Wildcats spoil SSL showdown
| Saturday, Oct 24 2009 12:13 AM
Last Updated Saturday, Oct 24 2009 12:13 AM
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Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Wasco High's #7 Jacob Salinas has the ball pop out of his grasp in their first play after the kickoff in their game against Taft High. Taft's #43 Blake Emberson and #44 Brice Royal are in on defense for Taft.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Taft High running back #21 Cody Shirreffs finds running room as he evades Wasco High's #81, Rene Medina, left, and #94 Gelacio Corcuera in the first half of their game.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Taft High's from left, #3 Hunter Lijeroos, #18 Kevin Rivera, and #4 Eric Foch celebrate after Rivera's 1st half touch down run in their game with Wasco High Friday night.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Wasco High's # 81 Rene Medina goes up high to bring in a pass for a long gain as Taft High's #43 Blake Emberson attempts to defend in their Friday night game.
Henry A. Barrios / The Californian Wasco High's #30 Michael Martinez is stopped by #43 Blake Emberson and other Taft High defenders in their game Friday night.
WASCO -- The big, juiced-up crowd. The gaudy record. Kern County's leading rusher, Quentin Cheatham. The best Wasco High team in years.
All of the elements were there for a South Sequoia League showdown for the ages. Except, apparently, the cooperation of the opponent.
Taft dominated the host Tigers on Friday night 42-0, busting Cody Shirreffs loose for 279 yards and three touchdowns and proving its rushing attack -- and, perhaps more important, its defense, were superior to Wasco.
"We didn't pay any attention to the talk or the newspapers," two-way lineman Lio Maino said. "We knew we needed to work hard and come out and do this. We beat them in every area."
Shirreffs scored on runs of 30, 5 and 57 yards, and Kevin Rivera added touchdowns of 35 and 34 yards the first two times he touched the ball as Taft improved to 6-1 and 2-0 in the SSL.
Wasco quarterback Taylor Yursik, forced to throw, finished with 119 passing yards, 68 of them to Rene Medina. Cheatham also ran for 101 yards on 22 carries for the Tigers (5-2, 1-1), but Shirreffs passed him atop the county's rushing leaderboard. That was less of a concern for the Tigers than the fact that neither Cheatham nor any other Wasco back could find the end zone.
"They're just bigger, they're physical, they're stronger," Wasco coach Russ Prado said. "You've got to tip your hat to Taft. They were ready on defense."
There were a couple of reasons for that.
First, Taft shifted from its normal five-man defensive line to a four-man, freeing up an extra linebacker to make plays. Blake Emberson and Shaquil Gant took advantage, flying into the backfield on multiple occasions.
But emotion also played a huge role. To get his team ready to face Cheatham and the highly touted Wasco backs, Sprague assigned practice-team players to act as Cheatham for the day. How'd it work out? Let's just say the Wildcats defense bruised more than one Cheatham.
"It was a real honor in practice to be Cheatham," Sprague said. "But by the end of the week, guys were tapping out. They'd had enough because they were taking so many hits. We got really fired up to face Cheatham."
In the face of that kind of pressure, Wasco also was forced into mistakes.
Jacob Salinas lost a fumble on the Tigers' first play from scrimmage, and though their defense held Taft to a missed field goal, Wasco went three-and-out the second time it had the ball.
Shirreffs ripped off runs of 22 and then 30 yards for the game's first score, and, with the ball back, Wasco tried to go for a crucial fourth-and-2. Michael Martinez was stuffed by Emberson and Maino, and Taft took over again. Soon it was 14-0, and then 21-0 on another Shirreffs TD.
"He wanted 300 (yards), but we really had to get some other backs in there," said Sprague, whose team ran for 435 yards total. "But he ran well. He's a downhill runner, will bend down and put his helmet on somebody and then keep going."
The lack of drama here sets up another possible showdown next week, when Taft travels to Tehachapi to take on the two-time defending Division III Central Section champions. The Warriors have beaten the Division IV Wildcats en route to both of those titles.
But Taft's performance in Wasco speaks volumes about a team that dropped its first game, on a last-second field goal at Templeton, and hasn't come close to losing since.
"We really have been flying under the radar," Sprague said. "... and no disrespect to Wasco, but I really did expect this kind of a game. This is about as well as we can play."
