Sports: Tehachapi News

Sports Shorts

Ladies X-Country downs Wasco
The Lady Warrior runners moved to a perfect 4-0 in the SSL season with a narrow 22-39 victory over Wasco last Wednesday afternoon. Highlighting Tehachapi’s win was Sarah Whitson (21:12) in first, followed by Rachel Evans (23:11) in third, Brenda Gonzalez (23:34) in fourth, Danielle Tildahl (23:52) in sixth, Cheyenne Morigeau (24:36) in seventh, Maria Shafter (24:37) in eighth, and AJ Snider (25:44) in 10th. The Lady Braves also finished the meet with a 15-50 victory.

On the men’s side, the Warriors lost 18-44 but still had strong runs from Adam Moreno (18:00) in third, Nathan Rowe (18.33) in eighth, and Corey Torres (19:09) in 10th.

Taft falls to Mountain Tennis
Tehachapi moved to 4-2 in the SSL with a decisive 8-1 victory over Taft. Highlighting the victory with singles wins were Katja Thacker (6-2, 6-1), Abby Croy (6-1, 6-2), Hannah Trott (6-0, 6-0), Chelsea Maduena (6-1, 6-2), Bailey Hutchinson (6-1, 6-1) and Nicole Miller (6-0, 6-1). Olivia Tanner and Bailey Hutchinson (6-1, 6-1) and Georgia Ruckhaber and Melissa Leiper (6-1, 6-1) took winning matches in doubles.

Warrior Golf still on top of SSL standings
The Lady Warriors remained top dog in the South Sequoia League despite a minor hiccup second place showing in a mini-tournament last week at Sycamore Canyon Golf Course. Maria Berryman was the top THS golfer with an 18-hole 117 and a front-nine 56, followed by nine-hole score efforts from Tina Cronauer (60), Lisa Castillo (61), Hanna Moore (62) and Haley Phillips (65).

Tehachapi had a 304 overall, 13 strokes behind mini-tournament winner Wasco.

JV Tennis Pummels BCHS

With six games into the league season, only one junior varsity team stands alone atop the leader board with an undefeated record. After a resounding 8-1 victory over Bakersfield Christian last Thursday, that team is the Lady Braves
Tehachapi (6-0 SSL) has at least a two game lead in the SSL title race over Bakersfield Christian (4-2 SSL) and Taft (3-3 SSL), with a showdown looming this Tuesday with Arvin (5-1 SSL) that will all but decide the end-of-year champion.

“The girls are playing very well, we have a lot of talent to work with and they are reaching their potential,” said head coach Jim True. “This is a very coachable group with great attitudes in practice and in matches.”

Winning last Thursday in singles was Caitlin Burris (6-4, 6-3), Erica Lange (6-7, 6-3, 10-7), Elizabeth Oglesby (6-0, 6-4), Samantha Thiesse (5-7, 6-4, 10-7), and Hannah Fjeld (6-3, 7-5). Taking doubles were the tandems of Lange / Burris (6-2, 6-4), Oglesby / Daelyn Valencia (7-5, 4-6, 10-8), and Fjeld / Adriana Brewer (6-3, 6-4).
Overall, Tehachapi has defeated Taft (6-3), Arvin (6-3), Wasco (8-1), Shafter (7-2), and Bakersfield Christian (6-3, 8-1) in six SSL team contest so far.

“We have had a lot of matches that have gone to super-tiebreakers and the girls have come through,” added True. “Sometimes tennis is a game of inches and the player that wants it more is the one that comes out on top. Our girls have done a great job.”

Earlier in the week, Tehachapi also dispatched Taft with singles wins by Caitlin Burris (7-5, 6-4), Erica Lange (6-2, 3-6, 10-8), Elizabeth Oglesby (6-1, 6-7, 10-8), Danielle Amacher (7-5, 6-7, 10-5), and Daelyn Valencia (3-6, 7-6, 10-8). Winning in doubles were Hannah Fjeld and Adriana Brewer (6-0, 6-0).

Coach True has been assisted this season by Coach Natalie Franchere.

