SILENCE OF THE RAMS
Posted 11-08-03

Icing the game: Kris Haycock delivers a key block as Tanner Hutchinson scores his third TD of the night on this 7-yard run in the third quarter.

How sweet was this?

No one outside of the faithful fans, players, and coaches that resided in Tehachapi thought they could do it.  No team can go through a 2-3 pre-season record and expect to blast through the league season with a perfect 5-0 record.

You heard their doubt out in the swift, cool central section air...

"I mean, common?  You guys lost to Delano 20-6 on your homecoming night."

"You can't even mount ANY kind of offense against Clovis East!  Yeah they may be good...but not even one score?"

"Burroughs?  Where the heck is that school at?  They're in Kern County...but they're not in our section?  Huh?"

Yep, that's what the nay-sayers were sayin' up on high horses not to long ago...six weeks ago to be exact.

But here you are Warriors.  Here you are.

League Champions.  No...they don't give out a brass and particle board trophy for this championship...but who needs it...that football-shaped patch is going to look mighty good on that letterman jacket when the awards ceremony comes around in December!

Just as it seems it has all season long, the buck started, went, and stopped with number two-one.  Mr. Clutch.  The 'blue-collar' Warrior.  And statman...add his touchdown totals to 21 for the year too while you're at it!

Tanner Hutchinson displayed as much grit and poise as any Warrior has on any stage in the storied and rich history of mountain football.  What Tanner did on Friday night was nothing short of fantastic and puts him in great company in the record books.

To rush for 91 yards, and chip in three touchdowns...against this defense...is absolutely phenomenal.  And the way he did it was equally as impressive. 

You need Hutch to bowl over someone?  Sure coach, no prob. 

You need a spin move and a dive to the endzone?  Can do that too...just let me squirm off this lead block first. 

How bout a stop-and-go sprint for 26 yards to help polish off a 68-yard drive for a three touchdown lead?  Heh...like money in the bank, coach.

That has been Tanner.  176 carries.  1,248 yards.  21 touchdowns.  What a year!

But, #21 still has some work to do in the playoffs, and with a supporting cast like he has, it should make for some optimism in Warrior Land.

With Hutch the driving force behind the offense, the Mountain defense played a masterful game to limit the Rams to only 125 yards of total ground control, including shutting down main-threat Braxton Tarver to a meager 17 yards on 15 carries.  Jake Cauzza couldn't get much going in the passing game either, completing only one pass for nine yards before giving way to Tommy Etchechury, who completed three passes for 45 yards to finish the game.

Leaders for the Mountain defense included junior linebacking stand-out Mike Faulkner, who brutalized the Ram front line for four tackles and four pressures, while Sean Finley chipped in with four tackles and five pressures.  Jeremy Clark finished the game strong with six tackles, Vincent Flores had three tackles and three pressures, and Jon Anderson had three tackles and a sack.

A few other Warriors had some solid games, with two of those players on defense and one on offense, and those three together have been selected as players of the week. 

The two standouts on defense where AJ Barcelona and Zack Harris.  Barcelona has been the consummate team player from day one of the season, and exemplifies the leadership role as well as anyone has in a Warrior uniform, contributing with five tackles, two pressures, and two passes defended.  For Harris, the presence that Tehachapi has had in the middle of the field this year has been a welcomed addition to the pass-happy opponents that come the Warriors way week-after-week....and it was only a matter of time until his picture got taken.  If #31 isn't picking-off a pass, he's definitely making sure that the would-be catcher knows that he's around after some wicked roaches.  That effort was front-and-center Friday night with a seven tackle, two pass defended performance.

In fact, the Harris and Barcelona  game are sort of miracles in disguise, with both players facing injury adversity at separate times of their high school football careers.  For Harris, a bad ankle  forced him to sit out a lot of games in last years' title run with Paraclete-Lancaster, and Barcelona was the victim of a bad car crash a couple of seasons ago that left him sidelined for a considerable amount of time during the school-sporting year.  The fact that these two individuals were even playing is a credit to their heart as Warriors....and all were reaping the benefits of their efforts.

For the offense, the 'Ram Killer' made sure he got involved for the second straight year, with Mike Wright adding another chapter to last year's only Warrior touchdown with a 68 yard carry performance on the ground and the only catch of the night for Tehachapi that went for 16-yards.   Might not seem much to the naked eye, but you have to consider when Wright made his plays when evaluating his attributes for the game.  Facing a third and five on the Warriors first drive, a #20 sweep was good for a first down at the Warrior 45-yard line....keeping the offense alive.  On the first Tehachapi touchdown drive, the score would not have been possible with that lone-Tehachapi catch, with Wright converting a 4th-and-12 pass play at the 21-yard line to help the Warriors to a first-and-goal effort at the 5-yard line.  One play later, a five-yard run ended up being the winning score.

For the outstanding play of these individuals, they get my vote for players of the week.  Congrats guys, keep up the good work in the playoff run...

