WARRIORS HOPE TO CONTINUE TO EYE THE TIGERS
Posted 9-29-02
One Tiger team down, another one to go…right? Sorry sports fans, I wish I could say it’s going to be that easy.
“Wasco always plays us tough. We’ve had overtime games, 2-0 games, and we’re looking for another battle against them this week,” said Tehachapi Head Coach Steve Denman.
If there is one thing that the Wasco Tigers will give the Warriors, it will be a not-so warm welcome to the league schedule. Many didn’t predict a Wasco victory over a vastly improved Granite Hills team last Friday night, but when the odds were not in their favor, the Tigers produced, as they have all season. Wasco, who have always found ways to score points year after year, are no slouches the passing game and have seemed to found a solid running attack to complement their talented receivers for 2002.
Fred English, who got only two carries in the Tigers week one 40-0 victory over McFarland, has since averaged 107 yards per game and is currently co-leading the team with six total touchdowns in Wasco’s last three games. Along with Island, Wasco has another trio of tailbacks that can cause some damage in Gus Soto, Anthony Gonzalez, and Manuel Martinez, who have combined for 332 yards this season as a collective unit.
“We know that Wasco will present some problems for us,” said Warrior Head Coach Steve Denman. “We know they have some people that can put some points on the board not just in the running game but through the air too.”
In the passing game, the Tigers are led by All-SSL wideout Tony Ruiz, and Warrior fans, watch out for this guy. Last season, Ruiz torched the Tehachapi secondary for eight catches for 96 yards, and so far this season he has already caught 11 passes for 213 yards and two scores as a wideout, and threw for three touchdowns and rushed for two passing and running.
“I need to be ready for him, we all do,” said Tehachapi defensive back Philip Altieri. “That wide receiver and that quarterback of theirs will take it to us if we don’t come to play.”
The quarterback that the Warriors have to contend with is 2001 All-Area honorable mention candidate Simon Loewen, who so far in three games has connected on 27 passes for 358 yards and four scores. Last season, Loewen turned in one of the best performances of the year on Tehachapi’s secondary, connecting on 19 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
“I think we’ll be ready for Wasco. After a game like we had last week we have a lot of momentum going in our favor,” added Altieri. “We showed what we were made of at the end of the game and I think that we can come out next week all four quarters and get it done.”
WEEKLY WARRIOR NOTES
--- Here are some stats for all of you sports fans. On Tehachapi’s first nine drives of their match-up with Delano, they ended in this order: Fumble, Punt, Interception, Turnover on 4th Down, Missed Field Goal, Punt, Fumble, Punt, Punt. Not exactly the end-results you need to win a football game.
Then there was that tenth drive with less than two minutes to go in the game, and man, what a drive it was.
With 1:38 to go, Delano took a safety in their own endzone to give Tehachapi their first points of the game, but with the advantage of having to kickoff to the Warriors and put them with virtually no chance of scoring, it was a great coaching move.
Down 6-2 with 1:33 to go from their own 46, Greg Sanchez and the Tehachapi offense had one last shot to come away from “The Pit” with a victory. Even thought the defense had played inspired football, the offense just couldn’t reach the endzone.
The crowd was deafening, the air was laced with the smell of fireworks (and God knows what else), and one drive was about to determine who was going to win a football game. The chips were on Delano’s side of the table, and the Warriors were hoping for a miracle.
Sanchez hooked up with Philip Altieri with the biggest plays of the drive on a spectacular 26-yard diving grab to the 28-yard line, and after spiking the ball, Sanchez hit Tanner Hutchinson on a curl pattern for a 19-yard gain to the nine with 43 seconds to go in the game.
“There was good chemistry between the receivers and (Sanchez) tonight in the passing game,” said Altieri. “We’ve been connecting like that in practice all the time and I was glad that we could show what we could do in a game.”
With time winding down, the offense took their positions and spiked the ball with 33 seconds to go. The next play from scrimmage, Hutchinson caught another six-yard strike to the five, and the Warriors downed the ball again with 23 seconds left in the game. The very next play, the visiting fans were in a jubilating frenzy when they thought that Josh Lange caught the game-winning pass, but the officials ruled the catch incomplete.
19 fateful seconds left. Timeout Delano.
The next play from scrimmage, Hutchinson took the ball up the middle and plunged for the endzone for the touchdown with 17 seconds showing on the clock.
“It was crazy (on our sidelines) when we scored. We’ll take the win though, our passing game came through and we got the W, so that’s what counts. Next week won’t be easy either so we need to be ready.” said Warrior Alfredo Yttesen.
On Delano’s next offensive possession, Tehachapi defensive end Eric Anderson tacked on another score with three seconds left when he took an AJ Gonzalez shuffle pass interception off the right hash mark for the score and the final count of 15-6.
“You can’t have four fumbles and an interception and expect to win the game. We were very fortunate to pull this one out.” said Steve Denman.
Standout performances in the win included Altieri on offense and Yttesen on defense. In close games, it seems that’s when Altieri responds the best. #26 ended the night with five catches for 58 yards including 26 of those yards on the final drive, and on defense registering two tackles and an interception. Yttesen was equally as impressive on the defensive side of the football.
“I just had a good game, I was a little sick in the first quarter but as a unit we just really stepped it up and got it done.” said Yttesen. “They kept hitting me in the stomach and I threw up a couple of times but I toughed it out.”
Yttesen ended the night with a season high 11 tackles, a sack, and five pressures to keep the Tigers to six points on the night. Other standouts included Andy Grantham with five tackles, two sacks, and two pressures, Tony Troffer with 105 yards on 25 carries, Hutchinson with 52 yards on the ground and 34 yards in catches, Sanchez with 10 completions for 131 yards, Mike Faulkner with four tackles, three pressures, and a punt block, and Jed Ingraham with six tackles, a sack, and three pressures.
“I just tried to follow my instincts out there. I knew that we had to come up big in this one and it was going to be a nail bitter. I thrive in those kind of situations, and I’m glad that we all contributed our parts to get the win.” said Altieri.
Philip Altieri and Alfredo Yttesen
WEEKLY WARRIOR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
--- I forgot to mention this last week, but here’s a statistic that’s a little staggering. Before Bakersfield’s 33-17 win over Pasadena-Muir, the Arvin Bears, who haven’t scored a single point at all in 2002, still had a better record than BHS four games into the season with Arvin tying their first game of the season with Highland, 0-0. Since we’re talking about it, congratulations to the Bears for scoring their first points of the season against East in their 55-6 loss to the Blades. Hey…it’s a start! Go Bears!
--- Looks like Yosemite and Sierra are pulling away from the pack in the Large Schools and Garces registered a huge win over playoff rival Dos Palos.
*Garces (4-0) 42, Dos Palos (3-2) 22
*Taft (3-2) 7, Coalinga (5-0) 33
^*Shafter (3-2) 22, South (3-2) 25
^*Wasco (3-1) 27, Granite Hills (4-1) 7
^*Arvin (0-4-1) 6, East Bakersfield (1-4) 55
^Washington Union (2-3) 33, Porterville (2-3) 18
^Yosemite (5-0) 35, Ridgeview (2-3) 20
^Sierra (5-0) 47, Exeter (0-5) 6
^Dinuba 0-5) 0, Kerman (4-1) 24
^Selma (4-1) 31, Orosi (0-5) 0
*League Opponent
^Potential Playoff Opponent
