MORE HITTING...MORE FLYING        Tehachapi Looking Strong After Completing August Two-A-Day's
Posted 08-18-04

QB Rush: Junior Tyler Hansen (far right), drills a pass downfield as the Warriors close the pocket

Ah....football season is upon us again.

Gearing up for a scrimmage against West-High and their first game of the season against Burroughs, the Warriors finished up their last week of two-a-days on Wednesday, with the running game and defensive schemes taking full flight for the talented crop of juniors and seniors.

"Right now, it's all about execution," said Warrior Head Coach Steve Denman.  "We're preparing for some of our upcoming opponents, but right now our main concern is instilling to the players what we should be accomplishing week in and week out."

The coaching staff is first to note that there is still much work to be done before a September 3rd date with West High School, but they also are quick to point out praise with the groups of the 60+ Warriors participating in 2004.

"We think our defense will be solid this year," said Coach Bill Carll.  "Players like Fernando Garcin and Nelson Godschalk should help us make a solid contribution, and that adds to a strong group coming back and some other juniors that are hitting hard."

On offense, the Warrior show promise of more balance and consistency from their 2003 championship season, replacing Tanner Hutchinson with a dose of Sean Finley, Dan Haycock, Robert Wright, Mike Faulkner, EJ Muro, and the throwing arm of Tyler Hansen, who should have plenty of protection behind him from the o-line.

"We feel that our front has a lot of depth this year, guys like Dockery, Pera, Curiel, O'Brien, and others are showing us a lot, and Tyler Hansen is developing well for his first year in Varsity...he's were we expected him to be at this point," said Denman.

In 12-on-12 drills, the running of Finley and Faulkner produced some punishing blows up the middle, while the speed of Wright produced some positive yardage on the outside that should transcend into first downs when opponents come knocking this fall.

"We still have some mental mistakes that need to be addressed, but the players are listening and correcting, which is what you want," said Denman.  "The talent is there, but we want to utilize as much practice time as we can to put it all together into an effective unit."

The Warriors will continue practice  the rest of this month from 3pm-5pm, with a 7pm scrimmage date with West set for the first Friday in September at Coy Burnett Field.

Warrior Coach Dennis Ruggles goes through drill assignments

Tehachapi Runners participate in hit-drills during practice

Head Coach Steve Denman Evaluates Blocking Assignments from the '04 Warriors

	Tehachapi recently announced the new Athletic Director for the school, staying in-house in the promotion of Warrior Teacher & Coach Matt Ross.  Tehachapi hopes to continue it's unmatched sports-enriched tradition under Ross's tutelage after long-time AD Grant Snyder retired at the end of the 2003-2004 school year.
	Mike Hall will look to continue his Washington Redskin "interviews" this weekend with a Saturday, August 21st game against the Miami Dolphins.  The contest will be on tape-delay on the NFL network, with the game having a schedule date set for Sunday, August 22nd, at Noon PST.  Many NFL teams will be making their initial camp cuts after their third pre-season game...so be sure to watch Hall just in case the Redskins and the Warrior Alumni choose to part ways.  Look for #35!
	Keeping in the same spirit with the NFL...I recently had a chance to check out the Dallas Cowboys Training Camp in Oxnard, CA a couple of weeks back.  Had a chance to talk briefly with Dallas' placekicker Billy Cundiff after practice and see some of the NFL stars....LeRoy Glover, Roy Williams, Darren Woodson, Bill Parcells.  Fun times...if you ever have a chance to check out an NFL training camp I highly recommend! Dallas Cowboys Placekicker Billy Cundiff (left) and Tom Shea (right).
	Stay tuned for the next weekly warrior...set for September 4th.  We'll highlight the West-High Scrimmage and give a preview of the Kern County game of the week...The 2003 Sequoia Large CIF Champion Warriors vs. the 2003 Division XII CIF Finalist Burroughs Burros.  This one promises to be huge...Don't miss it!!.

The 2004 Warrior Page is up and running!  Be sure to check it out.  Also, some important dates to pass along...Tehachapi will be scrimmaging West-Bakersfield High School again this year, this time at Coy Burnett Field on Sep 3rd.  Freshman will kickoff the scrimmage festivities at 3pm, with the JV to follow suit at 5pm, and the Varsity at 7pm.  If you're ready for some football action, come on down.  And the price is right...FREE.  Team pictures are currently set to go off on Saturday, August 28th at Coy Burnett Field starting at 7am for all three Tehachapi teams.  Please contact team photographer Mike Duffy for any information regarding pictures/fees for individual photos.

Here's a big cheers to a Warrior fan from abroad...Barrie Turner.  Barrie, a Warrior supporter from Rochdale, England, became a supporter after a visit to the States in 1992...when his escorted coach tour bus happened to make a pit-stop in Tehachapi nearby Coy Burnett Field.  As coincidence would have it, the Warriors were practicing, and Barrie remembered his time observing Warrior practice as "quite an experience" having developed an interest in football in 1989.  Since Barrie cannot attend Warrior games, he still follows the action through thswarriors.com, and continues to be an avid supporter of football, with attendance at NFL-Europe contests and a much-anticipated first-live NFL game set for this fall against the Baltimore Ravens and Cleveland Browns.  Barrie recently sent a message to all Warrior Coaches, players, and fans via email: "I can only imagine the strength of positive feeling when a whole community gets behind their team, and it's their flesh and blood on the field. In nearly all the sports I've watched over the years it's been professional sportsmen and women, out-of-towners mainly, competing for ever-larger sums of money, or that's how it's appeared to me. So for Tehachapi to turn out on a Friday night to watch their finest compete against the SSL's finest ranks for me as one of the purest forms of sport, competition for no other reward than maintaining the honour of the school and the local community. Teammates. It works for me." "Go Warriors! :o) "