Sports: Tehachapi News

Sports Shorts

Officers of the Bear Valley Springs Oak Tree Men’s Golf Club presented a check for $1,000 to Tehachapi High School golf coach Dennis Sterk to support the boys and girls golf teams.

“We’re going to try to help this team every year,” said club President Dick Taylor. The girls team will be embarking on their first-ever season of competition this fall, with the boys set to compete this upcoming spring. The Oak Tree Women’s Golf club also donated 15 golf bags to the girls team.

Soccer Opening Day
Youth Soccer will have their opening day ceremonies, complete with a carnival, food and parade this Saturday (Aug-30) at West Park beginning at 8:30am. The event promises to be an exiting one, with highlights including the landing of two helicopters on the north end of the field. The community is encouraged to join in on the festivities this weekend.

Freshmen Football thanks NAPA
The THS Indians football team would like to thank NAPA auto parts for their assistance in the fundraising of $600 towards the purchase of new uniform equipment for the upcoming season. NAPA provided hotdogs and drinks and allowed the young men to sell the product to customers last month during a tool sale day. A big thank you goes to NAPA for partnering with THS athletics and the football program.

THS Athletic Schedule
Football – Friday (Aug-29) Scrimmage against Highland-Bakersfield (home); Time: 3:30 (frosh), 5:30 (JV), 7pm (Varsity)
Volleyball – Tuesday (Aug-26) SSL Scrimmage Varsity (BCHS), JV (McFarland), Frosh (Wasco); Time: 4pm
Cross Country – Wednesday (Aug-27) SSL Scrimmage at Brite Lake (Tehachapi); Time: 3pm
Tennis – Thursday through Saturday (Aug 28-30) at Frontier-Bakersfield Tournament (JV only); Time: TBD
Golf – No games scheduled

Hanley wins Mini-Dwarf Car Main Event

Tehachapi resident and Jacobsen Middle School student Sam Hanley, 11, won a Mini-Dwarf racing main event held at Bakersfield Speedway earlier this month.
Mini dwarf is a new class of racing car driven by two age-group classes (five through 8-year-olds and nine through 11-year-olds). The cars are powered by Honda GX160 or GX200 lawnmower engines, with the maximum speed reaching upwards of 35 miles per hour.

Hanley also races vintage go-karts and has traveled to Victorville, Ventura, Las Vegas and Davis to compete. His parents are Sara and Skip Spiller and his dad is Raymond Hanley.

Football Season Underway

Tehachapi recently took to Coy Burnett Field for an inter-squad scrimmage this past weekend in preparation for a couple of big contests ahead.

The Warriors are set to lock horns against Highland-Bakersfield in a scrimmage this Friday (Aug-29) and kickoff the season against Segerstrom-Santa Ana in an 80th anniversary extravaganza next Saturday (Sept-6).

“Our first game (against Segerstrom) will have a homecoming-like atmosphere,” said head coach Steve Denman. “It should be a great game against a quality opponent and we hope that the game being on a Saturday afternoon we can get a great turnout from the community.”

The Warriors football program will be celebrating their past, present and future during a special season opener pre-game/halftime ceremony against Segerstrom-Santa Ana, with all former warrior football players asked to join in on the festivities.

Football Alumni in attendance will be honored in a special pre-game introduction prior to the varsity kickoff at 6:30pm. Former players are asked to contact the THS athletic office in advance at 822-2131 or email Tehachapi High School Vice-Principal Paul Press at ppress@teh.k12.ca.us. When contacting the school, leave your first and last name and year of graduation. The day of the game, you are asked to verify your attendance at the front gate on or before 5:45 p.m.

“We want to try and make this game a special event for the community,” said Tehachapi Vice-Principal Paul Press. “This is a town with a lot of tradition, especially in football, and we would like to honor that and celebrate 80 years of Tehachapi High School. It’s a can’t-miss event and hopefully we can pack the stands.”

All three THS football teams will be playing in the 80th anniversary game, with the freshmen (2pm), junior varsity (4pm), and varsity (6:30pm) kicking off their season openers. Future Warrior players (GEYF Tomahawks) will be introduced during a special halftime show.

Scrimmage this Friday
Tehachapi will have their first game-action in a scrimmage against Highland-Bakersfield this Friday (Aug-29) at Coy Burnett Field. Times for each scrimmage will be freshmen (3:30pm), junior varsity (5pm) and varsity (7pm). For a complete schedule and other important related Mountain Football information, log on to thswarriors.com.

