BADGER VICTORY ENDS 2002 WARRIOR SEASON
Posted 11-23-02
I have to say that Yosemite’s football team is quite impressive…certainly
worthy of a CIF title this year. Cole Popovich dominated on both sides of the
football, and Becher Marr and Quint Brown played as advertised in their 22-6
victory over Tehachapi. It will be exciting to see these players excel in the
college ranks.
I’ll have to admit, I actually had a lot say about this game, particularly on the final minute, but…it’s not worth festering over. Overall, you have to give credit to the varsity players for playing well in a great semifinal atmosphere.
“No one on our sidelines understood why he went for the score at the end of the game,” said Coach Steve Denman. “But Yosemite is a good football team, good kids. I’m sure they’ll do well (in the finals).”
For those of you who didn’t make the game, here's what happened in the final minute of the game ...
With 0:58 left on the clock, facing a first and goal, Coach Aaron Eames elected to pad a 16-6 lead instead of taking a knee to run out the clock. With Tehachapi having no timeouts, it perplexed a lot of people on the Tehachapi sidelines why Coach Eames would choose to score again instead of running out the clock and get the players focused on next week’s opponent in Coalinga.
But, with 0:42 seconds left in the game ... Quint Brown went up the middle for a Yosemite touchdown. After the missed PAT, it was 22-6 Badgers.
To make matters more interesting, the Badger coaching staff orchestrated an onside-kick on the ensuing kickoff, with the game clearly in hand. AJ Barcelona was able to thwart another potential Yosemite scoring opportunity by falling on the ball at the Tehachapi 32 yard line.
I can GUARANTEE you, should the roles have been reversed, if Denman had the ball with less than a minute remaining, and Yosemite had no timeouts, Greg Sanchez would have been taking knees. That’s just the Warrior mentality. I guess, when it’s all said and done, that’s the difference in the two programs ... between two coaches.
The Tehachapi loss was the second meeting between the schools, with the first contest the Warriors winning back in 1999 as a large school #3 seed and the Badgers a #6 seed.
In the 1999 game, Jared Romo hooked up with Derrik Easttom and Joe Kapturkiewicz for two 69-yard touchdowns, and a 12-7 halftime lead. Mike Howell scored Tehachapi’s lone touchdown on the ground in the fourth quarter, sealing the game with a 5 yard score off the right hash for the 19-10 win.
The Badgers were able to reel off some impressive performances in that game, too. Some of the notable ones being Cooks carrying 40 times for 191 yards and Justin Peek completing 11 passes for 113 yards. In fact, Yosemite actually out-gained Tehachapi in total yardage, 296-254.
After that 1999 game, and the most recent 2002 contest, there is sure to be a rivalry in the making between the CIF central section’s two “Mountain Football” communities.
“Yosemite (Oakhurst) is a great town, lots of positives from the attendance and football players,” added Denman. “But I’ll tell you what though, we still have a lot of good kids that are going to do well in future years…hopefully we’ll see this team again in the playoffs.”
After two great contests in 1999 and 2002, there will undoubtedly be great games to come.
Good luck next week, Yosemite. Hope to
see you in 2003.
WEEKLY WARRIOR NOTES
--- With all of the negativity surrounding the final game of 2002, a lot of Warriors certainly played their hearts out.
Tony Troffer led the Warriors with 16 carries for 84 yards, and Tanner Hutchinson amassed 73 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown to lead the Tehachapi ground assault. Through the air, Greg Sanchez was also able to fire in three completions for 44 yards. When the first half was over, Tehachapi actually had an advantage in total yardage 129-64 down by only one, 7-6.
In the second half, Yosemite was able to adjust to the Warrior offense, limiting Tehachapi to only two first downs, four punts, and a turnover on downs. This, more than anything, turned out to be the difference in the game.
With the Badgers having a majority of the possession of the pigskin, many Warriors were able to turn in solid defensive performances, some being Jed Ingraham with eight tackles, Mike Wright with seven tackles, AJ Barcelona with five tackles and a sack (who by the way is week 12 player of the week), Mike Faulkner with five tackles and a pressure, Andy Grantham with three tackles and a pressure, Josh Christy with three tackles, Alfredo Yttesen with three tackles and a sack, Mark Heisser with two tackles, and Philip Altieri with two tackles and an interception.
Heck of a job, Warriors! you played ‘em tough!
--- Now that the season is over, there comes the daunting task of picking the players that demonstrated the heartbeat of the football team…the MVP’s of the year at least from the website’s perspective. Even though everyone had outstanding performances throughout the season, there were three individuals that I thought really exemplified the passion and spirit of Warrior football in 2002.
On offense, Tanner Hutchinson played like a junior possessed. For the year, Tanner finishes with 166 carries, 1,136 yards, and 19 touchdowns.
The last Warrior to put up such dominant numbers on the ground was Anthony “Gonzo” Gonzales in 1996, who rushed for 1,111 yards and 21 scores.
With Tanner in the backfield in 2003, along with Jeremy Clark, Sean Finley, and David Gonzalez, the Warrior Wing should be tough to beat in 2003, and a favorite in the South Sequoia League.
Great season, #21…looking forward to seeing you in action again!
On defense, it was two players, Josh Christy and Jedd Ingraham. Josh, playing most of the year in pain from shoulder injuries, to back spasms, to every day bumps and bruises, played like a champion game after game.
Then there was Jed, who week after week, seemed to be one of the leaders if not THE leader in tackles, sacks, pressures, what-have-you. It seemed on every pass play, you could see #61 in the backfield, and on every sweep, there would be #61 chasing the ball carrier.
Line of scrimmage pile up? Yep, there was the two buddies, Jedd and Josh. You can count on #61 and #6 draped over the dogpile ... probably right over the ball carrier.
I know a lot of people, myself included, highlighted Jedd’s and Josh’s name on the program as players coming back for this season, and they played just like everyone hoped…dominant. Thank you both for giving Tehachapi one of the greatest linebacker tandems that will pass through Warrior football. You guys were the cornerstones of a relentless defense…you’ll be sorely missed!
#61 Jedd Ingraham, #6 Josh Christy, and
#21 Tanner Hutchinson
WEEKLY WARRIOR PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
--- Another season dawns…but tradition will continue. Below is a picture of all the seniors that played Warrior football in 2002…thanks again guys! See everyone next year, and thanks for reading!