Tomahawks Impressive on Gridiron

All four levels of Tehachapi Tomahawk football are taking Kern County by storm, with the varisty, junior varsity, sophomore, and freshmen levels all sporting a 3-1 or better record at the midway point of the season.

Highlighting the efforts are the junior varsity and freshmen squads, who are both 4-0 before last weekend with wins over the Garces Irish, Southeast Wolverines, Shafter Gladiators, and Arvin Grizzlies.

Also notching victories is the varsity team, who have lit up the scoreboard with a combined 34 points per game, with the only blemish on the year coming against Shafter. In the sophomore's wins over Garces, Shafter and Arvin, the Tomahawks have only given up a total of 12 points in the three games combined.

The Tomahawks will be traveling to Foothill to take on the Titans this Saturday at Foothill High School, which is off Weedpatch Highway in Southeast Bakersfield. Times for the contests will be Varsity (6pm), Junior Varsity (4pm), Sophomores (2pm) and Freshmen (12pm). The public is encouraged to attend.

Gryphons U16 take Club Fury by storm

U16 Gryphons Girls Team
The U16 Gryphons girls team displayed a fine performance in their win against Club Fury. Within the first two minutes of the game, the girls had put one in the back of the net, which began with a pass from Eliana Navarro through to Tiffany Short. Short ran onto the ball, beating out the opposing defender. She shot while Kelsey Young followed through and scored on the deflection from the goalie. Short assisted Young on another score crossing the ball to Young on the left side. Young was in position to send the ball to the back of the net. Short recorded all 3 of the assists. Melanie Roussel scored off a corner kick as well, curving the ball into the upper right corner. Sydney Castillo played her most complete game of the year, adding an intimidating force on the field. The game ended 4-1.

“We are proud of the way the girls played”, said Coach Perris. “We've been missing one of our top defenders (Harli Smith) for two weeks now. In her absence, Alex Haleluk has taken advantage of the opportunity. Alex has helped the defense stay on course. She has really been giving it a great effort the last two weeks and we are proud of her.”

Lady Warriors with 10th straight game with victory

It was business as usual for the Lady Warriors last Wednesday evening, taking down Frasier Mountain in four games (25-18, 25-17, 22-25, 25-22) to move to an impressive 23-2 on the young season.

Aly Pulford recorded the most point wins at serve for Tehachapi with 11, followed by Jami Lankin with 10. Jasmine Julye, Sam Nunnally, and Shelby Flick all shared the top honors in aces with two each.

Julye had the top mark in kills with 13 on the night, followed by Sarah Horcher with 12 and Paige Woodward with 11. Persephonie Devereaux had 11 total blocks and Julye close behind with eight stuffs, while Shelby Flick and Jami Lankin combined for 21 digs in the contest.

Up next for Mountain Volleyball is league play, with a home game against Wasco scheduled for Tuesday (6:15pm) and an away match-up against Arvin on Thursday (6pm). Tehachapi will also have a huge SSL showdown next Tuesday (6pm) at home against league rival Bakersfield Christian, where they are hoping for a spirited home crowd to attend.

Junior Varsity
The Lady Braves split the week with a thrilling win over Frasier Mountain (25-18, 25-21) and a closely contested loss to Kern Valley’s varsity squad by a score count of 25-16, 25-13, 25-21.

Lauren Smith, Amanda Borst, and Meghan Komin were credited with strong serving games, while Colleen Chung had six winners and a plethora of impressive spikes. Bre Farinas led Tehachapi with five kills overall against Frasier Mountain.

Makenzie Stuart was credited with a strong defensive game, leading the team in digs from her specialist position in both contests.

Running Wild over Rosamond

Rosamond High might have the mascot of Roadrunners, but last Friday night, Mountain Football provided the most decisive display of road-runners.

Thunder (Adam Mullen) and Lightning (Josh Strauss) were back together again for the first time in three weeks, helping Tehachapi (2-3) to 455 yards rushing in a 34-8 drubbing over Rosamond (1-4).

In the process, Strauss set a new single-game Warrior rushing record, recording 304 yards on 23 carries. The one-game effort breaks the 291 yards rushing achieved by Eric Young in 1989 in a victory over Mojave.

