It's one of those age-old debates in sports...was it the fact that Tehachapi "choked" in the game or that Taft just "wanted it more"?

Whatever opinion you want to grasp towards to bring resolution to the contest, the simple fact is that the Wildcats were victorious....and the Warriors were not.

Another factor to consider however was how Taft won the game (and the title, for that matter). 

Defense. 

Player-pounding, hard hitting, ball flying good 'ol fashion defense.  And boy...did Taft have a good one last year.

While the Wildcats won the SSL title staving off offenses last season, many of the influential cogs on the SSL champion unit have been lost to graduation.  Some of the noteworthy players include All-SSL grapplers Scott Cooper, Drake House, Tyler Beath, C.T. Twissleman, and hard-hitting linebacker Chase Blackwood. 

In fact, much of Taft's defensive success came at the ability of a saturated senior class, so early on it's anyone's guess on the players that second-year head coach Steve Sprague will fill in on many of the open positions in 2005.

FUMBLE!! - Sure-handed Sean Finley faced a swarming Taft defense on this play, with Estill jarring the ball loose for a Taft recovery late in the third quarter.  Also in on the play was Taft defenders Twissleman (#4), Cooper (#24), and Zimmerli (#73).

On offense, Ben Estill (#44) might not have the moves that graduating players Daniel Kerr, C.T. Twisleman, or Drake House had, but the torch has passed none-the-less and Estill will assume the role as the primary back for the Wildcats in 2005.

Helping out Estill pave the way will be some solid returners on the offensive line for the Wildcats in AJ Savaii (#79), Eric Zimmerli (#72), Josh Green (#72), Junior Sefo (#57), and Jerry Laulusa (#88).  As a change of pace for Estill, look for Andrew Miller (#22) and Nick Ortlieb (#21) to have a role in the offense as well.

It's been a back-and-forth battle for Tehachapi and Taft the past six seasons, exchanging victories as each season comes to pass.  In 2003 Tehachapi came back from 18 points to take the win and the SSL title, in 2004 it was Taft emerging from 12 down in the second half to finish league undefeated.

What will 2005 bring?  One thing we know for sure...having it on the mountain sure helps the odds a bit coming in.

Botched Punt - Tyler Beath (#42) let Matt Deger (#4), Lance Lange (#6), Mike Faulkner (#44), Dan Haycock (#40), and the rest of the Warriors special teams get the best of him on a botched punt in the first half of the 2004 contest, but it was Beath that had the last laugh in the game with a key game-sealing interception to close out the win and the SSL title.

For a brief history of each of the games that the Warriors and Wildcats have played each other, click here.  You can also view 2004 Weekly Warrior analysis and 2004 game stats of the last meeting between these two teams.