Little League All-Stars complete season

The District 51 championships featured local teams reaching the final game in both baseball and softball, while Tehachapi baseball closed their impressive season with an Area 2 championship sweep.
Expectations were high for a strong Tehachapi performance after three area champions and district final appearances were produced in six divisions of baseball/softball, including one overall champion to end the District 51 playoffs last week in the Major Division Cubs.
In eight divisions of baseball/softball combined, Tehachapi recorded an impressive six championships/automatic bids from their area to the District 51 playoffs.
9/10 Year Old Division
Tehachapi came from the pit of elimination in the baseball division, losing their first game to the Cal-City All-Stars 13-3, but then reeling off two straight wins over Kern River (15-0) and Cal City (24-4) to force a winner take all championship game.
The home team came through in the final contest, with Tehachapi taking a thrilling 9-8 victory to win the Area 2 All-Star championship against Cal City. The season ended for Tehachapi after a five-run showing in the first round of the District 51 playoffs.
In the softball division Tehachapi dropped a pair of games in their elimination but still scored eight runs overall.
10/11 Year Old Division
There was little doubt in the baseball division on who was the cream of the crop, with Tehachapi taking two straight wins to win the Area 1/2/5 championship with victories over Rosamond in two consecutive victories (8-1 and 16-3).
Tehachapi eventually made it to the District 51 championship game after a 13-3 win over Monte Vista, but fell in two games to eventual champion Quartz Hill to end their impressive season.
Softball had Tehachapi as an automatic qualifier for the District 51 tournament, scoring 18 runs overall in the playoffs that included a championship debut.
Major Division
With three straight convincing victories, the Tehachapi Baseball major contingent swept through the Area 2 bracket with three shellackings over Cal City (16-9), Kern River (13-0) and Cal City (8-2) to win the championship series.
Tehachapi would later on reach the District 51 semifinals after defeating Rosamond (14-0) and Bishop (5-3), but a close 9-6 loss to Monte Vista in the pre-championship game would end Tehachapi’s memorable season.
In Majors softball Tehachapi scored six runs overall in a pair of losses to Rosamond.
Junior/Senior Division
Securing the honor of the most runs scored by a Tehachapi team in the All-Star playoff series, the hometown juniors completed the Area championship sweep for Tehachapi with three straight wins in the Area 2/5 bracket. Tehachapi scored 68 runs overall, defeating Rosamond (23-7), Boron (24-2), and Boron (21-8) to take the top honors. Tehachapi later went on to score eight runs overall in the District 51 playoffs.
In junior softball, Tehachapi secured an automatic berth in the District 51 tournament, finding a win against Monte Vista / Parkview (15-3) and El Dorado (15-6) to reach the tournament finals. Senior softball secured another win for Tehachapi in a 7-5 victory over Palmdale, and another 10 runs scored overall in pre-championship contests against Quartz Hill and Monte Vista / Parkview.

Mountain Volleyball Holds Camp

With 46 girls strong, Tehachapi Volleyball is starting to get rolling for the new volleyball season.
A handful of coaches from Cal-State Bakersfield, Bakersfield College, Jewell College, Kern River Club and Tehachapi High converged at the THS gym to help train the girls this past week in proper hitting, passing, setting, game situations and drills for the upcoming season.
“What has been impressive about this group is the great attitudes that they’ve had,” said varsity head coach Sally White. “We’re very excited about our potential and the talent that is in place.”
Tehachapi’s varsity squad will be entering the 2008 campaign with eight seniors lost to graduation, but optimism is high for the returning Lady Warriors, who should keep Tehachapi a strong contender in the upcoming South Sequoia League title race.
“We lost a lot of seniors and we are coming into the season with a new look,” added White. “But we have a lot of talent that is coming up that were excited about the potential at the lower levels.”
Set to come back for the Lady Warriors are senior Aly Pulford (setter) and juniors Sarah Horcher (outside hitter), Sam Nunnally (outside hitter / defensive specialist), and Paige Woodward (middle blocker / outside hitter).
Horcher was second on the team in kills last season while Sam Nunnally was third on the team in aces per game. Paige Woodward also had a strong statistical year with second-best output in blocks, while Aly Pulford had the second highest mark in assists last season.
Backing up a strong contingent of players is a vested coaching staff, with Sally White and Renn Amstead joined by a solid group of junior varsity and freshmen instructors.
“We’re fortunate to have a strong coaching staff here with Tracy (Lankin) and Stacey (Podratz) at the JV level and Maura (Smith) at the freshmen level, and we’re excited to have Renn (Amstead) at the varsity level,” White said.
The volleyball team will be holding open gym this week from 5 to 7 p.m., while varsity and junior varsity tryouts begin next week from 6 to 9 p.m. on Monday (Aug-4) through Friday (Aug-8). The first competitive action for the volleyball teams will be on Aug-26 in an SSL scrimmage against league foes at Bakersfield Christian High School.

