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JUNIOR VARSITY MOVES TO 3-0 WITH SHUTOUT
ALL-AROUND EFFORT - It was a clash of two undefeated programs...and the Braves came out on top with the big shutout on the road. Tehachapi was impressive on defense, holding the Coast-Warriors to 0-6 on fourth down on the afternoon.
TEHACHAPI NEWS - For the Braves to record a win against Southern Section coastal power Righetti, they needed to play a perfect game on defense. Tehachapi (3-0) did that and more, shutting out the Warriors (2-1) on the road, 21-0.
The story of the game was Tehachapi’s ability to shutdown the Warriors on fourth down on six consecutive occasions, many of the turnover-on-downs giving Tehachapi field position in Righetti’s territory.
“Defense really stepped up, we called some guys out this week and they hit people in the game like they should,” said head coach Ryan Grimes. “They started to read the offense better as the game wore on and they played hard.”
Tehachapi received a spark on defense early on with an interception by Bert Hall on Righetti’s first offensive possession. The Braves went on to record four turnovers overall, which included Hall’s interception and fumble recoveries by Jason Hail (two), and Joey Hack.
Hail was the leading tackler on defense with 15, followed by Eric Harroun with 10, Justin Hansen with seven, Dominic Chavarria with six, and Joey Hack, Dan Rakowski, and Josh Cannedy with five.
HIT AND FLY - Tehachapi proved to be the better team on the afternoon, holding Righetti at bay most of the game and then pulling away in the second half for the 21-0 win.
On offense, Tehachapi was led by Adam Mullen, who had 128 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns. Kurtis Knudson threw four completions for 52 yards and had a quarterback-keeper TD run in the fourth quarter.
“We were able to move the ball, but early on we weren’t blocking to the fullest and we told the guys to block to the end of the play and they did it.”
Other offensive highlights included Armando Salcido, who had 57 yards on 19 carries, and Chris Fimbres, who had a nine yard catch in the second half.
“A win like this boosts your confidence,” added Grimes. “Watching them on film we knew they were a good team but we’re a good team too, we knew it was going to be a great challenge and the kids came out ready to play.”
Tehachapi will take on Stockdale at home this Friday at Coy Burnett Field. Kickoff will be at 5 p.m.
STILL PERFECT - The The Braves will have a big test next week against Stockdale, the only team that was able to defeat last season's Indian team that went 9-1 (5-0 SSL).
