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BHS survives late scare vs. Canyons
Dominant ground attack helps Drillers build big lead, hold off 2006 state champion
| Friday, Sep 5 2008 11:21 PM
Last Updated: Friday, Sep 5 2008 11:44 PM
CANYON COUNTRY -- Bakersfield High had dominant second and third quarters Friday night, and it was a good thing for Driller followers.
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BHS used its overpowering ground game to build a 38-14 lead in the third quarter and held on to a 38-32 win over Canyon High, the 2006 California state high school champion for large schools.
"I take responsibility for the fourth quarter," said Driller coach Paul Golla. "We didn't prepare them. We thought we had the game in hand. We can learn from that as a team."
The Drillers trailed 14-7 after Canyon scored on the final play of the first quarter. At that point, the Cowboys had a 143-17 edge in total yards and nine first downs to the Drillers' one.
But it all turned around in the second quarter. The Drillers had touchdown runs of 2, 15 and 10 yards by running back J.J. Johnson, giving Bakersfield a 26-14 halftime lead.
The Drillers received the second-half kickoff and raced right down field again, with Peter Welsh's 1-yard TD making it 32-14. And when Alfonso Jackson broke free into the Canyon secondary and outraced the defense for a 42-yard TD run, it was 38-14.
At that point, the Drillers had 254 yards since the start of the second quarter to the Cowboys' 28.
But a wild fourth quarter made things interesting. Two Driller fumbles set up Canyon touchdowns, including one on the BHS 13-yard line that was picked up and returned 87 yards for a score by Tyger Rodriguez with 54.6 seconds left in the game that pulled the Cowboys within 38-32.
The Drillers recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the clock.
The Drillers finished with 362 rushing yards, with Jackson leading the way with 137 yards on 16 carries. Johnson added 98 on 14 attempts.
"We've heard people didn't think we'd be able to run because we weren't as good up front (as last season) because we lost so many guys," Golla said. "Well, our guys played pretty damn good."
Said Jackson: "We have a great offensive line. We practice hard. And we want the two of us (Jackson and Johnson) to be the best two (teammate) backs in the state."