Barracudas swim fast at the Kern County championships

The final swim meet of the season is always the Kern County Swimming Championships. This year the meet was held on July 19th at the Bakersfield City College state of the art swimming complex. For over 40 years the meet has given the teams and swimmers a chance to show what they can do. To break a meet record and bring home the gold is the goal of the best swimmers. Swimmers are allowed to enter three of the five possible events for each age group. The competition in each event starts with a preliminary qualifying swim where all swimmers compete to be a top 8 swimmer. The top 8 then get to compete once again in the finals. Those making it to the top 8 in the finals all receive Championship Medals, 1st through 8th place. Over 400 swimmers compete in this final meet.
Barracudas Head Coach Tessa Brown and Assistant Coach Randy Baiza, have worked hard this season preparing the team for the Championships with some great results. 27 team members made it to the final 8 in the championship round.
Results: Abraham Avalos age 5 had a 2nd and 7th place finish, Dominic Avalos, age 12, took 2nd, 3rd, and 5th place finishes, Jacob Avalos, age 8, had a 4th and 6th place finish, Joshua Avalos, age 9, won the 50 yrd butterfly and placed 2nd in to other events. Assistant Coach Randy Baiza, age 18,earned a 2nd, 3rd and 4th place finish. Daniel Banks, age 11, finished 4th, 5th and 6th in his events, Sean Banks, age 9, won the 50 yard breaststroke and had a 2nd and 3rd place finish as well. Andrew Bartels, age 12, had a 2nd place finish and two 7th place finishes. Cody Brown, age 14, won all 3 of his events, with a new meet record in the 50 freestyle event, breaking the meet record time of 24.01 with a new record time of 23.88. This also set a new Barracuda team record, breaking the 24.25 seconds record set by Michael Halaska in 2003. Lauren Grissom, age 14, had two 5th place finishes and a 6th place finish. Emma Knowlton, age 10, had a 6th place finish. Oscar Machado, age 12, had a 6th place finish. Jordan Montoya, age 10, had 6th, 7th and 8th place finishes. Karlie Montoya, age 13, took home a 6th place and two 7th place finishes. Vallarie Neang, age 14, placed 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Vincent Neang, age 7, had two 3rd place and a 6th place finish. Adrian Pacheco, age 7, had two 2nd places and a 3rd place finish. Dean Ruth, age 12, took a 4th place and two 6th place finishes. Keith Ruth, age 7, finished 6th and 8th in his events. Vivian Ruth, age 14, turned on the speed with three 2nd place finishes. Emily Sheridan, age 10, had 7th and 8th place finishes. Andrew Sparling, age 12, won the 50 yrd backstroke and took home a 3rd and 4th place finish in his other events. Josh Sparling, age 9, won all 3 of his events, the 50 yard backstroke, 50 yard free style and 100 IM. Tasha Shuman-Stuart, age 9, had a 5th place finish and Lexi Zimmerman, age 13, took a 2nd place and two 3rd place finishes. Congratulations to all the swimmers for making the top 8 at the Championships!
Following the Championships the Barracudas had the year end awards ceremony held at the Dye Natatorium Pool.
The Barracudas top 10 swimmers received special recognition trophies. The top 10 placement is for the most points earned during the season, with points being awarded for each event swam during the season when the swimmer would place in the top 5 in the event. 1st place went to Josh Sparling who went to all the swim meets, entered the maximum number of events allowed and won all of his events for the season, a great year for Josh. In 2nd place was Andrew Sparling, 3rd place Cody Brown, 4th place Dominic Avalos, 5th place Vivian Ruth, 6th place Joshua Avalos, 7th place Sean Banks, 8th place Adrian Pacheco. And 9th place was a tie between Mogan Stewart and Lexi Zimmerman.

