PART THREE:  AN EARLY-BIRD LOOK AT NEXT YEAR'S SCHEDULE

Posted 02-13-04

THE POST-SEASON

This weekly warrior is the third of a four-part series highlighting Tehachapi’s opponents for 2004 and what the Warriors will have at their disposal for the new season next fall.  In this addition, we'll focus on the potential Division III playoff opponents and who has a serious chance at making the cut when the division III seeds are announced in November...

El Diamante Miners

Tehachapi should have their hands full with this team should they meet in the playoffs in 2004 or 2005.  The Miners, located in Visalia, fielded only a freshmen and sophomore class in 2003 for football and took on four varsity teams on their schedule in Nipomo (Arroyo Grande), Kern Valley, Coast Union (Cambria), and Pitman (Turlock). 

With the tough test of facing upper class squads, the Miners still held on to post a respectable 2-2 record against all four opponents, with victories over Kern Valley and Coast Union.  The victory over Coast left many central valley experts scratching their heads, considering that Coast was coming into their game with El Diamante with a 9-0 record and the Central Sierra League title firmly in hand.  Seemingly un-phased with the competition, the Miners went on to take down the sierra power, 17-0.  What made the victory for El Diamante even more bizarre was the fact that Coast dispatched of Nipoma 14-13, a team that throttled El Diamante earlier in the year, 34-7.  It seemed that as the year wore on the Miners just got better and better, a quality that does not bode well for any sequoia team looking to put a division III championship plague in their school trophy room the next couple of years.

It is believed that Rick Hamilton will move on to coach the Miners again in the varsity ranks, but things could change before next season for the two-year school.  Watch out for the Miners, they could make some serious noise in the playoff scene in 2004-2006.

Yosemite Badgers

Sorry Tehachapi, but after shocking the defending CIF champions in 2003, you may have awoken a sleeping giant.

The Badgers put together one of the sequoia division’s most solid teams from top-to-bottom last season, leaving some spectators still wondering on how Yosemite could let a back-to-back championship get away.  Bottom line, Tehachapi peaked at the right time in the season.  But make no mistake, Coach Aaron Eames is already starting preparation to take back what he and the Oakhurst community feel was unceremoniously stolen from them last season in the CIF title.

Say What?:  Sean Finley moves in to tackle Yosemite QB Shawn Long in the endzone for a 'non-call' safety in the 2003 Championship.  Even though Long's knee was down while he had possession in the endzone, the referee's in the contest placed the ball at the Yosemite 1-yard line

The scary thing about Yosemite is that practically their entire skill position players are coming back.  900+ yard rushers Alec Campbell and TJ Grijalva were both juniors in 2003, as was Central Section 1^st Team Quarterback Shawn Long, who’s 2,456 yards on 158 completions and 22 touchdowns was bested only by Washington Union’s Mike Garza and Dinuba’s Jose Del Rio in the sequoia bracket on touchdowns thrown.  These three game breakers won’t be alone either, with 68 point kicker Casey Lucas coming back, along with sophomore Jon Blea, who’s seven catches for 151 yards was a coming out party for the young wideout taking over for Fred Worstein in the championship game.  Also look for upcoming junior varsity players Aaron Wilkins (runningback), Zach Howard (wide receiver), Owen Martin (linebacker), Drew Marr (wide receiver), and Michael Bryant (linebacker) to make an impact somewhere in the starting line-up.  On defense, linebackers Kevin Rose and Justin Hultman, defensive tackle Robbie Sotelo, and defensive back Chris Warder are all coming back for the Badgers as well.  Also look for TJ Grijalva to get involved at his linebacking spot as a two-way starter after registering 82 tackles and five sacks his junior year.

On paper, the Badgers easily have to be the early favorite to win the Division III CIF championship with so many talented players returning, but only time and game clashes will tell…

Washington Union Panthers

Sitting outside their locker room in tears after the 2003 Sequoia Semi-Finals, Washington Union could only think of what could have been after a great 11-1 run.  For the returning players, a score to settle from a disappointing CIF Title run in a 27-13 loss to Tehachapi will be foremost on the minds of the Panther faithful.

