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1956 Warriors |
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Front row, left to right, 24 Pete Galan; 3 Manuel Perez; 5 Joe Elizondo; 1 Joe Muro; 6 Rudy Damian; 4 Larry Cortez; 17 Larry Martin; 11 Ruben Narez;
head coach Bernie Hill; middle row, 2 Keith Christy; 13 Carl Anderson; 16 Tom Killingsworth; 15 David Escoto; 23 Jerome Nathan; 10 Bill White;
18 Sal Terrazas; 22 Tom Smart; 12 Ken Carter; 19 unknown; back row, 8 Claude Hicks; 9 Bill Gassaway; 25 Dick Arnold; 14 Bill Blair; 20 Wesley Kutzner;
7 Bill Collins; 50 John Lasek; 53 Bruce Eiseman; and 41 Eddie Garcia.
Season Review by thswarriors.com Warriors Win Valley Championship!
Final 10-0 Season Log Best Since 1951
For only the second time in the school's history, the 1956 Warriors went undefeated by posting a perfect 10 win and 0 loss record.
The team played under unusual circumstances the whole season when they learned that the only way they would go to the Valley Playoffs
is if they went undefeated through the regular season. The Warriors were unknowingly dropped from the Sierra League in 1956
and were told they were an "independent team" about mid-way through the season. The Warriors responded in true championship form
by winning all of their remaining regular season contests. This lack of communication by Sierra League officials led to Tehachapi
joining the Mojave desert based Desert-Inyo League in 1957.
In Week 1, the Warriors defeated Desert High of Edwards AFB, 40-0. "Mr Inside" powerful Pete Galan scored 4 TD's and rushed for 100 yards.
"Mr Outside" speedy Ruben Narez also scored 1 TD and picked up 67 yards rushing versus the Scorpions.
In Week 2, Tehachapi blanked Trona, 38-0. Narez scored twice, rushing for 99 yards; Galan scored 1 TD, rushing for 52 yards; QB Tom Smart
passed for over 100 yards and scored 1 rushing TD.
In Week 3, the Warriors allowed their first TD of the year but still crushed McFarland, 48-7. The Warriors ammassed 252 yards rushing
as Narez scored 3 TD's rushing; Pete Galan added 2 TD's rushing; and back-up QB Joe Elizondo hit Killingsworth with a TD pass.
In Week 4, Tehachapi rushed for 178 yards and passed for 100 yards in a 20-0 shutout of Strathmore. Ruben Narez returned a fumble
60 yards for a TD; Galan powered his way to another running TD; and QB Smart connected with Gassaway for a 75 yard TD pass play.
One of the more satisfying victories of the season was a Week 5 thrashing of William S. Hart High School at Saugus-Newhall (now called Santa Clarita), 27-6.
Hart had a good football program and a school enrollment of 600 students ... nearly three times the size of Tehachapi High School.
Ken Carter emerged as another talented Warrior running back as he collected 95 yards rushing and 2 TD's; Narez added 125 yards rushing and 1 TD;
and a trick play had Elizondo connecting with Killingsworth for a passing TD.
In Week 6, the Warriors earned their fourth shutout of the season by pounding the Bakersfield High Junior Varsity, 31-0. Narez had his best game of the season
running for 163 yards and 1 TD. Carter had another outstanding game rushing for 101 yards and 2 TD's,
and Galan added two more TD's on short dive plays. The Warrior offense gained 449 yards
against Bakersfield, 288 on the ground and 161 in the air.
Week 7 was shutout number five as Tehachapi blanked Maricopa, 34-0. Narez had a 22 point game by rushing for 2 TD's on 36 yards, and returning
a fumble for for his third touchdown. He also had four PAT's on the day. Galan added a TD on 66 yards rushing, and Damian hit Elizondo on a TD pass.
In Week 8, the Warriors had their best offensive game of the season by routing East High's JV's, 53-7. The 443 yard offensive explosion
included 3 TD's and 136 yards rushing by Carter; 1 TD and 126 yards rushing by Narez; and 2 TD's and 89 yards
rushing by Galan. Muro and Damian also scored 1 TD apiece to round out the scoring.
In the first round of the playoffs, the Warriors played "host" to the Lindsey Cardinals at Memorial Stadium in Bakerfield before an estimated
crowd of nearly 2,000 fans. The stingy Warrior defense earned shutout number six on the season and the offense put four TD's on the
scoreboard in a 26-0 victory. Galan rushed for 114 yards and 1 TD; Damian ran for 76 yards and 1 TD; and Narez added 32 yards and 1 TD.
In the championship game, the Warriors traveled to Caruthers for their most difficult game of the season. The Warriors jumped out to a 7-0 lead
in the 1st quarter on a Rudy Damian TD run. Galan made it 14-0 before the half on another TD run. Caruthers closed the gap to 14-7
after three quarters. Larry Cortez sealed the victory late in the 4th quarter by dropping the Cardinal QB in the end zone for a safety, and the 16-7 win.
Damian had a spectacular day rushing for 102 yards on 13 carries. Damian also thwarted a number of Lindsey drives with three interceptions.
In head coach Bernie Hill's only season at Tehachapi High, he saw the Warriors rack up 333 offensive points
and give up only 27 points in 10 games (a record), including six shutouts (a record).
Offensively, speedy running back Ruben Narez established a new school record by scoring 128 points (17 TD's & 26 PAT's) in 10 games.
He broke the school scoring record of 109 points previously set by Rudy Muro in 1951. Narez rushed for 861 yards during the 1956 campaign.
Big bruising running back Pete Galan also scored 100 points (16 TD's, 4 PAT's) and rushed for 626 rushing yards. Ken Carter also added 6 TD's
and over 600 rushing yards to the Warrior offensive totals.
Click Here For
LISTING OF SIERRA CHAMPS
FROM 1931-1956
Game-by-Game Results
OPPONENT THS OPP L GAME HIGHLIGHT Sep 22 Desert (Edwards AFB) 40 0 H Pete Galan: 4 TD's, 100 yds. rushing Sep 29 Trona 38 0 H Ruben Narez: 2 TD's, 99 yds. rushing Oct 5 McFarland 48 7 A Ruben Narez: 3 TD's rushing Oct 13 Strathmore 20 0 H Tom Smart: 1 TD, 100 yds. passing Oct 19 William S. Hart (Saugus) 27 6 A Ken Carter: 2 TD's, 95 yds. rushing Oct 27 Bakersfield High JV's 31 0 H Ken Carter: 2 TD's, 101 yds. rushing Nov 3 Maricopa 34 0 H Ruben Narez: 3 TD's, 36 yds. rushing Nov 10 East High JV's (Bakersfield) 53 7 H Pete Galan: 3 TD's, 89 yds. rushing
San Joaquin Valley Playoffs
OPPONENT THS OPP L GAME HIGHLIGHT Nov 21 Lindsay 26 0 A Pete Galan: 1 TD, 114 yds. rushing Nov 28 Caruthers 16 7 A Rudy Damian: 1 TD, 102 yds. rushing
At left, "Mr Outside" speedy running back Ruben Narez scored 128 points in 10 games for the Warriors, on the right,
"Mr Inside" powerful running back Pete Galan scored 100 points for the Warriors from his fullback position.