Mike Wright (#20), AJ Barcelona (#4), Zack Harris (#31)
WEEKLY WARRIOR PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Above: Action against league rival Garces

Well Warrior fans, this writer was definitely thinking that Tehachapi would have to face off with the Bears in a first-round home game this coming week for the playoffs.  Only problem was, didn't think that the Bears team that the Warriors would have to face would be coming from Selma. In one of the tid-bit rule changes that the CIF front office in Porterville seemingly makes every year, I guess this season the powers-that-be decided that inner-league match-ups were to be avoided if at all possible.  Meaning what? Even though Arvin is probably the best non-league champion in the large school bracket, they can't face off with the #4 seed in the pool (Tehachapi), because, sorry Arvin...you have the Warriors as a league opponent. No big deal for Tehachapi, though.  Who ever the Warriors face, it's still a home game for Tehachapi, and they have to deal with a frozen tundra on the Mountain football gridiron. Selma may be coming into their match-up with Tehachapi with a 5-5 record and a 1-3 Central Sequoia League record, but don't think that this #5 seed will love nothing more than to head back up the 58 and 99 freeways with a first round playoff win in hand.  The accolades for this Selma group speak for themselves this season, with the highlights showing a dispatching of the Sequoia Large School's East Sequoia League Champ in Dinuba 44-24 in week 4, which helped them to start off their year with a perfect 4-0 record. The Bears bring to the table an explosive and balanced offensive attack that has the potential to put the Warrior defenders on their heels.  On the ground, the Bears are led by (#2) Sherman Moon, who's 1,588 yards and 7.7 yards per carry bests that even of Tehachapi's own Tanner Hutchinson.  In fact, Moon is no stranger to bringing his game to the contests that count the most, reeling off 164 yards on 19 carries and score last week in the Bears’ loss to #1 seed Washington Union.  Along with Moon, Selma will look to also get a couple of other talented runners involved in (#22) Keith Berry and (#34) Chris Vasquez, who have combined for 388 yards on the year and three touchdowns. In the receiving game, Keith Berry also makes his presence known on the field by hauling in 18 catches for 184 yards and a score so far on the year, good for second on the team.  As good as Berry is though, the one-to-watch for Selma is (#11) Brison Pedersen, who's 532 yards on 28 receptions and six touchdowns have made him the favorite target of 1000-yard passer (#9) Steve Stalie, who has completed 78 passes for 1019 yards in ten games for the Bears. On defense, Junior linebacker (#40) Tony Melgoza will try and keep the Bears in the hunt for defensive points, having returned a fumble 28-yards for a score last week in the 40-12 loss against #1 seed (10-0) Washington Union.  Other defensive standouts that could give the Warriors some problems include (#14) Gabriel Moran, (#70) Juan Trejo, (#65) Jerry Fino, and (#62) Manuel Aguire, along with a host of other Bears that host 22 seniors on the team overall. There is little doubt that Head Coach Dean Cardoza will have his hands full with the Warriors, but with players like Sherman Moon and Steve Stalie at his disposal, it should make for an exciting first round match-up for both teams in the Sequoia Large-School playoffs. This meeting will be the first between the two schools.  Let the CIF title run for both teams begin! Above: Tehachapi has enjoyed recent success in the 1st Round, dispatching Dinuba last year, 34-12.

You know...the win against Garces was some-what bitter-sweet...the South Sequoia League just wont be the same without them.  If Garces has to make an exit though, it's fitting that they leave with a loss against our beloved Warriors, and a series 14-14-2 tie.  (I know that the Bakersfield Californian said that the series was still in favor of Garces at 14-13-2, but they are forgetting about that win the Warriors had in 1946 against St. Francis, 13-0.  Leave no stone unturned, ey Warrior fans?)

Not too many surprises in the large school playoff bracket.  If anything, the results ending up as an advantage for the Warriors, with probably a more favorable match-up in the second week with Washington Union vs. being the number #3 seed and having to endure the long drive to Oakhurst against Yosemite. Not that Tehachapi minds going against Yosemite...but if they have to go again this year...it's best to make it for a title! Analysis of the Sequoia Large School Playoff Bracket #8 Sierra-Tollhouse @ #1 Washington Union -  This by all accounts should be an easy win for the Panthers.  Sierra may have tradition on their side, but WUHS has Landon McCray and Evan Christin....which means goodbye Sierra.  Too bad Tehachapi couldn't woo a #1 seed to send the Chieftains to the mountain... #7 Coalinga @ #2 Yosemite -  Aaron Eames should be able to notch another playoff 'W' with a win here.  Defensive back Bruke Wradle and Linebacker Garrett Tompkins should have success against a solid offensive unit in Coalinga, but it might be a little tough to take down the passing of the Horn Toads' Kevin Tarango. #6 Arvin @ #3 Dinuba -  Potential upset-special here...just depends on which Arvin team will show up.  If Jose Tamayo and Hector Valasquez can get the offense rolling, it might spell trouble for Jose Del Rio and the upstart Emperors.  Arvin will have to rebound over a tough loss at Taft, while Dinuba is flying high as ESL champs. #5 Selma @ #4 Tehachapi -  Sherman Moon is one the best to offer for the the sequoia division, but, then again, so is Tanner Hutchinson.  For the Warriors to win, a shut down on the ground like one generated against Garces's Braxton Tarver and Taft's Daniel Kerr will be needed.