By: Krissy Hetherington
Prior to Friday’s night game in the Mineral King Bowl, both Tulare Western and Redwood were undefeated. After a final result of 27-22, Redwood prevailed thanks to their no-quit defense yet again.
Down a touchdown towards the end of the game, the Mustangs had the ball in the red zone twice, but were stuffed by the Rangers defense. Redwood was able to hold Tulare Western to 57 rushing yards but struggled against Mustangs’ quarterback Eilijah Burrell, giving up 349 passing yards. On the contrary, Redwood totaled 142 rushing yards and 137 passing yards from senior quarterback, Ryan Rios.
Coming off a big win versus Head Coach Kevin Scharton’s former team, Dinuba, in the season opener, and then snapping Tulare Union’s 29 game winning streak last week, Redwood was hungry for more.
In the spring season, Redwood’s Boys Track team captured the DII Valley Championship. 5 athletes that were a part of that winning team are also starters on the football team this year. They received their championship rings Friday afternoon which gave them a sense of encouragement and desire for more going into the game that night. They were able to reflect on their hard work and talent as it carried into the football season dating all the way back to summer training.
“It affects the speed and athletic ability of the team, all our starting receivers ran track so its a plus having them on the team… of course, there is still learning to be done…but most of all, they know how to win, they won valley so their expectations are high.”
Varsity Football Head Coach, Kevin Scharton
Quinton Johnson, ’20, ran the 4×100 in the Valley meet back in May and also doubles as the corner back shared the effects of this experience.”Being a part of that team help me with my endurance and learning if you want to be successful it takes a lot of work and dedication and nothing comes easy.” Johnson plays a key role in Rangers defense being able to chase down opponents and getting that necessary tackle.
“This season we’ve all came to a compromise on what goals we want to accomplish and we just continue to execute and accomplish every week…We eliminated individuality, everything we do is for the wholesome of the team, and that’s if we do our jobs and play our game the outcome of every rep, drill and game is in our favor.”
Quinton Johnson, ’20
Coming into the game, Scharton expected a strong and solid run game from Tulare Western. “We went against a very tough Tulare Western offense,” he said. “They were good up front, they have speed all over the place, and a good quarterback that got the ball to his guys with space. They are a well balanced team both offensively and defensively.”
Redwood’s defense has consistently kept the team ahead in the past two games and continued to do so against Tulare Western.
“Our defense bent a little bit when it counted but they stepped up and that’s a tribute to our coaching staff for getting them ready in those moments. Most of all, I told them to just believe in themselves and that this is what we practiced for, make a play and this is exactly what they did.”
Head Coach, Kevin Scharton
As the teams got familiar in the first quarter, Tulare Western had a costly punt that went out of bounds around the 22 yard line in Redwood territory. The Rangers capitalized on this opportunity as James Richardson finished with a final rush into the left corner of the endzone. They missed the extra point, so the score was now 6-0.
Next possession, Redwood’s run defense was superb, forcing a turnover on downs. The offense went to work as Richardson and junior running back Caden Shafer took turns surging through Tulare Western defense. In the end, Shafer found the endzone through the middle.
With the score now being 13-0, Tulare Western was eager to respond and they did just that. Receiving the ball on the 25 yard line in Redwood territory, senior running back Tairyn Johnson ran the ball for 40 yards to put the Mustangs in possible scoring position. Shortly after, Burrell hurled a 29 yard pass and connected with senior wide receiver Nathan Marroquin in the endzone right over Redwood corner back Malachi Aguilar. The extra point was no good so they now trailed 13-6.
A few possessions later, Redwood had the ball near mid field. Some key runs by Richardson set up a play action pass that threw the Mustangs completely off. Rios was able to connect with senior Sam Olson for a 30 yard pass into the endzone with a minute left in the half. Olson was dominant throughout the night, finishing with five catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
As time was winding down, Tulare Western was able to work the ball all the way into the red zone. With less than 20 seconds on the clock, they attempted a pass into the end zone that was intercepted by Aguilar.
Aguilar made his presence felt on defense with some key stops throughout the night. “He got beat earlier on a pass, but he kept his composure and made a play,” said Scharton. “That’s how he is, he counters his mistakes and makes a play.”
With this confidence, Redwood was ready for more in the second half. But it was Tulare Western who answered first.
Two big plays put Tulare Western on the 10 yard line. Burrell connected with senior Mark Smith who was completely open on the left side of the end zone. They now trailed by just seven points as the score was 20-13.
Tulare Western continued to move the ball effectively through the air, working the ball inside the red zone as the third quarter ended. They opened the final period with a touchdown pass to junior Mikey Ficher. They trailed 27-20, and were unable to capitalize on two red zone trips that would have potentially tied the game.
Both teams struggled offensively the rest of the quarter and hit defensive walls. Redwood found themselves in hot water as they were forced to punt from their own end zone towards the end of the game. Scharton played it risky but smart as Olson ran through their own endzone in attempt to waste time on a fourth down punt. They decided that those two points were much better than a potential blocked punt in the end zone.
The Mustangs weren’t finished yet and were ready to end the game on a winning note. Burrell hurled one final deep pass over Redwood’s last defender but went through the hands of the Tulare Western receiver’s hands just a few yards short of the end zone ending the game in a 27-22 Redwood win.
After the game, Scharton responded to the victory, “Our togetherness attributed to an overall team win, holding each other accountable, practicing how we play and just playing as a team along with the preparation of the coaches, so I couldn’t be happier.”
Scharton will be leading the team into an away game at Atascadero High School next Friday where the team will fight on to keep their perfect record alive.
Tags: central valley, CIF, mineral king bowl, redwood high school, redwood rangers, valley championship