Bryce Smoot, Varsity Football, 12th Grade. Photo by Isabel Anzaldo
Kern Valley scores late TD to grab the lead
The showdown was for second, but both teams played to win. The Kern Valley varsity team hosted Boron on Senior Night in a contest to decide who would grab sole possession of second place in the HDL.
They were able to steal the win with an interception as the Bobcats were trying to drive for the tying touchdown. The teams battled all game and made sure the fans go to see a well-played football game to end the regular season. Boron opened the scoring as they were able to punch it in and take the lead. They would convert the two-point conversion to make it 8-0 in the first.
The Broncs controlled the second quarter as their offense moved the ball down the field. The Kern Valley team scored a touchdown to get closer. They were not successful on the PAT to leave the score at 8-6 in favor of the Bobcats. The Broncs defense forced their opponent to give them the ball back. They did not waste the opportunity as they were able to cross the goal line to give them the lead. The half ended with the Broncs holding the advantage at 12-8.
Coming out of the break neither team could find the end zone in the third quarter. The score remained with the Broncs ahead 12-8. Early in the fourth, the Bobcats of Boron took back the lead with a touchdown. With the score sitting at 14-12, and the game winding down it was up to the Broncs defense to hold Boron. They would stop the Bobcats on a fourth down play. With just over two minutes left in the game Kern Valley took possession. The Broncs moved quickly down the field and into position to score. With just 23 seconds on the clock, Kern Valley moved the ball into the end zone to retake the lead. They added the two-point conversion and it was now 20-14. Boron had one last chance, but it ended when Daniel Hinkey picked off the attempted pass and the Broncs were alone in second place.
Zane Carver had his hands on every point for the Broncs. He threw for a 27-yard touchdown to Bryce Smoot and rushed twice for a pair of TD’s. He also hooked up with Deegan Lee for the two-point conversion. On the night Carver was 13-25 passing and was intercepted three times. He threw for a total of 174 yards, completing passes to five different Kern Valley players. Smoot led the way with four catches for 79 yards and the score. Lee finished with six receptions for 37 yards, while Carson Parks had one grab for 25 yards. Joey Galvan hauled in one pass for 20 yards, and Hinkey caught one pass for 13 yards. The Broncs were limited to just 43 yards of rushing in the game. Carver carried 10 times for 11 yards, while Parks had six touches and 32 yards. The total offense on the night was 217 yards.
Turning to the Kern Valley defense which kept the Bobcats in check most of the night. They were led by Hinkey with 24 tackles (seven solo) and the interception. Blake Baughman collected 21 tackles (five solo), while Tavin Watts had 18 (seven solo) tackles. Smoot finished with six tackles and picked off Boron quarterback. Ivan Mondragon recorded six tackles, while Lee and Galvan each had five. Aiden Madden was credited with three tackles, while Jacob Abraugh and Drake Posney each had a pair of tackles.
The Broncs head coach, Scott Tedrow commented, “That was a very physical hard-hitting game. Both teams played hard for all four quarters, but we were able to put together the game winning drive in the fourth to seal the win. We stopped Boron on downs on our own 21 with 2:04 on the clock and no timeouts. We practice our two-minute offense every week, and Zane Carver was able to run it to perfection and lead us down the field for the game winning touchdown with only 23 seconds left on the clock.”
With the game in the books, the Broncs will now turn to the CIF playoffs. They will be at home on Friday as they will entertain Mira Monte. They start the playoffs as the No. 5 seed. The Broncs defeated Mira Monte in the non-league and will square off with them again. The game is set to kickoff at 7 p.m.