Lars Oberg epitomized Warrior spirit through fatherhood

He is remembered as the family’s lighthouse.
The center. The man that helped guide the direction of everyone, from his four children Lori, Erik, Krista, and Bret, to his wife Barbara, the love of his life for 45 years.
Lars Oberg was a man’s man in so many ways. In a small tribute to the person he was on this Earth, the Tehachapi Warrior Booster club will be honoring him this weekend in their annual golf tournament fundraiser for Warrior athletics.
He will be remembered as the consummate parent, with all four of his children involved in the Tehachapi High athletic program in some fashion spanning over two decades in the 70’s and 80’s.
“Lars always bought a t-shirt, hat, donated money for how many pounds the kids could lift, whatever it was he was involved,” said Barbara Oberg. “He wanted to be apart of his kids lives more than anything. He wanted to support in any way he could.”
The oldest daughter Lori was a song leader for Tehachapi High, while sons Bret and Erik were both well-remembered quarterbacks for THS. His daughter Krista was a strong athlete in her own right, garnering all-league recognition in basketball, volleyball and softball.
As a testament to their commitment for their children, Lars and Barbara spent nearly $8,000 one year to watch their son Bret play in home and away games in collegiate football at Iowa State. There commitment was part of why the youngest Oberg shined, shattering Iowa State passing records along the way.
Bret Oberg threw for 3,602 yards on 251 completions in two seasons for the Cyclones, collecting the second best all-time passing rating mark in school history with a 130.91. Finding success on the field, his parents were in the stands all-the-while in those 1988-89 seasons, rooting their son on to victory.
Daughter Krista also was a star in basketball, going on after high school to play in China, while Erik Oberg played football at Bakersfield College.
“(Lars) never missed a game, even after high school we flew back-and-forth to Iowa for as many games as we could afford to go,” added Oberg. “He was always so active, going to athlete of the month, running the snack bar. He always took part.”
A positive influence on his children, Lars was never forceful or demanding when it came to extra-curricular activities. He was also a parent for others, evident in a championship game in 1983 when he left the stands to travel to the hospital to be with Marcos Curiel, one of his son’s teammates that sustained an injury in the fourth quarter of the contest.
“He was there for me too, I remember it was late in the game and I was playing linebacker and I just went down hard,” recalled Curiel. “My parents were away and they couldn’t make the game, but the Oberg’s stayed with me at the emergency room, fed me, and took me home. Mr. Oberg made me his responsibility. He cared for me as if I was one of his own kids.”
Opening up his home to the Tehachapi youth was commonplace for Lars, feeding and caring for the kids before and after numerous practices and games.
“We were all welcome to their house, tremendous hospitality,” added Curiel. “Lars never forced sports on his kids and that’s something I always remember. He was supportive, but he never pushed. If the kids wanted to throw the ball, he would do it. But he never forced, never criticized. Just supportive.”
Off the field, Lars was instrumental in teaching his kids the importance of earning and having an appreciation of what they have.
“Lars and I would work for Bret selling Christmas trees to help him earn extra money,” said Barbara Oberg. “If they wanted something, Lars didn’t believe in just giving it to them. If they wanted a car, the kids earned half, and then he would match it.”
In the community, Lars was remembered for donating cement for projects, holding the yard markers for games, helping with barbequing at the snack bars, and a major cog in the functions of all little league related activities. Lars was a fixture in the Tehachapi athletic program.
“Kids used to call him Mr. 55 miles per hour. He was very calm mannered man and loved to support anything and everything,” said Barbara Oberg. “He is a part of a really tight family. We did everything together and the kids loved their father dearly. He was very, very proud of his boys and girls.”
Blessed with five grandchildren, Lars was honored with his latest addition baring his name, Lauren Lars Oberg, born late last year.
“He was all-heart, a gentleman,” said Barbara Oberg. “He was loyal, a wonderful father, and a really good husband.”
Lars Oberg was a man that let his light shine on others and was a beacon for so many. He was the pinnacle of parenthood.
“He was our lighthouse,” said Barbara Oberg.
Lars Oberg Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament
The Warrior Boosters will be holding a golf tournament this Saturday, July-26 at Horse Thief Country Club in Stallion Springs.
The tournament will be a four person scramble at $80 per person. The fee includes green fees, cart, lunch, and prizes, with the day’s festivities also including first and second team putting contests, closest to the pin and longest drive along with the main competition.
Space is limited, to reserve a spot in the event contact Booster Club president Chuck Hansen at 304-2167, 823-9870 or hansen587@sbcglobal.net.
The tournament will raise money towards funding for Warrior events in the fall, winter, and sports season, and provide funding for scholarships to deserving Tehachapi High athletes in honor of the memory of Lars Oberg.

