventual victory over the visiting North High Stars. (Photo courtesy Denise Rhodes.)
Posted on October 4, 2014, by Tom Shea, The Bakersfield Californian Tehachapi 28 North 20
Heubner Returns Kickoff 79 Yards For TD
At Tehachapi:
After spotting North a 12-0 halftime lead, the Warriors rallied in the second half for a 28-20 comeback win on their homecoming night.
--Willy Urciel helped Tehachapi (3-2) with two touchdowns in the second half and 60 yards rushing in the victory. Chris Rhodes also paced the Warriors with 81 yards on the ground.
--Keyron Scott registered the go-ahead score for the Warriors at the beginning of the fourth quarter on an 18-yard run to give the Warriors a 14-12 lead.
--North (2-4) came back to answer the touchdown on an 80-yard drive, completing two fourth down conversions and recovering a muffed punt, eventually capping the march with a Curtis Threlkeld 3-yard run. On the two-point conversion, quarterback Steven Twiss connected with Tony Jimenez to help the Stars retake the lead, 20-14.
--The Warriors special teams responded on the ensuing kickoff, with Caleb Heubner racing 79-yards to give Tehachapi back the lead, 21-20.
--Nick Steele intercepted a Twiss pass on the Stars’ next possession, setting up the an Urciel run to ice the game.
--Threlkeld led the Stars with 94 total yards rushing and receiving and three touchdowns. Tyler Gillmore also had 39 yards receiving on four receptions. Twiss finished with 12 completions for 112 yards.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final North 0 12 0 8 20 Tehachapi 0 0 7 21 28
The Scoring:
Second Quarter:
N - Threlkeld 9 run (kick failed)
N - Threlkeld 24 yard pass from Twiss (run failed)
Third Quarter:
T - Urciel 3 run (Katona kick)
Fourth Quarter:
T - Scott 18 yard run (Katona kick)
N - Threlkeld 3 yard run (Jimenez pass from Twiss)
T - Huebner 79 yard kickoff return (Katona kick)
T - Urciel 4 run (Katona kick)
Tehachapi vs North Stats
THS NHS First Downs 10 12 Rushes-Yards 45-177 26-65 Passing Yards 0 112 Comp-Att-Int 0-6-2 12-23-1 Total Yards 177 177 Punts 3-47.3 5-33.0 Fumbles-Lost 1-1 1-1 Penalties 11-100 10-105
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING — Tehachapi: Rhodes 22-81, Scott 4-27, Urciel 16-60, Whitlach 2-6, Steele 1-3.
North: Threlkeld 14-49, Twiss 10-10, Dillard 2-6.
PASSING — Tehachapi: Llamas 0-5-2-0, Whitlach 0-1-0-0; North: Twiss 12-23-1-112.
RECEIVING — Tehachapi: None; North: Threlkeld 4-45, Gillmore 4-39, Roberts 1-12, Pelhem 1-11, Davidson 2-5.
Varsity – Tehachapi (3-2), North (2-4)
Junior Varsity - Tehachapi 28 North 14
Frosh-Soph Game - Tehachapi 00 North 19
