Aiden Madden of the varsity Broncs football team scampers away from would be tacklers in the home game versus Lompoc. Photo by Isabelle Anzaldo.
Madden scores three times, returns fumble for 68-yard touchdown
The Kern Valley varsity football team played a half of inspired football, but in the end could not keep up with the size of the Braves.
The Broncs trailed early, but battled back to take a lead as the two teams went to the break. Lompoc opened the scoring with a touchdown. They added the extra point to go up 7-0. Another touchdown run in the second quarter allowed the Braves to grab a two-score margin. It was then Kern Valley scored 21 unanswered points to take the lead. Zane Carver hooked up with Aiden Madden for 52 yards to put the Broncs on the scoreboard. With the margin cut in half the defense came up huge. Madden scooped and scored from 68 yards away on a Braves fumble to tie the game at 14-14.
With nothing to lose, the Broncs tried an onside kick on the ensuing kickoff. They were successful and got the ball back. Kern Valley moved the ball down to the 17-yard line. The Broncs, with time left in the first half was able to grab the lead on a 17-yard scoring toss from Carver to Madden. It would mark the third time Madden found the end zone in this game. The teams went to the break with Kern Valley holding a 21-14 cushion.
The Braves came back in the second half as the bigger team wore down Kern Valley. It was Lompoc’s turn to score 21 unanswered points. They scored twice in the third quarter in the ground game. They began the comeback with a 22-yard rushing touchdown. They took back the lead after a long drive that ended with a three-yard run that crossed the goal line. In the fourth quarter they added a distance-making score with another rushing touchdown. This time it was from 15 yards away and produced what would be the final score 35-21.
Madden on the night had five catches for 84 yards and rushed for one yard on one carry. Carver went 9-of-24 for 157 yards and the two touchdowns. He was picked off once by the Braves. He picked up 11 yards with seven touches. He also booted the three PAT’s for the Broncs. Carson Parks ran for 21 yards on eight rushes, while Deegan Lee had one carry for six yards. Lee also hauled in three passes for 51 yards. Joe Galvan grabbed one pass that went for three yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bronc were led by Daniel Hinkey with 21 tackles (13 solo). Tavin Watts collected 16 tackles (nine solo), while Blake Baughman had 10 tackles. Lee was credited with eight tackles, while Gavan had seven. Bryce Smoot contributed five tackles and picked off a pass. Luke Brown had five tackles and forced a fumble. Balke Embree had five, while Drake Posney had four tackles and pounced on a loose ball, while Jeffrey Clark also had four. Madden had three tackles and an interception, while Gauge Johnson had three tackles. Closing out the defense, Andrew Miller was credited with a pair of solo tackles for Kern Valley.
With the non-league portion of their schedule in the books, the Broncs sit at 1-4. They will now turn their attention to the HDL as they open up on the road against Desert. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m.
