'Road' Warriors clear path for second straight section crown
| Saturday, Dec 13 2008 02:53 AM
Last Updated Friday, Mar 27 2009 01:56 PM
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Tehachapi's Adam Mullen breaks a tackle early in the first half of the Central Section Division III championship game Friday against Hanford.
HANFORD — Once could sense an anxiety moment with 4:28 left in the third quarter when Tehachapi High senior running back Adam Mullen was shaken up along the Warrior sidelines.
Mullen laid on the ground for several minutes. But when the Warriors got the ball back two minutes later, Mullen returned to the field.
And that was a good thing for Tehachapi. Mullen scored two 1-yard touchdown runs after returning, the second with 6:05 left in the fourth quarter that was the difference in the Warriors' 21-14 win over top-seeded Hanford.
Sixth-seeded Tehachapi (10-4) won its second straight CIF Central Section Division III championship in a game most fans in attendance didn't see. Heavy fog obscured the field throughout the game.
It was the Warriors' 10th section title -- seven in the Central Section and fourth since the school returned to the Central Section from the Southern Section in the mid-1980s.
Hanford, which opened in 1892 and began playing football in the 1920s, has never won a section title.
Mullen had all three Tehachapi TDs. He also had a 15-yard scoring run with 8:57 left in the first quarter to cut into what was a 14-0 Hanford lead.
"We knew going in we had to play hard," said Mullen, who scored 13 touchdowns in the last three weeks -- Tehachapi playoff wins over the top three seeds in Division III.
Josh Strauss, Tehachapi's other standout running back, was also busy: 24 carries for 164 yards.
But Mullen's ability to return from his injury -- a shoulder stinger, according to coach Steve Denman -- proved crucial.
"His arm went numb," Denman said. "He got to the sidelines -- we were on defense then -- and shook it off. So he ran right back out there on our next possession."
Mullen and Strauss kept Hanford (11-2) off-balance by expertly running the Warriors' wing-T.
"They run it the best we've seen," said Hanford coach Josh Young, who is also the Bullpups' defensive coordinator. "Their offensive line does a great job and their backs run hard."
Tehachapi lost a touchdown when what would have been about a 65-yard punt return by Mullen was nullified by a roughing-the-kicker penalty. That penalty kept alive the Bullpups' drive that ended with quarterback Bryant Furtado's 1-yard TD plunge.
Tehachapi's only turnover of the night -- an interception by Cougar Williams -- set up Hanford's final touchdown. That came with 11:06 left in the second quarter when running back Lemuel Hutchings caught a swing pass to the left, turned up field and finished off a 14-yard scoring play.
Two second-half turnovers by Hanford proved pivotal in the Warriors' comeback. Both were converted into touchdown drives, helping Tehachapi rally from a 14-7 halftime deficit.
An interception by defensive back Garrett Coontz was returned 50 yards to the Hanford 16. Quarterback Kurtis Knudson completed a 4-yard pass to Jesse Olofson on a fourth-and-3 play to keep the drive alive, and Mullen eventually powered in from the 1 on the final play of the third quarter. Jake Reimer's PAT tied it 14-14.
The game-deciding turnover was by Tehachapi linebacker Derek Lange. Hanford had driven inside the Tehachapi 30 when Hutchings lost the ball at the 22. Lange came out of a pile of players with a fumble recovery. Hutchings pleaded with the officials that he was down by contact, but to no avail.
"I was right in front of him and the ball went right into my hands," Lange said. "He was still up. There's no way he was down."
Tehachapi 21, Hanford 14
Tehachapi 0 7 7 7--21
Hanford 7 7 0 0--14
First quarter
H--Furtado 1 run (Kurtz kick), 7:46
Second quarter
H--Hutchings 14 pass from Furtado (Kurtz kick), 11:06
T--Mullen 15 run (Reimer kick), 8:57
Third quarter
T--Mullen 1 run (Reimer kick), 0:00
Fourth quarter
T--Mullen 1 run (Reimer kick), 6:05
Individual statistics
RUSHING--Tehachapi: Strauss 24-164, Mullen 28-159, Ku.Knudson 6-10. Hanford: Williams 6-59, Hutchings 8-20, Hudgins 5-24, Reis 1-3, Furtado 6-(-13).
PASSING--Tehachapi: Ku.Knudson 3-4-1, 20 yards. Hanford: Furtado 17-26-1, 154 yards.
RECEIVING--Tehachapi: Olofson 2-15, Coontz 1-5. Hanford: Williams 9-65, Hutchings 4-30, Veenendaal 1-39, Jackson-Maciel 1-20.
