Zane Carver, Varsity football, 12th Grade. Photo by Isabel Anzaldo
The Kern Valley varsity football squad would grab their first win of the season. They were able to hold off the Lions of Mira Monte and pick up the 20-17 win.
All the scoring for this game was done in the first half. The Broncs had the advantage 7-3 after the first quarter. It was then the two teams’ offenses starting putting up points. The Lions were holding a 10-7 lead over Kern Valley. It was then the Broncs scored twice to increase their margin to 20-10. The Lions drew closer as they score another touchdown to make it 20-17 with time winding down in the first half. The teams went into the break knowing they had another half of football.
While the offenses put up points in the first, it was the defenses of both teams that took control in the second half. Possessions went back and forth, with neither team able to gain momentum. Both teams had chances to add points, but the opposing defenses came up with stop after stop to thwart the changing of the scoreboard. When the horn sounded to end the fourth quarter, the Broncs had earned their first win of the season against the three earlier losses.
The Broncs offense totaled 382 yards. They threw for 119 and the ground game picked up 264 yards on 23 carries. Zane Carver threw the ball 19 times and completed four passes for 119 yards. He had a 62-yard scoring toss and was picked off twice by the Lions. He would also rush for 197 yards and a touchdown run of three yards. Aiden Madden hauled in the 62-yard touchdown pass. He would catch one other pass for 30 yards. Carson Parks grabbed one pass for 15 yards, while Daniel Hinkey had one catch for 12 yards. Parks rushed for 65 yards on nine touches, He would romp into the end zone on a seven-yard run. Deegan Lee rushed once for one yard to round out the Broncs ground game on the night.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Broncs were made Mira Monte turn the ball over three times in the game. They were led by Hinkey. He collected a team-high 22 tackles, including 16 solo. Tavin watts followed with 19 tackles, including nine solo tackles. Lee recorded 13 tackles and picked off a Lions pass for an interception. Drake Posney had 11 tackles, while Bryce Smoot was credited with nine. Madden had seven tackles and a fumble recovery, while Ivan Mondragon also had seven tackles. Jeffrey Clark and Joey Galvan each had five tackles. Clark also had an interception of the Mira Monte quarterback. Blake Baughman had four tackles, while Gauge Johnson recorded three. Thomas Valdez finished with a pair of tackles, while Aren Valdez, Andrew Miller, Baden Mota, and Michael Porter each had one tackle in the contest.
The Broncs will face another test as they will play at home this Friday. They will be taking on the Lompoc Braves who sit at 2-3 on the year. Lompoc is in the Central Section Divison III. Kern Valley is a Division VI team. The game is set to kick off at 7 p.m.
