1957 Warriors
Flashy all-league quarterback Tom Smart #12 carries the ball for the Warriors.
The 1957 Warriors had a new look and a new head coach. Tehachapi High left the San Joaquin Valley opposition for a new league in the high desert --- the Desert-Inyo League (DIL). Coach Austin Jordan led the 1957 Warriors to a third place finish in league play, behind league champion Bishop and runner-up Trona. The Warriors finished with a 3-2 record in league play. Warriors Join The Desert-Inyo League
Log 3-2 Record In Inaugural Season
While very athletic, the Warriors lacked depth as they carried a smaller-than-normal 17 man roster. Early in the season, many of the players suffered from the flu which had a negative impact on the team in the Atascadero, Strathmore, and Trona games.
In Week 1 against McFarland, Tom Smart rushed for 141 yards (15 carries) and Joe Elizondo (8 carries) ran for 41 yards to lead the Warrior running attack to a 38-12 win. Smart scored two TD's on runs of 57 and 11 yards; Elizondo scored a 2 more TD's rushing; and an Elizondo-to-Killingsworth 44 yard pass was good for the fifth TD. The Warrior defense also scored on a safety.
In Week 2, the Warriors traveled to Atascadero (Tehachapi originally had a bye, but Atascadero requested a game with the Warriors due to an opening on their schedule). An outmanned Warrior squad could only manage 106 yards of offense (62 yds. rushing and 44 yards passing). Bill White led the Warriors with 53 yards in 17 carries. The loss was the first Warrior defeat in 14 games, including a small schools valley championship game last year.
In Week 3, Tehachapi lost a non-league game to Strathmore, 21-6, in Tulare County. The Warriors only score came early in the 4th quarter on a QB Joe Elizondo pass to Tom Killingsworth, who lateraled to Rudy Damian for a 21 yard TD play.
In Week 4, the Warriors traveled to "The Pit" in Trona. The Warrior offense could not get untracked, collecting a total of 42 total yards on offense. The Warrior defense kept the game close, but Trona won, 12-0.
In Week 5, in a meeting with new league member Mojave, the Warriors crushed the Mustangs in a mismatch by scoring a record high 74 points. Rebounding from a low of 42 total yards against Trona, the Warriors put up a record 623 yards of offense against the Mustangs. Running back Joe Elizondo rushed for 262 yards in 9 carries, scoring 4 touchdowns.
In Week 6 at Edwards AFB, the Warriors improved to 2-1 in league play with a convincing 20-7 win over the Scorpions. Rymel, White, and Damian all scored one TD apiece as the Warriors collected 244 yards rushing. Damian ran for 101 yards and Rymel was good for 72 yards rushing. All three Warrior TD's were scored in the fourth quarteer.
In a crucial Week 7 game, the Warriors played in the snow and rain at Bishop. In a game that featured 10 fumbles (6 by the Warriors), Tehachapi kept it close before finally losing 20-7. Tom Smart scored the only Warrior TD on a short QB dive play. Rymel led the Warriors with 57 yards rushing.
League champion Bishop would advance to the CIF Southern Section small schools championship game in the post-season playoffs, defeating Ramona-San Diego, 33-0. The impressive win by the Broncos brought a lot of prestige to the entire DIL.
With Lone Pine forfeiting the final league game of the season, the Warriors were able to schedule a non-league home game with Big Pine. Rymel again paced the Warriors with 130 yards rushing. The scoring parade included two Elizonod-to-White TD passes; an 83 yard TD run by White; a Smart-to-Elizondo 75 yard TD pass play; and two Smart TD run plays. Jerome Nathan converted 6 of 7 kicks in the game.
Earning 1st team all-league honors were center Carl Anderson, halfback Rudy Damian, and end Bill White. Quarterback Tom Smart and team captain Sal Terrazas were selected to the all-league 2nd team. Smart also led the Warriors in scoring with 8 TD's (48 points).
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Warrior seniors pictured above, left to right, lineman Larry Cortez, all-league 2nd team lineman Sal Terrazas,
and all-league 1st team running back Rudy Damian.
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| OPPONENT | THS | OPP | L | GAME HIGHLIGHT | |
| Sep 21 | McFarland | 38 | 12 | H | Tom Smart: 1 TD, 141 yds. rushing |
| Sep 28 | Atascadero | 00 | 14 | A | |
| Oct 4 | Strathmore | 06 | 21 | A | Rudy Damian: 1 TD |
| Oct 11 | Trona * | 00 | 12 | A | |
| Oct 19 | Mojave * | 74 | 06 | H | Joe Elizondo: 4 TD's, 262 yds. rushing |
| Oct 25 | Desert (Edwards AFB) * | 20 | 07 | A | Rudy Damian: 1 TD, 101 yds. rushing |
| Nov 2 | Bishop * | 07 | 20 | A | Tom Smart: 1 TD |
| Nov 9 | Lone Pine * | 07 | 00 | H | This game was a forfeit |
| Nov 9 | Big Pine | 48 | 06 | H | Bill White: 3 TD's, 85 yds. rushing |
* Denotes Desert-Inyo League Games
Rudy Damian #6 returns a kickoff for a touchdown for the Warriors.
Joe Elizondo #5, an all-league honorable mention player, goes around the end for a big gain for the Warriors.
Elizondo rushed for 262 yards in 9 carries and scored four touchdowns in a game against Mojave.