Warrior Hoops Hosts the Scorpions

The Warriors came away from their summer campaign with an overall better understanding of personnel and the capabilities of each player for the upcoming winter season.
Tehachapi played a pair of scrimmages the past two weeks against Desert High School, the defending Southern Section V-A champions. While the Warriors came up on the short end of the scoreboard on both occasions, the rotation of players overall gave the team a more clear picture of the talent base.
“We have some things we need to work on, there’s no doubt about it,” said head coach Chris Olofson. “We like our perimeter shooting this year and we have some talent and size to feed the ball inside to, but putting it all together will be the key for us. Getting everyone involved and everyone feeding off each other.”
Bert Hall and Justin Hansen split time at center for Tehachapi in both scrimmages against Desert, 45-40 and 51-37 victories in favor of the Scorpions. Hall had seven points and eight rebounds in the first game, but was not available for the latter contest due to a commitment in a NIKE sponsored tournament. Hansen, who was not available in the first game, was able to enter in the second contest to account for seven points, seven rebounds, and two assists without his tower counterpart.
“Getting everyone together during the summer can be difficult, it’s a time for families to go on vacation together and kids to play in county and regional leagues,” added Olofson. “When we have everyone together this upcoming season things should start to fall into place.”
Other significant contributors in the second Desert game included Kurtis Knudson with nine points and three rebounds, JJ Balkar with eight points and four boards and Matt Bloom with six points and two steals. Jason Kearns also had a nice three point bucket in second half action.
Junior Varsity
The Braves played their best all-around game in the final scrimmage of the summer season, taking a 37-28 victory over Desert.
Nick Phillips finished with eight points and three rebounds to lead Tehachapi, while Macon Stott had eight points and Kash Knudson had six points, four rebounds, three steals and two assists.
Other highlights included Nick Buttcane with six points and five rebounds, Journey McDowell with a bucket and three rebounds, and Cameron Ingersoll and Michael Lowder both connecting on three point baskets.
In previous scrimmage action, the Braves took a trip to Palmdale to square-off against Paraclete, Stockdale, Lancaster, and Littlerock, scoring 103 points overall.
“Too many turnovers cost us in some of our games,” said head coach Bruce Schkade. “That being said though I was pleased with the effort and how the kids never gave up.”
Scoring leaders had Nick Phillips with 31 points, followed by Dallas Scaggs with 26 points, Kash Knudson with 13 points, Levi Garrett with nine points and Nick Buttcane with five points during the tournament stretch.
“I'm looking forward to the upcoming basketball season. I feel we have the talent,” added Schkade. “We were just one win short of winning it as freshmen last year. Running a summer program helps to develop the talent and hopefully that will get us over the hump.”