Mullen capped the big runs with endzone appearances, scoring three times and collecting 108 yards on 11 attempts.

The margin of victory could have been greater if it was not for two touchdowns called back on penalties, one coming from Strauss on a 54-yard run in the first half and the second a Kurtis Knudson to JJ Balkar touchdown pass, coincidentally the only pass attempt by Mountain Football on the night.

On defense, the Warrior secondary kept Rosamond honest in the passing game with four interceptions recorded, two by Neal Herman and one apiece by Derek Lange and Nick Howell.

The offensive line for the Warriors (Kevin Ruiz, Dominic Chavarria, Drew Howell, Niko Taliulu and Vince Ortiz among others) currently have the distinction of helping THS to the most rushing yards by any Kern County team, with 1,522 yards overall and an impressive 6.32 yards per carry by the talented backfield.

The Warriors will have a bye on the schedule this week, but will be back at home next Friday (Oct-17) in a homecoming match-up with Shafter. The game will also mark the first league game of the year. Former and current THS alumni are encouraged to attend.

Junior Varsity
The Braves (3-2) scored on seven of their eight offensive possessions in a 47-0 decimation over Rosamond.

Michael Lowder had a season-best 203 yards on 13 carries and a score, while Evan Fassbender coupled the effort with 124 yards on 10 attempts from scrimmage, including three touchdowns.

Overall, Tehachapi had 526 yards of offense, with 454 coming on the ground. Other strong performances in the contest included Salvador Contreras with 61 yards on eight carries and two touchdowns, and Zach Timm, Tyler Holstrom, Cory Lange, James Register and Levi Garrett combining for 63 yards overall.

In the passing game, Adam Bullard connected with Travis Farwell for a 72 yard touchdown reception. Farwell also had a strong game on defense, continuing the previous game’s strong four-sack performance with nine recorded stops on the night.

Zach Timm was the top tackler with 10, while Tyler Holstrom had five take-downs and a fumble recovery.

Cory Lange and Cameron King both had five tackles each, while Ray Cross, Adam Bullard and Dallas Scaggs had multiple tackles. Scaggs also connected on three extra points.

Freshmen
With Rosamond not fielding a Frosh/Soph team, the Indians took to the road in a four-hour bus ride to Liberty-Madera, with the end result giving Mountain Football a 48-0 victory.

Marcus Curiel had 130 yards and two touchdowns on three carries and Wyatt Vance had 88 yards on 10 carries and a score. Overall, the Indians had 363 yards rushing.

Colt Wilson also recorded a touchdown and a couple of two-point conversion runs, while Brian Castaneda and Luke Henderson also found the endzone in the contest.

Joey Lopez returned a kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to account for a strong Tehachapi (4-1) special teams effort.

Cross Country defeats Boron and BCHS

In another strong long-distance running effort, all four cross country teams swept the team standings in two recent match-ups with Boron and SSL rival BCHS.

Against Boron, Adam Moreno (18:36) was first overall, followed by Corey Torres (19:35) in second, Keenan Colditz (20:08) fourth and Christian Torres (20:36) fifth.

Overall, the Warriors placed nine out of the top 10 finishers. Top junior varsity runners were Chris Peters (21:32), Travis Carr (21:41), and Charles Hansen (22:03).
In the women’s division, Rachel Evans (23:44) took first overall, and was followed in suit by Erin Golackson (25:50) and AJ Snider (26:04) in second and fourth place, respectively. Chloe Williams (27:16) was the top Lady Brave.

Tehachapi closed out the week with another sweep over a league opponent, with the Warriors (20-38), Lady Warriors (15-55), Braves (15-50) and Lady Braves (15-50) all taking down Bakersfield Christian.

Adam Moreno (16:46) took first in the run for the Warriors, followed by Corey Torres (17:24) in second, Chris Stack (17:53) in third, Nathan Rowe (18:07) in sixth, Keenan Colditz (18:09) in seventh, and Sergei Horowitz (18:37) taking 10th place.