Many prep-analysts predicted a Warrior win in the 2003 match-up because of the “known fact” that the Panthers couldn’t stop the run, which fortunately, was Tehachapi’s forte on the gridiron.  But seriously, folks…if Washington’s defense was that bad against the run, explain to me how they came into the semi’s 11-0?  Don’t tell me that teams like Dos Palos and San Joaquin Memorial weren’t savvy to the Panther weakness.  Fact is, it just took a great running team like Tehachapi to exploit it fully…and luckily for Tehachapi, a passing game wasn’t needed to pull out a win.  It’s always nice when the puzzle piece fits perfectly, doesn’t it?  Washington had a hole…and Tehachapi was able to fill it.

Have a Seat:  Dan Haycock (#40) eyes the ball carrier after a short gain in the 2003 semi-final match-up with the Panthers

Speaking of passing, that’s something that Washington will definitely be able to do next season even with the departure of 1^st team NSL wide receiver Landon McCray.  The blue chippers coming back for the Panthers are 1^st Team NSL backs Mike Garza at quarterback and Evan Christin at runningback.  And folks, if you have your star quarterback and runningback returning, you have a good start on the foundation of a solid football team.  Garza was very impressive in his junior year with 1,884 yards on 100 completions and 25 touchdowns, while Christin was easily the sophomore MVP in the sequoia division with 1,363 yards and nine touchdowns.  A couple of good receiving targets will be back for Washington next year, with the highlight player being tight end Maurice Graham, who’s 193 yards on eight catches will head the experience in the receiving corps.  Therell Clark, who spent most of his season on the defensive side of the ball, will look to carry his four interception total in 2003 to receptions next season in hopes of replacing NSL most valuable player Landon McCray.

Lemoore Tigers

The Division III bracket dodged a serious bullet with the senior departure of 1,949 yard / 26 TD rusher Nick Sula coming into the 2004 season.  With Sula gone, not much is known about the Tigers or where they stack up as a contender for next season, which is probably just the situation that Head Coach Shaun Ball prefers to be in.

Runnin' Wild:  Nick Sula (#24) was no stranger to big-time yardage in '03, as shown in his carry against Tulare Union in a 235-yard, five TD performance.  (photo by Cary Edmondson, Advance-Register)

With Sula out of the picture, a lot of question marks will have to be answered for the Tigers in the off-season.  The second leading rusher on the team last year was Jamar Curry with 136 yards and a touchdown, accounting for part of the 16% of total rushing offense not attained by Sula.  Curry will be joined on offense by runningback Charles Brown, speedster David Ausberry, and Quarterback Chris Marvin.  Curry and Ausberry were a formidable tandem at wide receiver, with Ausberry reeling in an impressive 10 touchdowns and 744 yards catching as a sophomore.  Curry, entering his senior year, will bring with him a successful 265-yard, four touchdown junior campaign to complement Ausberry.  Tight End Jacob Mendoza has also found a presence in the offensive scheme, and will be a big threat coming into next season after accounting for 186 yards receiving against a tough West Yosemite League schedule in ’03.

After a brutal pre-league schedule that gave the Tigers an abysmal 1-4 record, Lemoore picked up their defense in the second half of the season to finish off at 5-0, with arguably their most impressive win during that run over North-Bakersfield, who would go on to defeat eventual large school finalist Stockdale three weeks later.  Leading the charge in the second half surge was defensive standouts db’s Dennis Patty and Jackey “Jay Jay” Moore, and linebackers Joey Wilson and Charles Brown, who are all set to return in the upcoming season.

Lemoore will welcome in El Diamante to the West Yosemite League next year, and depending on where the Tigers fall in their league schedule, could very well find themselves in the thick of the playoff picture after week 10.

Delano Tigers

With a new school in Cesar Chavez robbing the halls of the once huge 3000+ student body at Delano High, the extra breathing room for the Tigers on campus could very well translate into talent dilution on the sports playing fields.

Delano turned in one of their most magical seasons in their long history, recording their first league championship since the 70’s, and their first playoff bearth in as many years.  Also a notch in the feather of the Tiger cap was a win over Tehachapi in ’03, a 20-6 shellacking that really never had the Warriors in the contest at all after starting with a 6-0 opening drive score.