THS Coach and Athletes make All-Area

Tehachapi was recognized in six sports for having a handful of the elite players in the recent tabulation of Kern County’s All-Area teams for first, second and honorable mention categories.
Highlighting the honors was Joey Neptune, who was selected as Kern County’s swimming coach of the year, and Michael Halaska, who took male swimming athlete of the year for the second year in a row and an unprecedented third first team all-area selection.
“It was a big honor to be named coach of the year, it’s a credit to our team that worked hard and maintained a high commitment level,” said Neptune. “It was great that Michael (Halaska) was recognized and Wesley (Schultz) got in there. We’re hoping to have more in the coming years. Coach (Herman) Rijfkogel built a great program and it was fun continuing that this year.”
Neptune is the fourth coach in two years from Tehachapi High to be named the county’s top coach in his sport, joining Chris Olofson (2006 – Basketball), Tom Franchere (2006 – Soccer) and Tony Keller (2007 – Wrestling) in the honor.
Seven Tehachapi Warriors overall made the All-Area team in the spring of 2008.
Michael Halaska
First Team, Swimming
Warrior swimmer Michael Halaska is the first Tehachapi athlete in the history of the school to grab first team All-Area honors in three separate years and the only student to be named Kern County player of the year twice. Halaska, who will be attending USC in the fall, finished a brilliant senior year with two All-American times in the 100 Breaststroke (58.50) and 200 IM (1:53:37) and Central Section championship first place finishes in both events. Halaska also won the SSL championship in the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Free Relay, 100 Free, and 100 Breast this past season, and finished fifth in his class with a stellar 4.2 GPA.
Kelsey Kapitzke
Second Team, Softball
After an impressive sophomore campaign, Kapitzke emerged as one of the elite softball players in the valley both at pitching and the plate to help the Lady Warriors to a section semifinal appearance in the Division III playoffs. The young star finished with 78 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched on the season, and was a leader at the plate with a .391 batting average, two homeruns, and 12 RBIs.
Tyler Thoms
Second Team, Tennis
Mountain Tennis is officially on the map in Tehachapi and this Hart Flat sensation is one of the reasons why. Thoms improved upon a solid freshman season to assume the no.1 singles slot on the varsity squad this past season for the Warriors. In doing so, Thoms polished his game to finish second in the SSL finals in singles, bested only by the defending CIF champion in the championship match. Thoms also joined fellow teammate David Croy to form one of the most lethal doubles teams in the central section, going 2-0 in the playoffs in tandem tennis with wins against Granite Hills and Porterville in the Division III quarters and semis.
Sean Arbaut
Honorable Mention, Baseball
One of the top players in the central section, Arbaut had one of the most impressive seasons of any player in Mountain Baseball history with an impressive .543 batting average, and team leads in homeruns (3) and RBIs (37). The finish for Arbaut netted him a spot on the USA Athletes International Traveling baseball squad, and recognition on the All-State team for mid-size schools. Arbaut was also recognized as a finalist in Sports Illustrated “Faces in the Crowd” column in May.
Jacob Booth
Honorable Mention, Golf
Warrior golf had a clear competitive edge that put them in the hunt this past season, with much of that due to the strong play of Jacob Booth. Faced with the pressure of having to help guide the team in the top-spot after the loss of fellow golfer Grant Rosander to injury at the start of the season, Booth played out the rest of the year with superb scores that helped make Tehachapi one of the top teams in the county. In SSL-tournament play, Booth had the low card for the team in six out of eight outings, and shot a team-high 78 in the final SSL tournament of the season.
John Roemer
Honorable Mention, Track
Roemer helped guide his track team to a first place finish in league in the 4x100 relay with a time of 45.24, while also taking sixth in the 100 meters. At the Sequoia/Sierra championships, Roemer finished 10th in the field with a time of 11.60, and was apart of Tehachapi’s presence in the CIF Central Section championships in the 4x100 relay, finishing with a time of 44.59.
Wesley Schultz
Honorable Mention, Swimming
A stand-up young man in and out of the pool, Schultz was a chip off the block of Halaska this past season in work ethic and commitment. The results netted Schultz recognition as one of the valley’s top swimmers, and results that had him winning the 200IM, 100 Fly, 200 Medley Relay, and 200 Free Relay at the SSL finals. Schultz also joined up with a handful of his teammates to post an incredible team sixth place showing in the section at the CIF championships, tops among all Sequoia/Sierra schools.

Summer Basketball heats up with scrimmage against Edwards AFB

There was a championship flare on the court at Edwards AFB last Thursday, with two leaders from Tehachapi’s 2006 CIF championship team matching up with talented defending Southern Section V-A champion Desert High in a pre-season scrimmage.
In the end, the Scorpions surprised Tehachapi with a zone defense that was unfamiliar to the Warriors in previous summer action, along with quickness that led to key transition points in a 45-40 win for Desert.
Despite the loss, the Warriors received key contributions from a variety of players in the heavy-rotation, specifically from Matt Bloom who had seven rebounds and five points to lead in the paint. Center Bert Hall also contributed with seven points and eight rebounds.
Down 18-15 at the intermission, Tehachapi surged to take the lead in the second half, netting a 24-22 lead with 14 minutes remaining in the second period. JJ Balkar entered the contest for the first time in the second stanza to record two three-point buckets, while Dougan Patience had four points and three rebounds.
Christian Torres led in the assist category with four, while Vince Ortiz, Austin Podratz, Kurtis Knudson, and Corey Torres all recorded points for the Warriors.
Tehachapi will be in action against Desert in a re-match this Tuesday at home at the THS gym. Junior varsity will start at 4 p.m. while the varsity will tip-off at 6:30 p.m.
Junior Varsity
Headed by a stellar performance by Nick Phillips, the Braves took a 49-40 win on the road against the Scorpions.
Phillips had a game high 28 points, while Brandon Brown led in the rebound category with nine.
Tehachapi started out the contest on a 6-0 run before a see-saw battle ensued that forced multiple lead changes. Down at halftime, Tehachapi rallied to take the lead by as much as 16 before finally settling on the nine-point margin of victory.
Other high marks included Levi Garrett with four points and three assists, Kash Knudson with six points, Cameron King with three points, and Journey McDowell with two points and six rebounds.