The Lady Warriors had a complete sweep of the top 10 spots, with the order of finish having Sarah Whitson (20:15) taking first. Other top finishers included Rachel Evans (22:34), Brenda Gonzalez (23:37), Danielle Tildahl (23:42), Erin Golackson (24:12), Cheyenne Morigeau (24:12), AJ Snider (24:28), Jessica Campbell (26:01), Cynthia Campbell (26:01) and J Bahen (26:14).

The undefeated cross country runners will host Wasco this Wednesday at Brite Lake. The gun will sound at 4pm.

Sports Shorts

Mountain Golf Takes First
They Lady Warriors increased their lead in the league title standings with another convincing South Sequoia League mini-tournament victory. Tehachapi won the tournament with a 267 team score, with Wasco (305) and Shafter (327) rounding out the other top three spots.

Tarah Steinbach finished with a front-nine 49, followed by Ashley Carter (53), Maria Berryman (53), Kayley Duxbury (53), Sarah Duggan (59) and Julia Burris (59)
Mountain Golf will be in action again in another SSL tourney this Wednesday at Sycamore Canyon Golf Course. The first tee-off will begin at 1pm.

Lady Warrior Tennis Downs SSL foes
Tehachapi tennis had a strong week in league play with a pair of victories over Shafter (9-0) and Wasco (7-2).

Against Shafter, Katja Thacker (6-0, 6-2), Abby Croy (6-1,6-1), Hannah Trott (6-0, 6-0), Chelsea Maduena (6-2, 6-0), Bailey Hutchinson (6-2, 6-0), Nikki Miller (forfeit) won in singles, while Croy / Trott (6-1, 6-1), Olivia Tanner / Melody Henderson (7-5, 6-4) and Desiree Ortiz / Georgia Ruckhaber (6-4, 6-2) won in doubles.

The girls rolled again two days later against Wasco, with Thacker (6-2, 4-2 forfeit), Hannah Trott (6-0, 6-0), Chelsea Maduena (6-2, 6-0), Bailey Hutchinson (7-6, 6-3), and Nikki Miller (6-0, 6-0) winning in singles and Thacker/Trott (6-2, 6-0) and Miller and Desiree Ortiz (6-1, 6-0) winning in doubles. The next match-up for Tehachapi will be against Taft (at home Tuesday) and Bakersfield Christian (on the road Thursday). Both matches will begin at 3:30pm.

JV Tennis tops in league
In the junior varsity division, the Lady Braves are undefeated on the league season, sporting a 10-1 (4-0 SSL) record with victories over Bakersfield Christian, Shafter, Wasco and Arvin in league play. The JV's can complete a first-half league sweep with an away victory over Taft this Tuesday.

Burroughs Edge the Warriors

Hampered by penalties and turnovers, Tehachapi nearly overcame mid-game disasters to almost pull off an upset win over Burroughs.

Tehachapi took a 21-17 lead with a late game touchdown by Matt Bloom on a three yard reception by Kurtis Knudson, but a 98-yard kickoff return in the games final seconds gave Burroughs (3-0) the nod in a final 23-21 score.

Tehachapi registered an alarming seven turnovers overall in the game, losing six by fumbles and one by interception late in the fourth quarter.

Despite the miscues, the Warriors registered the best passing output on the year with 121 yards through the air, with Knudson completing six passes for 100 yards and a touchdown. Mountain Football also had 200 yards on the ground, led by Josh Strauss with 89 yards on 14 carries and Angelo Loli with 78 yards on 16 attempts.

Scoring for Tehachapi (1-3) was Loli on a nine-yard run, Derek lange on a 1-yard run and Bloom on a 3-yard touchdown reception. Strong performances in the receiving category was JJ Balkar, who hauled in a key fourth-down reception and a 53-yard catch-and-run to help set up the final score of the evening for Mountain Football, and Strauss who had a team-high three receptions.

On defense, Tehachapi's line was relentless in their pressure, registering four sacks and three interceptions to stymie the Burroughs passing game. Garrett Coontz had two interceptions, while Vince Ortiz had a screen-pass takeaway in the second half. Overall, Burroughs was held to 130 yards passing, well off their 260 yard average accumulated in the first two games.

