Drillers get 'important' victory
| Friday, Oct 09 2009 11:46 PM
Last Updated Friday, Oct 09 2009 11:46 PM
It has been said that football is a game of inches, but Friday night's non-league game at Centennial was decided by a couple of feet.
Specifically those belonging to Bakersfield High kicker Craig McMahon and the Golden Hawks' star quarterback Cody Kessler.
McMahan booted three long field goals and Kessler missed the final three quarters with an ankle injury as the Drillers snapped a two-game skid with a 22-7 victory.
"This was important, but the bottom line is it's not where you're at now, it's where you are after week 11," BHS coach Paul Golla said. "But I'm proud of our kids. It was a big win for us because we got some confidence back."
McMahon opened the scoring with a 33-yard field goal with 4:35 left in the first quarter, nailed a 46-yarder midway through the second quarter and then capped Bakersfield's scoring with another from 46-yards out.
"I don't have to say a word to him," Golla said. "He comes over and I ask if he can make it and he says, 'yes' and there you go."
Kessler left the game with 2:05 left in the first quarter when he turned his ankle following a 5-yard run along the Driller sidelines. He watched the rest of the game from the Centennial sidelines on crutches. He finished just 2-of-7 passing for 10 yards and gained just 15 yards rushing on five carries.
"It was just tough for us to get some things going,"Centennial coach Bryan Nixon said. "The defense was on the field and did a great job this evening. I'm very proud of kids for the effort they gave tonight. They didn't quit and they had some adversity. And we're going to grow from it."
Kessler's counterpart Brian Burrell had a big night on the ground for the Drillers. The junior quarterback had 132 yards rushing on 19 carries, including a 54-yard TD run off an option play to give Bakersfield a 19-7 lead with 8:38 left in the game.
"I just faked the pitch and just ran and tried to read my blocks," Burrell said. "We had some missed opportunities. We had a dropped touchdown pass and I missed a touchdown throw, but we played well I thought."
Trailing 3-0 at the time of Kessler's injury, Centennial's replacement Mark Ritchie connected with Cole Hallum on a 36-yard pass play on his first play from scrimmage.
Two plays later, Ritchie threw a 4-yard TD to Elijah Trail with 1:09 left in the first quarter to give Centennial it's only lead of the game, 7-3. The play capped a 14-play, 80-yard drive.
But Bakersfield followed with 19 straight points, capitalizing on several bad snaps out of the shotgun formation, including one fumbled by Ritchie and recovered by Bakersfield's Anthony Davis at the Centennial 20.
Alfonso Jackson, who finished with 65 yards rushing on 12 carries, scored on a 6-yard scamper three plays later to give BHS the lead for good, 12-7 with 3:31 left in the first half.
"We played great defense today, finally," said Golla, whose team gave up a combined 83 points in losses to Clovis Buchanan and Liberty the past two weeks. "We're excited because we really, really had to step up defensively this week."