Where's the ball?:  Delano's Randy Camat hands the pigskin off as Sean Finley (#32) looks on

That being said, with success usually comes departure, and the goodbyes start with Ricky Bravo, a McFarland High transfer that will take 1,001 yards and 13 touchdowns with him to graduation in June.  Also gone are Angel Villalobos and Terrance Lucas, who accounted for 870 yards and four touchdowns together last season.  Returning for Delano for another year of play will be third leading rusher and starting Quarterback Randy Camat, who was the second leading ball carrier on the team with 80 touches for 325 yards and three scores.  Camat had a decent year at quarterback, firing for 639 yards and five touchdowns on 40 completions, and will look to hook up with returning Tiger Robert Quinones, who’s four touchdowns receiving were tops on the squad at season’s end.

The heart of the Delano attack next season will be their defense, which has the chance to lead them to back-to-back EYL titles and a possible high seed in the D-III playoffs.  Leading the defense will be all-area Defensive Lineman Noe Enriquez and Linebacker Isidro Alvarado, who both led the team in tackles in 2003.  Alvario Rivera and Orlando Medina will join Enriquez on the frontline and Richie Meneses will ante-up with Alvarado to make this probably one of the best defensive units to come out of the EYL in a long time.  Backup Quarterback Michael Chavez and returning starter Daniel Fuentes should also be big-time threats for the Tigers in the secondary, while starting QB Randy Camat should mix it up in the defensive backfield as well.

Tehachapi blitzed the Delano underclassmen with a combined score of 70-21 last season, but with experience for the Tigers coming back, they won’t need any help from the lower ranks to vie for a Division III playoff top spot.  Look for big things from Delano High in ’04...assuming that Cesar Chavez doesn't lure some of the talent away.

The next weekly warrior (April) will highlight some returnees for the Warriors in '04, and will be the last of the four-part series highlighting the Warriors and their opponents next season.  Be sure to check out Part One or Part Two if you missed those articles posted earlier this year.

	This weekly warrior talked about a few of the playoff contenders for division III…but what about the rest of the teams that can enter in Tehachapi’s playoff bracket?  To get a brief breakdown of the rest of the Division III football playoff hopefuls, click here.
	It appears that Shafter has hired their next head football coach, electing to stay within the family in the hiring of Manuel Garcia, who was the head coach for the Shafter freshman football team in 2002 and 2003.  Garcia was one of twelve finalists for the position, and was selected by school administration in hopes that Garcia will be a long-term solution for the school after the departure of three-year coach Erich Smith.  Garcia helped guide the Bucks to a road-win over the Indians 19-16 in 2002, and a 21-14 win over Tehachapi this past season.  The Freshmen Bucks were the South Sequoia League's second place team in '03, posting a 7-1 (4-1 SSL) record, with their only loss coming at the hands of Garces, 21-7.  Garcia is a long-time coach around the central valley, serving various coaching capacities for South, East, and Bakersfield College over the past decade.  In his playing days, Garcia was a Shafter alum and went on to record successful football careers at Bakersfield College and Weber State.
	Tehachapi Warrior Basketball is still enjoying a fine season in both the women and men's ranks.  As of February 6th, the men's team was sitting tied for second place in the SSL with a 12-11 (5-2 SSL) record.  The men's team is also on pace to set the section record for three-pointers in a season, and already attained the section record for three-pointers in one game, drilling 21 in their contest against Rosamond earlier in the year.  In junior varsity, Head Coach Bruce Schkade is guiding the Braves to some impressive wins as well, helping the sophomore and freshmen class to a perfect 7-0 league record. On the women's side, Briana Barrett and Katie Avila are consistently turning in stellar performances and all but have the SSL title clinched with a 19-4 (7-0 SSL record).  For a more in-depth look a the Lady Warriors, you can go view their game-by-game results and statistics at maxpreps. Money:  Katie Avila sinks her second free-throw in the Lady Warriors' 59-36 victory over Shafter

A reminder that the next weekly warrior (Part Four of the Four Part Series) will arrive sometime in the March/April timeframe, highlighting the returning Warriors looking to suit up to make a run at a back-to-back title.  Stay tuned!