Aztecas go all the way

Playing with a mix of youth and veteran experience, the Aztecas adult league softball team went undefeated in 2008. The Aztecas finished the season with a perfect, 15-0, record and actually won one game with a 40-point lead (in three innings). The team went 12-0 in the regular season play in the eight-team league and won three straight in the playoffs defeating the City Slickers team, 17-8, in the final game of the year.
The Aztecas were started in 1994 just as a recreational outlet, by brothers Roberto and Rigo Valenzulea. Rigo stills plays and manages the team which is sponsored by Blazer Septic, a company which is partly owned by Rigo. When asked how he felt about the Aztecas going undefeated he said, ìItís a means a lot We did something good.î
The team was named by a vote of the players on the 1994 squad and it has stuck for 14 years.
Adding to the Aztecas overall strength this season was a family effort including Juan Holguin, one of the teamís original members, and his two sons, Johnny and J.J. ìI told the boys I would keep playing until we could all be on the same team,î Juan Holguin said. The Valenzuleas and Juan have been life long friends beginning back when they were in their teens. Also on the team is father and son duos of Julio and Adrian Hurtado and Ceaser and Andreas Tirado.
The Holguin bothers and Adrian Hurtado were members of the 2008 THS baseball team. J.J. and his brother Johnny are planning on attending and playing baseball at AV College this fall. Adrian Hurtado is going to be a senior at THS.
The Aztecas are already planning for next season and for tournaments in Bakersfield coming up this summer.

In-Line Hockey Finals produce league champs

Team Mighty Blue produced a shocking upset in the In-Line Hockey championship last week when they defeated the previously undefeated Cherry Pops by a 6-5 count in sudden-death overtime.
Nick Lea provided the winning goal one minute into the extra frame, sending a shot in the five-hole between the goalies legs to secure the championship. Also scoring for the Mighty Blue were Justin Lea and Kyle Holifield.
In the pee-wee division the Mighty Sharks won in a 6-5 overtime affair, with John Johnson sending a shot in the back of the net with 20 seconds remaining in the sudden-death period.
Tristin Mend, Cameron Snyder, and Jayce Scott also had goals for the Sharks in the win.

