A LOOK BACK AT A YEAR TO REMEMBER...
Posted 12-17-03

MVP Caliber: A grouping of the 'players of the week' for the 2003 Sequoia Large CIF Champions

When the gun sounded in Yosemite, many-a-warrior fans had to feel that Santa Claus delivered one the best Christmas presents a Tehachapian could ask for.  A section championship.  A patch.  A ring.  T-shirts galore.  What more can a small town cronie ask for?

A culmination of a lot of hard work came full circle in game 13 against Yosemite...and against all odds too.  By all accounts and purposes, Tehachapi's 2003 championship season started the minute 2002 ended after losing 20-6 to the Badgers.  That was the beginning to what we know now.

Much like 2002, nobody seriously gave Tehachapi a chance against the defending champs.  No one.

Well...almost no one.  David Carillo from the Bakersfield Californian predicted a Warrior win, but you have to consider though, there is more of a leniency to the 'home team' when it comes to those pics that make their way in the sports section every friday.  To not pick the Warriors would bring on a slew of hate mail that, quite frankly, Carillo probably just didn't want to read, especially after hearing a full season's worth of bickering from fans like us.

Turns out, by being polite, he called the upset.  And yes folks, it was an upset.  And why not?  Making it one beefs up the record books on the accomplishment.  People can say that Yosemite was the better team.  They can say Washington was the better team.  Fact is, in 2003, Tehachapi is the championship team.  I'd rather have that distinction, how bout you?

The 'new' still hasn't rubbed off has it?  Tehachapi Warriors, section champions!  Things like this are meant to be enjoyed.  Heck, might as well go to Bakersfield and have the Kern County Board of Supervisors give you some well-deserved recognition on a great year.  Ain't that right guys?  Oh, that happened, huh?  Oh yeah, I forgot. 

Why don't we give Coach Steve Denman central valley coach of the year honors, doesn't he deserve it?  Yep, sure he does.  Here's the recognition, coach, congrats!

And local newscasts?  Sure...bring it on.  We love interviews and cameos.

In fact, one of those newscasts, Channel 23 ABC Bakersfield, gave Tehachapi a unique flare on a championship season during their program '23-yard line' on Monday night.  Mountain Football...our beloved Warriors, were undefeated in the Shakey's Pizza Easting Contest.

Never seemed to get around mentioning this before in a weekly warrior, but it's true lady's and gents.  3-0.  You can thank Issac Saavedra and Mike Faulkner for that.  Pepperoni pizza eating machines I tell you!  In fact, the week after beating Yosemite in the championship, Saavedra and Faulkner probably faced some of their stiffest competition on the year in pizza eating against the 8-Man Small-School State Champion Maricopa Indians on the 23-yard line show.  The verdict was close, but when all the grease was soaked up with napkins, it was Tehachapi on top.

Sure does bring new meeting to 'eat your heart out', doesn't it?  And the good news?  Those two guys are juniors!  Do we see a pizza eating repeat on the horizon for 2004?  Could be...

In keeping with the same theme of News Station plugs, CBS's Channel 29-Bakersfield 'Hometown Sports' also gave Tehachapi some nice recognition, honoring Kris Haycock, Tanner Hutchinson, and Anthony Scott as all-area selections on the year.  Nice job, guys.

The banquet coming up for the Warriors in January should be a wonderful celebration on the end of a great and storied chapter in Warrior History.  It always feels great to win.  It may not be everything, but when you look back...sure does make it a year to remember. 

Remember guys, you have your whole life ahead of you, approach your future with the same hard work and dedication you put in to this football season.

If you can do that, this should be the first of many personal championships for you.

