Tomahawks play hard, remember 9/11

Sept. 11, 2001, a day so many remember, and a tragedy not forgotten. But for the athletes of Tehachapi Tomahawks, they are only old enough to be told the story, to learn of the events through history.

Saturday, each team, every athlete stood together in silence to pay respects to those who lost their lives and the heroes who risked it all. It was an honor to have officer R. Kiser of the Tehachapi Police present in pre-game ceremony and game opening coin toss.

Kicking off the first game of the day, freshman Tomahawks entered a back-and-forth contest against Thunder of Delano. Between an aggressive defense and a determined offense, Tomahawks held their opponents to one score.

“Thunder put up an early touchdown, but our defense

wasn’t letting any other points on the board for the rest of the day,” head coach Danny Roach said. After a halftime adjustment, half back No. 7 Marcus Coates ran for a game-tying 50yard touchdown. No. 45 Jett Christy secured the win with a one-point conversion,

wrapping up the game Tomahawks 7, Thunder 6.

Sophomore Tomahawks marched onto the field in confidence ready to face their opponents. In what proved to be a tight game, first-year players No. 16 Jordan Cardenas and No. 5 Danny Aguilar ripped

off long touchdown runs. Adding a touchdown by No. 23 David Sipes, Tomahawks secured their lead.

“A stingy defense and a powerful offensive line helped seal our 24-14 victory,” head coach Chris Bowman said.

Thunder proved to be a

tough opponent on the day. Though both the junior varsity and varsity teams put it all on the line, neither were fortunate to come out with a win.

“The Thunder is a really tough program,” said junior varsity head coach Brandon Billings. “Thunder came out strong in the first half, but our kids played really well on defense in the second half and I’m proud of the effort.”

Recognized for his standout efforts, junior varsity No. 34 Austin Rolow displayed tenacity even in the 8-28 loss to Delano.

Despite their tireless attempt, varsity Tomahawks succumbed to a 0-32 loss.

“Our boys fought hard the entire game against a tough Thunder team,” head coach Rod Michael said. “We’ll watch the game film, make the corrections needed and bounce back next week.”

Saturday, the Tomahawks host games against freshmen Commanders of Shafter at 10 a.m., sophomore Cavaliers of Bakersfield at noon, junior varsity Cavaliers at 2 p.m. and varsity Cavaliers at 4 p.m.