The Kern Valley cheerleaders do a routine on the sideline at Friday’s home football game. Submitted Photo.
The Broncs JV team got the season off on the right foot as they handed McFarland a 28-8 loss.
Kern Valley started fast as they took the opening kickoff and went down the field to put it in the end zone. A balanced attack drove them down the field to take the early 6-0 lead. The Broncs were set up at the six-yard line in a first and goal scenario. They capped the opening drive with a touchdown run from Jackson Price. The PAT was no good, but the first game butterflies were now in the distance.
The Cougars took their chance and moved the ball consistently. They made it to the Broncs 10-yard line. Sitting with a fourth-and-two, A huge stop by the Kern Valley defense ended the scoring threat. Qwintin Pariseau made the tackle that turned the ball back to the Broncs. The first quarter came to an end with Kern Valley holding the 6-0 margin.
The Broncs were well on their way to adding to the scoreboard, but a fumble stuffed their chance as the turned the ball back to the Cougars. Once again McFarland drove the ball deep into Broncs territory only to be denied once again. They would give the ball back on downs. Kern Valley’s offense stalled on this drive and were forced to punt. With only 1:18 left in the first half, the Cougars connected on a long pass that put the ball all the way down at the Broncs one-yard line. One play later, they pounded their way across the goal line to even the score at 6-6. After the two-point PAT was good, McFarland took the 8-6 lead into the break.
The second half was all Kern Valley as they dominated the rest of the game. The Broncs defense stopped McFarland on their initial second half possession. Kern Valley wasted little time in getting the lead back. Ty Humphers capped off the scoring drive with a 19-yard toss from Price. They added the two-point PAT and grabbed the lead back 14-8.
The defense took charge and stopped McFarland on their next two possessions. A forced fumble recovered by the Broncs and a sack that turned the ball back over on downs allowed Kern Valley to remain in control. Humphers scored his second touchdown of the game with a six-yard score. The extra-point was converted by Ewan Shea to make the score 21-8 in favor of the Broncs.
The Broncs defense came up with another stop as Shiloh Galvan picked off the Cougars quarterback. He would run it back to the McFarland 20-yard line to put Kern Valley in business. Six plays later, Price scooted his way into the end zone to make the cushion larger for the Broncs. Shea added the PAT and the score stood at 28-8. When the Kern Valley defense recovered another fumble, the game was firmly in their grasp. When the horn sounded the Broncs were sitting at 1-0 on the year.
As a team the Kern Valley offense totaled 403 yards. They threw for 201 and rushed for 202 yards on the ground. Price would throw for 201 yards on a 12-for-18 day. He completed passes to five different receivers. Price had the one touchdown toss and was intercepted once. On the receiving end, Kern Valley was led by Ryder Pappas with a pair of catches for 67 yards. Humphers grabbed five catches for 59 yards, while Galvan hauled in three passes for 59 yards. Gabe Ross caught one pass for 10 yards, while Zane Pappas had one grab for six yards.
On the ground, the Broncs were led by Price with 65 yards on seven rushes and a pair of TD’s. Humphers rushed eight times for 17 yards and the one score, while Jaadyn Cleveland had four touches for 12 yards. Pariseau took one hand off for five yards, while Galvan rushed once for three yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, Israel Padilla and Humphers shared the team lead in tackles with six. One of Humphers tackles was a sack and he pounced on one loose ball. Galvan took down five opposing players and had the INT. R. Pappas recorded three tackles, while Pariseau, EJ Anderson and Xander Lofty each had a pair of tackles. Joel Donohoe, Ross, Gavin Tippet, and Jaime Salmon were credited with one tackle apiece.
Price one of the Broncs captains said, “I’m looking forward to this season, we are playing some new schools and this will be a new challenge. But I think we have a great team and the best coaches. We will work hard and play hard and that’s all we can do.”
Kern Valley head coach Gallis said, “This was an exciting game for our boys today, they had to overcome some adversity, and they got to show some grit and mental toughness on the road. McFarland played a tough game and gave us a lot of looks. They were big up front and had some athletes that were tough in space. Defensive Coordinator, Aaron LaFarga had a great game plan today and had our kids in the right spots. We had a couple of blown assignments, but those are things you expect in a first game. We can get those cleaned up.” He went on to say, “Coach Davin Lee had the offense rolling and I liked how we were trying to spread the ball around and get everyone involved. All-in-all it was a successful first game and with that contest under their belts, the boys should be ready to take on the next challenge.
The next challenge will come this Friday as they make their way to Reedley to take on Immanuel High School. The game is set to kick off at 5 p.m.