	A reminder that the Tehachapi Warrior banquet is on January 14th, Wednesday, at 6:00pm at the High School Cafeteria.  For more details on the festivities, click here.
	Current Warriors weren't the only ones that turned in great performances in the 2003 season, some former alumni also turned in solid years, particularly for the Antelope Valley Marauders. In his second season of eligibility, Jared Romo (Class of 2001) led the Marauder offense at quarterback with an impressive 125 completions for 1,731 yards and 10 touchdowns.  Romo was an All-Conference pick on the year, receiving Foothill Athletic Conference player of the week honors in weeks 5-9 against San Diego-Mesa, Mt. San Jacinto, Victor Valley, San Bernardino Valley, and Grossmont.  Against Grossmont, Romo also received national player of the week honors with his 16-24 260 yards and 2 TD passing performance. On defense, Keith Noonan (Class of 2000) led the team with 72 total tackles, sacks with 5.5, and hurries with six, while Bobby Unger (Class of 2001) chipped in with 32 total tackles on the year.  Both players will look to suit up for another season in Lancaster in 2004.  Matt Bramen (Class of 1999), also on the team, missed most of his second season of eligibility with an injury early in year.  Congrats on all four players for bringing the pride of Mountain Football to the Antelope Valley! Not to be outdone, Joe Kapturkiewicz (Class of 2000) also turned in a great year at tight end for the Citrus Owls in the Western State Conference, with his best game coming in week 4 against Moorpark with a three catch-36 yard performance and a touchdown.  Kapturkiewicz's best receiving game came in in week 5 against Santa Barbara College, where his 65 yards on four catches led the team on the evening.  Citrus finished the year 9-2 (7-1 WSC), losing in their bowl game to South Western College, 38-28 in late November. In the Orange Empire Conference, Willie Greenan (Class of 2003) represented Warrior Football at wideout for Riverside College, but did not record any statistics in his first year with the team. In Division I Collegiate Action, Chris Denman (Class of 2002) received two starts in his first official year with the Fresno State Bulldogs, once against University of Hawaii and the other against Nevada University.  Denman helped Fresno State Quarterback Paul Pinegar to 242 yards passing with solid line-protection against Hawaii, while helping to contribute to Fresno State's 212 yards rushing and 184 yards passing in the 27-10 win over Nevada on November 8th.  Chris had 10 receptions and three touchdowns as a tight-end his senior year for the Warriors in 2001. Above:  Tehachapi Alumni Chris Denman
	A special congratulations goes out to the Tehachapi Warrior Varsity Basketball team for setting a new section record with 21 treys in their 93-70 romp over Rosamond early in December.  Leading the way was mountain football's own, Matt Patience, who drilled four 3-pointers to lead all scorers with 20 overall.

	Returning Starters for the Warriors in 2004:  David Gonzalez (DB), Trenton Pera (OL), Ralph Curiel (OL), Sean Finley (LB), Mike Faulkner (LB), Mike Papac (TE), Dan Haycock (DL)
	In addition to Steve Denman getting coach of the year honors from www.cvpreps.com, Tanner Hutchinson was also awarded 1st team all-area recognition by the website.  CVpreps also have the Warriors at #1 overall in the small school division, and #7 overall in the valley to end the year.  The Bakersfield Chamber of Commerce recognized Tehachapi on these achievements on Tuesday, December 16, during one of their weekly meetings. In 2003, Tehachapi played the role of spoiler in their title run, but in '04 look for the Division III and IV class to gun for the Warriors to nullify their chance at a back-to-back bid.
	The 2004 Schedule is set and approved....Tehachapi is set to play Burroughs, Paraclete, Stockdale, Foothill, and Garces next season in their pre-league schedule.  Golden Valley, Bakersfield's newest school, will join the South Sequoia League next year, while league rival Garces tests their mettle in the yosemite bracket.  The Central Sequoia League is now merged with the North Sequoia League.  Here's a brief breakdown of how it all shapes out: North Sequoia League:  Chowchilla, Dos Palos, Kerman, Kingsburg, Selma, Sierra, Washington, Yosemite East Sequoia League:  Coalinga, Corcoran, Dinuba, Exeter, Immanuel, Lindsay, Orosi, Woodlake South Sequoia League:  Tehachapi, Golden Valley, Taft, Shafter, Wasco, Arvin Division III CIF Playoffs:  Arvin, Ceasar Chavez (Delano), Delano, Dinuba, Exeter, Fresno, Golden Valley, Lemoore, McLane, Roosevelt, Selma, Sierra, Tehachapi, Washington, El Diamante Complete detailed breakdown of Tehachapi's new league, their pre-season opponents, and new playoff structure will be discussed in January/February's weekly warrior.  Stay tuned!