Back-to-back: BCHS overcomes 'adversity' in defense of title
| Saturday, Dec 13 2008 02:53 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:56 PM
Images
Bakersfield Christian running back Christian Taylor runs downfield against Corcoran during Friday's Central Section Division V championship game.
CORCORAN -- It wasn't exactly the sort of challenge Doug Barnett and Bakersfield Christian had in mind, but they welcomed it anyway.
Playing a fog so thick the teams couldn't see the opposing sideline, BCHS started slow and got rolling, right past top-seeded Corcoran 49-27 for the Eagles' second consecutive Division V Central Section championship Friday.
"We asked for adversity, yes," said Barnett, the Eagles' coach. "Because that makes you better. And we wanted this game to be played the way it was meant to be played. And our kids responded. The fog was just one more thing."
It wasn't exactly what the Eagles' spread offense had in mind, and it showed early. Quarterback Derek Carr misfired on his first five passes and was just 4-of-16 for 53 yards and an interception at halftime.
Carr finished with 168 yards on 11-of-25 passing with two picks and two long touchdowns, both in the second half. But senior running back Christian Taylor picked up that slack and then some, running for 206 yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries.
"I can't say enough about Christian Taylor," Carr said. "He's been the least-talked-about guy and he's probably the best player on our team."
"We thought we could run the ball, and so we did," Barnett said.
Taylor ran for 39 yards on BCHS' first drive this year, capping it with a 4-yard score for a 7-0 lead. But Corcoran's Brant Botill made a diving interception of a Carr pass inside the Corcoran 10-yard line on the Eagles' next possession, and the Panthers (12-1) marched down the field and tied the score.
"I was just making mental mistakes," said Carr, though he was also dealing with near-zero visibility, dropped passes and a Corcoran defense that was constantly mixing up blitz packages. "It was my fault. I was trying to make the big play before the big play came to us."
That's when Taylor really started to make a difference. He busted around the right end of the defense on the next play and disappeared into the fog for an 80-yard touchdown.
"I saw big holes all day, and I had faith in my blockers," Taylor said.
It had been a lackluster first half from the Eagles, and yet they still led 14-7.
"We tried some different blitzes and packages, and for a while, it took them out of it," Corcoran coach Rich Lane said. "You play a team that's as balanced and prolific as Bakersfield Christian is, we don't match up to them athletically. We've got to do something. And roulette's the way we went."
Carr, who dedicated the championship to his grandfather, who died last summer, finally found a rhythm in the second half. He converted an early third-and-8 with a 15-yard pass to Aryton Oliver, then hit Marcus Hall down the sideline for a 45-yard catch-and-run and a 21-7 lead.
Then it was the BCHS defense's turn. The Eagles, who surrendered 275 yards to Botill and 432 rushing yards overall, stiffened when it counted. They stoned Corcoran quarterback Anthony Ramirez on a fourth-and-1, and, after another Carr interception, forced a three-and-out. The Panthers didn't have a first down on their first three second-half possessions, and this time, Edgar Figueroa dropped the punt snap and was tackled on the Corcoran 3. Carr snuck in on the next play for a commanding 28-7 lead.
Carr added a 27-yard strike to Colby Herron in the fourth quarter -- his first signature long play of the night -- Herron had a long interception return and Taylor had a 56-yard touchdown run, but that was all gravy. The hard part had been the fun part.
"We didn't want their to be any excuses on their part," Carr said. "We came out and did our job. And I thank the Lord for everything he did for us tonight."
And that, by the way, includes the fog.
Bakersfield Christian 49, Corcoran 27
BCHS 7 7 14 21-- 49
Corcoran 0 7 6 14 27
First quarter
BC--Taylor 4 run (Howes kick)
Second quarter
C--Botill 2 run (Figueroa kick)
BC--Taylor 80 run (Howes kick)
Third quarter
BC--Hall 45 pass from Carr (Howes kick)
BC--Carr 3 run (Howes kick)
C--Ramirez 59 run (pass failed)
Fourth quarter
BC--Taylor 14 run (Howes kick)
BC--Herron 27 pass from Carr (Howes kick)
C--Botill 49 run (run failed)
BC--Taylor 56 run (Howes kick)
C--Botill 3 run (Sahagon pass from Ramirez)
Rushing
BCHS: Taylor 17-206, Carr 3-44. C: Botill 34-275, Fugate 11-85, Ramirez 9-58, Johnson 3-9, Sahagon 1-5.
Passing
BCHS: Carr 11-25-2-168. C: Ramirez 0-5-1-0.
Receiving
BCHS: Hall 2-49, Oliver 3-43, Peterson 3-39, Herron 2-36, Taylor 1-1. C: none.
