Segerstrom (Santa Ana) at Tehachapi
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Quarterback Kurtis Knudsen, a senior, led the Warriors to a 17-12 victory over Segerstrom of Santa Ana
in the season opener on Saturday, September 6, 2008. Photo by The Bakersfield Californian.
Posted September 6, 2008 by thswarriors.com Warriors Hold On To Top Segerstrom
17-12 in Season Opener
The defending CIF Central Section champion Warriors kicked off their 2008 season on a successful note by holding on to defeat the Segerstrom Jaguars of Santa Ana, 17-12, Saturday night in Tehachapi.
The Warriors scored a first quarter field goal, and then added two second quarter touchdowns to take a commanding 17-0 lead at halftime. Jake Reimer scored the first points of the new season by connecting on a 33 yard FG with 6:38 left in the first quarter. Angelo Loli scampered into the end zone on a 11 yard run with 11:35 left in the second quarter, and Josh Strauss scored on a nine yard run with 7:41 left before halftime. Reimer converted on both PAT's.
Both teams went scoreless in the third quarter, but the Jaguars scored their first TD of the season when Francisco Partida scored with 9:07 left in the fourth quarter (PAT kick failed). Shifty QB Brian Murietta added the final score of the night on a 39 yard TD run with 7:01 left in the game (PAT pass failed).
Strauss, in his third year as a varsity running back, led the Warriors with 160 rushing yards on 24 carries. Derek Lange added 69 yards on 15 carries; Jesse Olofson rushed for 37 yards; and Loli finished with 11 yards. Adam Mullen did not play due to an injury suffered during practice.
Senior QB Kurtis Knudsen, making his first start as a Warrior, ran the infamous Wing-T offense and completed 1 of 6 passes for 15 yards.
Posted September 7, 2008 by Zach Ewing, The Bakersfield Californian Warriors' Defense Dominates Opener
TEHACHAPI — Tehachapi had fourth down Saturday, and coach Steve Denman had two good choices.
Hand the ball to one of his dependable running backs for a one-yard conversion or punt the ball to give his suffocating defense room to shut down Segerstrom for the final time?
The Warriors punted, pinned Santa Ana-Segerstrom deep and finished off a season-opening victory, 17-12.
"Whatever works, man, that's what we were going to do," said Josh Strauss, who gained 156 yards on 25 carries.
The final defensive hero was Drew Howell, who sacked Segerstrom quarterback Brian Murrieta on a third-and-9 play. The Jaguars punted, and then it was time for Tehachapi's other strength to come into play, even without Adam Mullen, a top running back who was out with a minor knee injury.
Derek Lange, who normally doesn't play offense, showed the strength of the Warriors' ground game by ripping off runs of 6, 4, 1 and 5 yards. After Strauss carried for 9, Lange gained 3 and 2 more yards to finish with 67.
Game over.
"We had some guys on offense really step up," Denman said.
Actually, it might not have come down to that. Tehachapi dominated the first half, out-gaining Segerstrom 205-1 in the first half en route to a 17-0 lead. Angelo Loli and Strauss scored on touchdown runs after Jake Reimer booted a 25-yard field goal.
"It was great," Strauss said. "Holes were huge, everything was there."
But the Jaguars adjusted to Tehachapi's outside running game, keeping cornerbacks at home on the outside while blitzing on the inside in the second half. That, combined with 11 penalties for 97 yards, kept the Warriors from scoring again.
"It was a sloppy game," Denman said. "We just had too many penalties, way too many penalties. And they had a chance to win the game. ... You can't live like that."
Segerstrom put a scare into a festive crowd -- Tehachapi celebrated the school's 80th anniversary by welcoming back football alumni from as far back as 1946 -- by finally getting in gear on offense. Francisco Partida scored on fourth-and-goal from the 3 early in the fourth quarter, and Murrietta avoided pressure in the pocket and scrambled for a 40-yard score two minutes later.
"They're a good ball club," Denman said of Segerstrom, which has about 1,000 more students than Tehachapi. "They play some good competition, and they hung in there."
After Tehachapi's offense stalled again, it was decision time for Denman. And he he couldn't help but guess right.
"We had played good 'D,'" Denman said. "So we thought, hey, just punt it down there and see what happens."
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Segerstrom 0 0 0 12 12 Tehachapi 3 14 0 0 17
The Scoring:
First Quarter:
Teh (6:38) - Reimer 25 yd FIELD GOAL
Second Quarter:
Teh (11:35) - Loli 11 yd TD RUN (Reimer PAT kick)
Teh (7:41) - Strauss 9 yd TD RUN (Reimer PAT kick)
Fourth Quarter:
Seg (9:07) - Partida 3 yd TD RUN (PAT kick failed)
Seg (7:01) - Murrietta 39 yd TD RUN (PAT pass failed)
Segerstrom vs THS STATS
SHS THS First Downs Rushes-Yards 39-98 58-251 Passing Yards 16 15 Comp-Att-Int 3-8-0 1-6-1 Total Yards 114 266 Punts N/A 4-40.0 Fumbles-Lost N/A N/A Penalties 11-97
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING-Tehachapi, Strauss 24-160, Lange 1-69, Olofson 10-37, Loli 2-17, Knudsen 7-(-2);
Segerstrom, Partida 11-51, Ferman 7-22, Murietta 7-12, Navarro, 3-5.
PASSING-Tehachapi, Knudsen 1-6-1-15; Segerstrom, Murrietta 3-8-0-16
RECEIVING-Tehachapi, Olofson 1-15; Segerstrom, Hernandez 2-7, Partida 1-9.
