ANOTHER GREAT SEASON IN THE BOOKS
Posted 11-26-01
It’s officially over.
Although no playoff team wants to end the final game of the season with a loss, the inevitable truth is that for all playoff teams, only one squad can come on top ever year.
Unfortunately for Tehachapi, they are not that team this time. There were times of frustration during the loss to Clovis East, and many fans, players, and coaches were hoping up to the final 49 seconds of the 4th quarter that the season could stretch longer than the first week of the playoffs. However, it was not meant to be.
Does that mean that this season was a disappointment? Hardly!
There is absolutely no reason to have down heads on the kind of season that the Warriors have had. In fact, it probably will go down as a season to remember in Mountain Football history.
Why?
Number One: Who would have thought that the Tehachapi Warriors could hang with the Bakersfield Drillers? In a season that should not have had the Drillers on the schedule at all, the unfortunate events on September 11th brought Mountain Football to the heart of Bakersfield in a meeting with the Drillers. Not only did Tehachapi play well in this game, they proved that they could hang, and potentially win, against the best team in Bakersfield. This Driller team was no slouch either, finishing the regular season 10-0 and 5th overall in the state.
Number Two: The Warriors finished with back-to-back SSL titles. Although the SSL championship had to be shared with Taft, Garces, Shafter, and Liberty collectively these past two seasons, Tehachapi is the only team to have a share of the championship both years. The last time Tehachapi won two titles in a row was when they were in the Desert Inyo League, so this year’s league championship accomplishment will be definitely one to remember!
Number Three: Of the five playoff teams that the Warriors faced in the regular season this year, they managed to defeat three (Bishop, Liberty, Arvin). The only two losses (Bakersfield and Garces) were very close games, and could have gone either way on the scoreboard.
Number Four: Tehachapi never quit. It was a tough season all year with players missing at key positions. Jared Warner, Chad Bennett, Gary Evans, Travis Plumlee, Danny Vandeventer, Matt Schaefer, Josh Christy, and others suffered some injuries this year at various times of the season, but they were all still able to support their teammates both on and off the field and return to action. The 2001 Warriors stared at adversity, and overcame it more than a few times throughout the year.
When you look at a team as talented and disciplined as the Warriors, you have to ask if there is a nucleus at which it feeds its energy from. For Tehachapi, I believe it is a combination of many attributes, with some being a great system, solid teaching, and a team that is willing to be coached.
Along with these qualities, every team needs a vital element in order to make everything fall into place…a leader. This year, that leadership role took the shape of a multi-talented back named Derik Easttom.
When looking at Derik, you shake your head in awe and ask yourself what he hasn’t done this year. If you needed a wingback, safety, quarterback, or wide receiver, Easttom was your man. He could do it all.
As a wingback, Derik reeled off 70 carries for 540 yards, 53 tackles and four interceptions as a safety, five completions for 116 yards and a touchdown as a QB, and four receptions for 106 yards and a touchdown as a wide receiver. On top of all this, he managed to log in nine touchdowns on the ground.
Last year, Dustin McBride was able to bring in All-SSL honors both on offense and defense. Derik has the potential to do the same in this year’s SSL balloting. In a season that had many bright stars from all seven league teams, Easttom was probably the brightest, and was the engine that made the Warrior machine go.
This season, Tehachapi went to war, and it was Easttom who lead the charge. For his accolades as a utility player and the ability to guide his team to an SSL championship, I have chosen Derik as my player of the year. Congratulations Derik, I think I speak for all those involved with Warrior Football when I say it has been a pleasure to see you play on The Mountain!
Derik Easttom
WEEKLY WARRIOR PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WEEKLY WARRIOR NOTES
---The Clovis East game sure didn’t bring much offense for the Warriors, but that was primarily due to steady time eating drives by the Timberwolves Double Wing. In the eight fourth downs that Clovis East had, they converted on seven, punting only once.
Having to be on the field as much as the defense had to be on the night, many of the Warriors really had to knuckle down on the Timberwolves offensive efficiency. Many players had great statistical numbers on the night, some of which included Danny Vandeventer with nine tackles, Billy Young, Chris Denman, and Nick Booker with six takedowns apiece, and Andy Grantham with four tackles.
Of all the players however, the one that stood out the most ended up leaving the game prematurely with an injury.
Warrior junior standout Josh Christy was a force in his linebacker position, and was involved in almost every play logging in 12 tackles and a pressure. Number 6’s determination was showed on his last play of the season as well, when he helped block a PAT after a Timberwolves touchdown. Christy truly did “leave it all on the field” with his outstanding poise and play, and that is why he is the final player of the week for the 2001 season. Congratulations Josh!
---The 2002 season looks to be very promising with many talented players returning from this season’s Warrior squad and the incoming players from the Braves team looking to continue their winning ways from this year. At quarterback, Greg Sanchez, Kris Hoobler, and A.J. Barcelona should give the Warriors solid depth, and standout wingbacks Tony Troffer, Tanner Hutchinson, and Kris Haycock should give Tehachapi some much needed speed and size. On defense, Warrior standouts Nick Booker, Jedd Ingraham, and Josh Christy should return, and with freshman standout Michael Faulkner in the mix, the linebacker position should have plenty of talent. The Tehachapi bookends Philip Altieri, Willie Greenan, and Mark Heisser will be returning as well, along with eight linemen from the 2001 varsity squad.
---Congratulations to every member of the Warriors this year, and I would like to give a special thanks to the outgoing seniors for another great year of Warrior football!
---Be sure to tune in next August when the Weekly Warrior starts up again for the 2002 season! So long everyone, thanks for reading!
