A MOUNTAIN FOOTBALL PERSPECTIVE
Posted 09-25-01
Fans and players in the Bakersfield football community may be impressed with Tehachapi’s ability to hang with a high-octane team like the Drillers. There might even be some Driller faithful that feel a little embarrassed by what they saw last Friday night.
For those that are still reflecting on the Drillers vs. Warriors match-up, let me give you a new perspective…the Mountain Football perspective. However, before I do that, let me give the one you may already have.
Realistically, Bakersfield had the capability to score maybe one or two more touchdowns in the game, and the referee’s made WAY too many questionable calls that thwarted the Driller’s ability to find a rhythm on offense.
Also, if it wasn’t for a missed tackle on Tehachapi’s Gary Evans in the second quarter (Who had more rushing yards than Bakersfield’s Thomas Stancil), it would have been a shutout. Tehachapi is lucky that the game was close. They should consider it a moral victory.
This perspective sound about right Bakersfield?
Ok. Now that I have the Bakersfield perspective out of the way, lets take a look at the Mountain Football perspective.
If Bakersfield REALLY is the 5th ranked team in the state, and the 12th ranked team in the west, then can somebody explain to me HOW a 5th ranked Sequoia-Sierra division school who is not even on the state ranking map can hang with the Drillers? As a Tehachapi fan, I have a lot of faith in the ability of the Warrior players, and I am proud of the way that they played, but does this score mean that we could hang with a Concord De La Salle, a Long Beach Poly, or a Mater Dei? I don’t think so either. I would hope that the state rankings for Bakersfield drop a little bit this week.
Realistically though, rankings and predictions are all just paper jetsam. The real amusement in this whole thing lies in the justification of the Bakersfield pre-game blowout predictions.
The week leading up to the game, I was fascinated by the mentality of the Driller coaching staff, players, fans, and Bakersfield community in general. Everyone seemed to look at the game mostly as an opportunity to “brush up” on their defense of the Wing-T. One Driller player was even quoted saying that they were “taking this game kinda lightly”, but it’ll give them a chance to look at an offense that will be used by other opponents down the road.
Give me a break.
I’m sorry, an offense like Tehachapi’s that scores 54 points in one half should not “be taken lightly”. I understand that it was against a cupcake Bishop Bronco team, but if you saw the film at all, the ability level should shine through. Even on the surface, you would see at least three obvious things. Chris Denman is big. Gary Evans is fast. Tehachapi’s defense hits hard. To Driller Head Coach Tim Hartnett’s credit according to Californian quotes, I think the Warriors ability was noted, saying that Tehachapi “runs their offense very, very well”. Drillerfootball.com even made some nice comments (Tough Tehachapi team, etc.), but then proceeded to contradict themselves by predicting a 42-7 outcome on their website before kickoff.
The sad thing about this game is that everyone is going to pat little Tehachapi on the head and praise them for notching a “moral victory”. I have a request for all members of the Bakersfield community.
Please, don’t bother.
The reality is that the Tehachapi city and its outlying communities have a good-sized student population to pull from, and they all filter in to one high school. This, along with a solid coaching staff, will continue to give Bakersfield schools fits in the coming years. As a matter of fact, it has already. Just ask Stockdale and Foothill. The score was 41-6 against Stockdale and 34-7 against Foothill the last time the Warriors played these schools.
Along with the Varsity, the other Tehachapi squads that played BHS could have won their perspective games. The freshman game was 22-16 and the JV game was 14-6, both in favor of BHS. Based on these scores, it’s apparent to me that a Driller / Warrior game is a match-up that could be competitive for at least a few more years. Of course, you’re probably wondering if it is even possible that the great “Driller Deity” could lose to a local team other than Centennial. Judging by all three football scores, it appears so.
The gap that exists between local high schools is not as huge as everyone thinks when you compare good teams like Bakersfield and Tehachapi. I personally think that even small schools like Mojave could fair well with a tough schedule this year, and could give teams like Tehachapi a run if they had an opportunity to play them.
It is not my intention to rouse any negative feelings to Driller faithful. The fact of the matter is, the Drillers are an extremely talented football team and will continue to be the staple of success in high school football for years to come in the valley. I also do not want to downplay the achievement of the Tehachapi team. What the Warriors did Friday night showed everyone in our football community that heart, not size and numbers, can take a team as far as they want to go.
In conclusion, I do have a challenge that I would like to issue to both Tehachapi and Bakersfield’s scheduling committee. Play each other on an annual basis. There is no reason why a Tehachapi team that beats a Bishop team 56-6 and 54-0 should have the Broncos on their schedule. Also, there is no reason why a Bakersfield team that beats an Antelope Valley team 45-13 and 43-0 should have the Lopes on their schedule either.
Next year, I say week one, Drillers vs. Warriors: Round 2. I think its time that BHS put another local team on their schedule that could give them a competitive game. Even more important than that however, Tehachapi needs the opportunity to prove on an annual basis that they deserve the respect of Bakersfield’s high school football community and the chance to be the legitimate no 1 in Kern County.