For the season, Josh Strauss has 460 yards on the ground, followed by Angelo Loli with 221 yards. Mullen and Lange round out the century-yard rushers with 176 and 101 yards respectively on the year.

Mullen, who has sat out the last two contests to rehab from a sprained MCL, is expected to return for the SSL opener against Shafter in three weeks.

Tehachapi will look to finish the pre-season schedule strong in a road contest against Rosamond this Friday night. Kickoff will be at 7pm at Rosamond High School.

Junior Varsity
After spotting the Burros a 13-0 lead, the Braves reeled off five-straight unanswered touchdowns to finish with a 34-19 victory on the road.
Michael Lowder had 171 yards on 25 carries, including three touchdowns to lead the effort. Tyler Holstrom also had 78 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown and Salvador Contreras had 47 yards on six touches to help compliment the wing-t attack.
Through the air, Adam Bullard connected with Travis Farewell for paydirt, this time on a rollout 32 yard reception for final Tehachapi (2-2) touchdown.
Tehachapi will have an away contest against Rosamond this Friday. The game will start at 4pm at RHS.

Freshmen
The Indians recorded their third-straight win of the season with a 27-7 romp over Burroughs at home last Thursday. Chris Counitan hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Alec Johnson for the games first score, with the other touchdowns coming on the ground to ice the win.

Wyatt Vance had a 71-yard touchdown run, while Marcus Curiel had runs of 10 and 13 yards to account for the game's other scores. Curiel also had a two-point conversion run and an extra point after his final touchdown carry.

On defense, Gabe Saavedara and Cory Hall had sacks, while David Lara had a fumble recovery and Miles Menerios and Jake Steele had interceptions.
Tehachapi (3-1) will have a long road trip this Thursday against Liberty-Madera Ranchos in Madera. The game will start at 5pm.

Sports Shorts

Braves hold on to defeat Garces

Freshman Evan Fassbender scored on a 52 yard run in the third quarter, and Dallas Scaggs provided the insurance 22-yard field goal to help Tehachapi net a 10-7 victory over Garces.

The Braves accounted for 219 rushing yards overall, led by Michael Lowder with 79 yards on 13 carries. Fassbender had 57 yards on four carries, while Tyler Holstrom had 38 yards on nine carries.

On defense, Zach Timm and Adam Bullard had three tackle apiece, while Cameron King and Travis Farewell had two tacles each. Cory Lange recorded two big fumble recoveries in the game, thwarting Rambler drives in the second and third quarters to help preserve the win.

The Junior Varsity will next travel to Bakersfield High School to take on Frontier this Friday.

X-County competes at Eisenzimmer Fun Run

Tehachapi took second in both the boys and girls varsity division at the Joe Eisenzimmer Fun Run held last week at Brite Lake. The Warriors Adam Moreno took fifth with a time of 18:27.6, while C. Torres (19:25.10) and Nathan Rowe (19:39.0) took ninth and tenth respectively.

Sarah Whitson was the top runner for all girl competitors, taking first with a time of 21:26.20, while Rachel Evans (24:05.10) and Cheyenne Morigeau (24:46.0) took eighth and 10th.

Weekly Sports Schedule
Football - Frontier-Bakersfield at BHS Driller Stadium (Thursday - 5pm Frosh, Friday - 5pm JV, Friday - 7:30pm Varsity)

Volleyball - Highland-Palmdale (Tuesday - 4pm (Frosh), 5pm (JV), 6pm Varsity); at Antelope Valley (Thursday - 4pm (Frosh), 5pm (JV), 6pm Varsity)

Varsity Tennis - BCHS (Tuesday - 3:30pm) at home; at Arvin (Thursday - 3:30pm); at Antelope Valley (Friday - 3pm)

Junior Varsity Tennis - Highland-Palmdale (Monday - 3pm); at BCHS (Tuesday - 3:3pm); Arvin (Thursday - 3:30pm); at Antelope Valley (Friday - 3pm)

Golf - SSL Mini Tournament (Wednesday - 1pm) at Buena Vista Golf Course

Cross Country - Dual Run at Arvin (Wednesday - 4pm)

Volleyball Lashes Littlerock

It was methodical and consistent from start to finish for the Lady Warriors en route to a three-game sweep over Littlerock, 25-14, 25-20, 27-25.

