Tehachapi at Segerstrom (Santa Ana)
September 4, 2009
Warrior running back Jesse Olofson rambles for a few yards last Friday night in Santa Ana.
The Warriors defeated Segestrom in their season opener, 21-20. Photo by Mike Duffy, The Tehachapi News.
Posted September 5, 2009 by Tom Shea, The Bakersfield Californian Warriors Tame The Jaguars, 21-20
SANTA ANA – The Warriors were in control for virtually the entire contest, but a late surge by Segerstrom made the game interesting before Tehachapi escaped with a 21-20 win on the road.
Segerstrom’s Justin Mills punched in a score from two yards out to help the Jaguars pull within one point with less than two minutes remaining in the game.
Electing to go for two, a failed option pitch off the right hash and a recovered onside kick preserved the narrow one point victory for the Warriors.
Tehachapi had a passing attack early in the contest from senior quarterback Chris Rush, who fired for 73 yards on his first three completions, including a nine yard opening game touchdown to Travis Farewell.
Max Clark found the endzone on special teams with a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown along with a 10 yard red-zone offensive score for the Warriors.
Jesse Olofson was the leading workhorse for Tehachapi with 208 total yards rushing and receiving.
Posted September 8, 2009 by Tom Shea, The Tehachapi News Warriors Win Season Opener
Tehachapi Escapes Segestrom With 21-20 Win
There were flashes of brilliance and late game anxiety, but in the end, the game swirling emotion ended in Tehachapi’s favor in a close 21-20 win on the road.
The Warriors utilized a stifling defense over Segerstrom, who coming into the contest were pre-season favorites to win their league with a full compliment of skilled position players back from a 2008 season that produced 388 yards of offense per game.
Led by a punishing defensive front and a swarming linebacking unit, Tehachapi held the Jaguars to only 195 total offensive yards.
“Our defense did a good job tonight, there were a lot of weapons at their disposal and we were able to stand their ground,” said Warrior head coach Steve Denman. “There was some concern near the end, but in the play that mattered most, they answered the call.”
Up 21-14 with the game clock winding down in the fourth quarter, Segerstrom was able to orchestrate their best drive of the night, a 65 yard march that was capped by a two-yard plunge in the endzone.
With 1:24 remaining and down by one point, the Jaguars lined up for what would be the play of the night, elected to go for two on the PAT.
Rather than give the ball to their workhorse that got them in scoring position, Segerstrom elected to run an option pitch down the right sideline.
The play was sniffed out by Jesse Olofson, Cory Lange, Travis Hall and Cameron King, who all swarmed on the ball carrier to prevent the go-ahead points.
“That was the play of the game right there. We feel fortunate to come away with a win, especially the way they were driving the ball on us that last series,” added Denman. “But we’ll take the positives, we’ll take the win. We know that there are still some things we need to work on to get better, and our guys will be committed to do that.”
Jesse Olofson was the leading offensive player for Tehachapi, rushing for 157 yards on 23 carries and hauling in an early game pass from Chris Rush for 51 yards.
Rush looked impressive behind center, firing for 73 yards on three completions and hitting on some pin-point passes late in the contest. Max Clark was the main scoring threat for Tehachapi, scoring a rushing touchdown and a 94-yard kickoff return for a score midway through the game.
Tehachapi will take on Garces this week in the third annual Ogilvie Bowl in Bakersfield. The overall series at the varsity level between the two schools is 17-17-2, dating all the way back to 1946.
1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final Tehachapi 7 7 7 0 21 Segestrom 0 14 0 6 20
The Scoring:
First Quarter:
T - Farewell 9 yard pass from Rush (Reimer PAT kick) 3:31
Second Quarter:
S - Delgado 43 yard pass interception return (PAT kick failed) 9:01
S - Mills 4 yard run (Murietta PAT run) 6:19
T - Clark 94 yard kickoff return (Reimer PAT kick) 6:05
Third Quarter:
T - Clark 10 yard run (Reimer PAT kick) 8:12
Fourth Quarter:
S - Mills 2 yard run (PAT run failed) 1:24
THS vs SHS STATS
THS SHS First Downs 10 8 Rushes-Yards 37-185 37-184 Passing Yards 73 11 Comp-Att-Int 3-10-1 3-10-0 Total Yards 258 195 Punts N/A N/A Fumbles-Lost N/A N/A Penalties 5-36 2-15
Individual Statistics:
RUSHING--Tehachapi: Olofson 23-157, Clark 10-32.
Segestrom: Mills 19-85, Murietta 3-42, Delgado 2-27, Garcia 5-19.
PASSING--Tehachapi: Rush 3-10-1, 73 yards. Segestrom: Murietta 3-9-0, 11 yards, Delgado 0-1-0, 0 yards.
RECEIVING--Tehachapi: Olofson 1-51, Farewell 2-22. Segestrom: Amrine 1-5, Delgado 1-3, Soncrant 1-3.
Varsity – Tehachapi (1-0), Segestrom (0-1)
Junior Varsity - Tehachapi 26 Segestrom 6
Frosh - Tehachapi 14 Segestrom 26
The Warriors punting team prepares for the snap last Friday night in Santa Ana. Photo courtesy segerstromfootball.com
