Wasco set to play for CIF State football title

Dec. 7—Decades in the making, Wasco football will finally have its day in the spotlight in its first state championship game.

The Tigers will face Petaluma-St. Vincent de Paul for the CIF State Division 6-AA championship on Friday at Pasadena City College. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.

“It’s an eerie feeling. Everyone around town is in good spirits,” said Wasco coach Chad Martinez, whose team will leave for the game at 10 a.m. Friday. “They’re super excited and they understand the moment. They’re the first team to be in this place. They’re going to take advantage of this opportunity and create memories and continue to leave a strong Wasco football legacy.”

Wasco (9-5) earned a right to play for a state title with a hard-fought 7-6 victory over Cerritos in the Southern California Regional 6-AA Bowl Game last week.

Trailing 6-0 at the half, the Tigers opened the third quarter with an 18-play drive, capped with what proved to be the game-winner, a 1-yard touchdown run by sophomore Hami Lopez.

With the Dons driving for a potential winning score, senior Ram Lopez — Hami’s older cousin — recovered a fumble to preserve the victory. It was the third time in four games that he gained possession of the ball with the game on the line.

Two weeks ago, Ram Lopez recovered a fumble with less than a minute left in a 42-41 victory over top-seeded Bishop Union in the Central Section Division V final. In the playoff opener, he had a scoop and score to beat Reedley.

“This is definitely a special group.” Martinez said. “These are our COVID kids. During that abbreviated season, we didn’t win a game. Some of these guys got pulled up with us, like Ram and Mike Dominguez, they have been starters on varsity for four years. I think that we made it through (COVID) and during the season they just kept going and kept going, so it’s a special…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/understand-moment-wasco-set-play-020100924.html

Author : The Bakersfield Californian

Publish date : 2023-12-08 02:01:00

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