Littlerock got progressively better from game-to-game, but in the end Mountain Volleyball would not crack in the first home game of the season.

Sarah Horcher led the contest with nine kills, followed by Persephonie Devereaux with seven, Sarah Carpenetti with six, Jasmine Julye with five, and Paige Woodward with four kills apiece. Woodward and Devereaux were also tops in blocks with three each.

Jami Lankin and Samantha Nunnally were tops on the team in digs with seven each, while Sarah Carpenetti and Woodward both recorded three during match play.

Tehachapi (12-1) was in the midst of the Wolfpack Invitational at Ridgeview High School at press time, with first day wins over Shafter and Cesar Chavez (Delano) last Friday. Complete results of the tournament will be available next week.

Both the junior varsity and frosh/soph programs defeated Littlerock as well, both taking two out of three games for the win. Highlighting the frosh/soph team was Nicole Lara with five aces, Korrin King with two aces, and kills by Sarah Breen, Delaney Dragomanovich, Lauren Turpin, Danielle Cramer and Megan Johnson.

The volleyball program encourages any and all fans to come out for their home game this Tuesday against Highland-Palmdale and make the trip to Lancaster for a Thursday away game against Antelope Valley. Both matches will have start times of 4pm (frosh/soph), 5pm (junior varsity), and 6pm (varsity).

Rams Shock the Warriors

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Running around the right side of the line Warrior Josh Strauss, #25, picked away at the Garces defense while rushing for a game total 154 yards in 26 carries. Strauss scored one the Warriors three TD's on a 10-yard run in the second quarter. Photo by Michael Duffy

A very deep and talented Warrior team looked solid in the first two quarters, but a second half rally and an overtime score gave visiting Garces a 27-21 upset win last Friday at Coy Burnett Field.

Tehachapi benefited from the return of co-feature back Adam Mullen, who torched Garces for 173 yards rushing in the first half.

Midway through the second quarter, Mullen re-aggravated his sprained knee sustained in a previous week scrimmage with Highland and was limited to three carries for three yards the rest of the contest.

Mullen accounted for two of Tehachapi's three touchdowns, while Josh Strauss added the third on a 10-yard sweep. Strauss also had a good night in the ground game, accounting for 154 yards rushing on 26 carries.

The Warriors will look to rebound from the loss this Friday night in their first road game of the year. Mountain Football will be playing Frontier at Bakersfield High School.

The return trip to Driller Stadium will mark the second time the varsity has played on the grounds, with the last trip coming in 2001 in a match-up with Bakersfield High
Kickoffs will start at 5pm (Thursday - Frosh), 5pm (Friday - Junior Varsity), and 7:30pm (Friday - Varsity).

Justin Clenard Honored
Afghanistan war hero Justin Clenard was honored by Coach Gary Ogilvie and the Warriors. Sgt. Clenard was on his third tour of duty on patrol outside Kandahar when he was hit by a mortar found during a firefight with militants, losing both legs.
Clenard was given his purple heart personally from President Bush, and was a 2004 graduate at Tehachapi High School and SSL champion in wrestling. He was the honorary captain for Tehachapi, greeting both teams at midfield for the pre-game coin flip.

Tomahawks Sweep Garces Irish in Season Openers

It was a clean-sweep for the Tomahawks against the Irish in the season opener for both programs. Results of the Tomahawks games against the Southeast Wolverines will be available next week.

Tehachapi will next take on the Shafter Gladiators this Saturday at Mike Ricker Field on the east side of town. Please visit thswarriors.com or GEYF.org for a complete schedule of Tomahawk football.