Tehachapi 18s fare well at Starlings Championships

The Starlings National Championships began on June 18th in San Diego with Sarah Carpenetti kicking off the Opening Ceremony by singing the National Anthem before the 116 teams assembled from around the nation.
Competing in the 18s Division, the Tehachapi contingent had three 15 year old players in Jessica Durham, Jami Lankin and Sarah Horcher, plus three 16 year olds in Sarah Carpenetti, Kelsey Kapitzke, and Makenna Boyer. Two “seasoned seventeens“, Sam Nunnally and Aly Pulford, round out the roster.
In the first day of pool play, Tehachapi defeated West LA, San Diego City and Bakersfield in the San Diego gymnasium.
“The playing conditions were tough, more like a sauna with nearly 100% humidity and 110 degree heat and rising to 113 degree heat on the third day,” said coach Charles Horcher. “The conditions were particularly tough on Tehachapi which had only one substitute compared with three or more for most of the other teams but I thought we did well.”
On the second day of pool play, Tehachapi defeated Castle Park and San Diego Navajo before narrowly losing to San Gabriel-Rich, last year’s champions. The San Gabriel match brought spectators from throughout the gym.
“Players from nearby courts even paused their matches to enjoy ours,” Horcher said.
Even with the loss, Tehachapi qualified for the Gold Division playoffs where in double elimination bracket play Tehachapi lost a three game heart breaker to San Gabriel-Allen, the eventual winner of the competition. Tehachapi then lost again to San Gabriel-Rich by a total of only six points out of 102. The loss brought Tehachapi’s 117 game season to an end.
“The referee congratulated both teams, saying that it had been the most exciting match she had ever seen and she is a high performance referee,” Horcher added.
For the season, Tehachapi amassed 1152 kills, 428 aces, and 107 stuff blocks. As a team, Tehachapi racked up an amazing 35% kill rate and nearly 18% of all serves resulted in aces. Individual stats leaders included co-captain Sarah Horcher with 409 kills and a 47.4% kill rate, followed by Makenna Boyer with 275 kills and 34.1%. Jessica Durham, who was sidelined early in the season by back surgery, still managed an impressive 36% kill rate in the early season. Serving ace leaders were Kelsey Kapitzke with 86 aces, Sarah Horcher with 67, with Aly Pulford and Makenna Boyer tied at 64 aces each. Sam Nunnally, who rejoined the team late in the season following knee surgery, had the highest percentage of aces at 29.7%. Kelsey also led the team in stuff blocks with 31, followed by Sarah Horcher with 30 and Sarah Carpenetti at 24.
Junior co-captain and primary setter Aly Pulford led the team both on the court and in assists with 701. Aly also had both the highest serving accuracy percentage at 93.2% as well as the second highest total in-court serves in at 357. The highest in-court server was Makenna Boyer at 378 serves delivered on target. Right side hitter and defensive specialist Jami Lankin led the team in back row kills with 19 and turned in solid performances in serve receiving and digging up spikes to the back ro

Little League Flexes talent in District Play

Well represented in the championships, Tehachapi little league reeled in impressive results that produced three area champions and district final appearances in six divisions of baseball/softball, including one overall champion to end the District 51 playoffs last week.
The Tehachapi Little League also had six Tehachapi teams in area final games out of 10 slots available to end an exciting playoff season.
Senior/Junior Division
The Cubs went in as the no.1 seed for Tehachapi and dropped a heartbreaker in seven innings to Kern River in a 14-13 loss, while the Angels were clipped by Mojave by a 15-8 score to end the year for both teams.
In softball action, the Angels and Inferno dominated the playoff bracket, with the Angels blasting Cal City 11-1 and the Inferno besting Mojave 7-0, with the two teams then colliding in the North-Area championship. The Inferno won the championship contest 16-8 to reach the district finals, where they were knocked out by Parkview in a 12-6 loss.
Major Division
The major cubs ended a dream district season with a thrilling championship victory in the finals, coming back from a deficit to win 3-2 over Quartz Hill. The Cubs defeated Rosamond 4-0, Mojave 13-0, and the Tehachapi Giants 7-6 to reach the final game. The Giants defeated Cal City 9-2 and Rosamond 3-0 to reach the North Area Finals.
The Major Heat softball squad took a victory with a 6-0 victory over Cal City to highlight action in the girls major playoff bracket, while the Lady Warriors were also participants in the division.
Upper Minor Division
Another Cubs team from Tehachapi struck gold in inner-city play in District 51, with the upper minor Tehachapi #1 team winning the North Area championship and clinching a birth in the district championship game. The Cubs defeated Boron 22-1, Kern River 13-3, and Rosamond 11-6 to reach the final game against Quartz Hill. Tehachapi also had the Indians representing the community in the playoffs after a strong regular season.
The Diamonds and Firecrackerz were the representatives for Tehachapi in the minor softball division.

Ryan Mathews meets with Tehachapi Youth Football League players

Ryan Mathews, a star running back with the Fresno State Bulldogs, attended the July 2 practice of the Tehachapi Youth Football League Tomahawks (TYFL) and spoke with the team. Mathews played in the TYFL as a boy until he moved to Bakersfield in the eighth grade.
“I have done well by presenting myself well. Coaches look for this when they make their picks,” Mathews said. “You guys should go 110 percent. Work hard as you can, you must want to play.”
Originally raised in Tehachapi, he moved to Bakersfield to face tougher competition athletically and with his adopted brother led the Vikings to a CIF championship in 2005. He also played linebacker for West High and was recruited by Colorado and Arizona State. He chose Fresno because it was closer to home.
The national and California leader in rushing as a senior at West High, while playing as a combo of quarterback/running back. He was selected second-team All-America. He averaged just under 300 yards per game as a senior, tallying 3,396 yards and 44 touchdowns while also leading the state in scoring.