Varsity - Tomahawks 38, Irish 20

The Varsity Tomahawks jumped out to an early 14-0 lead on runs of 65 and 55 yards on their first two series of the game and never looked back in a 38-20 drubbing over the Irish. With just over five minutes remaining in the first quarter, the Irish scored their only points of the first half when they returned a kick-off for a touchdown following the second Tomahawk score. The teams traded possessions until late in the second quarter when the Tomahawks once again hit pay-dirt on a 59-yard touchdown run with no time left, resulting in a half-time score of 24-6.

The Irish received the second half kick-off and returned it 25 yards to the Tomahawk 48. Capitalizing on good field position, the Irish quickly moved the ball downfield on consecutive runs of 10 and 18 yards. The Tomahawk defense stiffened, tackling the Irish tailback for a loss of five and then forcing two incomplete passes. On 4th and 15, the Irish ran for no gain and the Tomahawks took over on downs. The very next play, the Tomahawks broke another long run for 75 yards and the touchdown giving the Tomahawks a 30-6 lead after failing to convert the point after.

It looked like the Irish would make a game of it when they scored two touch-downs in the third quarter, once after recovering a fumble deep in Tomahawk territory, and again on a 40 yard touchdown run to narrow the score to 30-20. However, the Tomahawks put to bed any idea of a come-back on the following possession by moving the ball to the Irish one-yard line with a time consuming drive of seven consecutive running plays, only to pass for the one-yard score.

Junior Varsity - Tomahawks 25, Irish 0

The JV Tomahawks squad simply dominated the Irish scoring three touchdowns in the first half and one in the second while suffocating the Irish offense with a smothering defense. The Tomahawks spent much of the second half running out the clock and saving some of their mojo for their next game clash.

Sophomores - Tomahawks 20, Irish 6

After a close first half that ended with the Tomahawks leading 7-6, the Tomahawks changed the tone of the game by returning the second half kick-off for a touchdown. The defense shut the Irish out in the second half, intercepting two passes and snuffing out the Irish ground game. The Tomahawks scored once more in the second resulting in the final tally.

Freshmen - Tomahawks 6, Irish 2

The Tomahawks might have run away with this one, but opening day miscues deep in Irish territory kept the Irish within reach. The Tomahawks had one touchdown called back on a penalty and turned the ball over twice inside the Irish 10 yard line. The Tomahawks’ one touchdown was all they needed however, as the defense did its duty, shutting out the Irish offense.

Gryphons Soccer Club kicks off season openers with 5 out of 7 victories

U16 girls Team
by Crissy Perris
The U16 Girls sealed a victory for their first game as a club team. From the beginning, they controlled the game well, moving the ball around the field. Melanie Roussel recorded the first goal against the Fury Soccer Club off an assist from Kelsey Young. Roussel scored both of her goals with a nice strike from her left foot inside the 18-yard line. Kelsey Young also put away a penalty kick. This kick was awarded when Roussel was kicked in the face by an opposing defender during a fight for the ball.

Going into the second half, the girls had a comfortable lead of 3-1. However, the pendulum swung when the Fury scored two goals to tie the game in the beginning of the second half. Halfback Ali Meister scored the winning goal off a pass from defender Sarah Dorador. Meister received the ball with wide open space to work with. She took a few steps and then chipped the ball over the goalie's head from about 30 yards out. The ball soared into the back of the net, ending the game in a 4-3 win.

Coach Perris credits the win, not only to the offense playing outstanding, but to the defense as well. “Our defense is young. Sarah Dorador did a great job of playing her position and covering others as well. Her sister, Sonya, also made a great save as goal keeper, deflecting a power shot.” The girls play the Blackout club next on Sept 13.

U19 Boys Team
by Mike Beiswenger
The Gryphon's U-19 Boys team gained a split of their double header this weekend with a very tough defensive battle in the afternoon game. Sergei Horowitz received a well placed through ball from Jimmy Boyd, in the second half, to start the scoring for the U-19 team. Moments later, Kory Fitzgerald added another hard fought goal to give the Gryphons the lead. Kevin Greene then fed Horowitz a nice assist to give the Gryphons a two goal lead. Late in the game, after the Evolution tied it at three apiece, Josh Beiswenger scored on a breakaway shot from the right side, over a diving goalie, which sealed the victory at 4-3.
In the first game, Jimmy Boyd, Kevin Greene and Jacob Bennet all gave nice assists to Josh Beiswenger who scored a hat trick. It was a hard fought morning game but they lost 5-3 to the Bakersfield Fusion.

U10 Boys Team
by Mike Beiswenger
Kyle Winchell scored a hat trick for the first ever Gryphons U-10 Boys soccer game. Eddie Graham, Seth Podratz and Kyle Chan all played tenacious defense while Peyton Kroeger and Dominic Todd added goals to give the Gryphons a 5-2 win over the Bakersfield Brigade.

U19 Girls Red
The U19 Girls Red team played their first match of the season this past weekend. The entire team battled very hard for the 2-1 victory. Taylor Majia-Main and Maggie [Margaret] Karnes each scored a goal. Coach Dave Lankin felt there were some missed opportunities by the girls, but they managed to stay focused and pull out the victory. “Our keeper play was fantastic by Ashley Otis as was the defensive stand from Michelle Beiswenger, Kassandra Cruz, Alex Pearson and Rachel Evans” said Coach Lankin. “This was truly a team effort all the way around. We're looking for more exciting games throughout the season.”

Gryphons TFC would like to thank the following sponsors for their support: Dr. Michael Theurer, D.D.S., M.S., P.C, Granite Constriction, Bank of the Sierra, Dave's Auto Repair, Dr. Gerald Tadej, D.D.S., M.S, Bill Nunnulee Enterprises, Kohnen's Country Bakery, 'Hachapi Tees, City Slickers, and SamRod Corporation.

Indians Roll Against Garces

The Tehachapi Indians looked strong against a tough Garces squad prevailing 23-19. From the outset the game typified the Indian-Irish clashes of old, with plenty of hard knocks and scrappy play by both teams.

The Indians got on the board early after holding the Ramblers to a three-and out-on their first possession. Taking over at their own 44, the Indians drove down the field with a series of ten running plays featuring five different backs to score with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Gabe Saavedra scored his third touchdown of the season to make the score 7-0, while Marcus Curiel, Robert Natividad, Brian Castaneda, and Wyatt Vance all contributed to the rushing attack.

On another key defensive series in the first half, a Rambler back broke into the open but linebacker Jack Blewett made a touchdown saving open field tackle inside the Indian five yard line. Forced to try for a field goal, Garces missed the attempt from the left hash mark and the Indians took over at their own 20 with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter.

The Ramblers eventually answered the Indian's touchdown with one of their own, knotting the game at 7-7. With time running out in the second quarter, Indian quarterback Alec Johnson completed a 16 yard pass to tight end Colt Wilson, but the drive stalled one yard short of the goal line as the half expired.

The Indians came out on fire in the third quarter returning the second half kick-off to their own 38. The Indians racked up three consecutive first downs behind the running of Curiel and Natividad. On fourth-and-4 at the Garces 16, Curiel ripped off another long gain to the Garces four yard line, and one play later finished off the series with a four yard touchdown run. After the two-point conversion, the Indians led 15-7 with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter.

On the following possession, the Ramblers drove 60 yards on 17 plays to answer the Tehachapi score. Failing on the two-point conversion, the Indians led 15-13 with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The final dagger was laid in the contest when Tehachapi took their next offensive series ten running plays for a touchdown, two-point conversion and 23-13 lead with three minutes remaining in the game. The drive featured a 28-yard scamper by Gabe Saavedra which moved the ball inside the Irish five yard line.

Garces was able to record another touchdown before the clock expired, and with just a few seconds remaining tried the onside kick. Indian wide receiver Chris Counihan recovered the attempt and the Indians ran out the clock for the 23-19 win.

The Indians totaled 236 yards of offense, 220 of which came on the ground. Marcus Curiel lead the rushing with 104 yards and 2 touchdowns on 17 carries. The Indians were penalized 10 times for 110 yards, while the Ramblers were flagged 5 times for 35 yards. Tehachapi did not have any turnovers in the contest while forcing two Garces turnovers.

The Indians play Frontier at Bakersfield High School this Thursday at 5 p.m.