Badger Notes - by Gregg Dodderidge
It's
playoff time again! The Badgers will face a familiar foe — The Coalinga
Horned Toads. Last year, the Badgers defeated Coalinga 31-14 at
YHS for the 2002 Sequoia/Sierra Large School Championship.
This year's Badgers have been seeded No. 2, behind Washington Union.
Coalinga comes in at the No. 9 seed. Revenge will certainly be on
the minds of the Horned Toads. The 2003 team comes in with a 5-5
record, losing their last three games to: Dinuba, Taft, and Chowchilla,
all playoff-bound teams. The Horned Toads have not won since Oct.
17th. Coalinga plays in the North Sequoia League.
Head Coach Steve Sprague, who has been at the helm for 18 years,
leads the Horned Toads. Coalinga finished 2002 at a 10-3 record
and were ranked No. 8 in the pre-season. Look for Coalinga to put
the ball in the air. QB Kevin Tarrango leads the Horned Toads. As
of November 6, Tarrango was 61-113 for 1094 yards and three TDs.
Tarrango has also thrown 10 interceptions. His main targets are
WRs Edson De La O and Charles Markley. The offense runs an I-back
set with multiple formations with Will Masterson at RB.
The Toads will face a Badger team on a roll. The Badgers come into
the playoffs with 9-1 record.
At this writing, the Badgers are ranked No. 2 in the Fresno Bee’s
Sequoia/Sierra rankings. The Badgers are also ranked No. 8 in the
state of California, according to CalHiSports.com YHS is the outright
champion of the 2003 Central Sequoia League.
The 2003 Badger team has been an offensive powerhouse. The offense
has been very balanced. Overall, the Badgers have thrown for 1,890
passing yards and have run for more than 1,600 yards. The Badgers
have the No. 8 ranked passing attack in the Valley. But, after a
246 yard rushing game last week against Kingsburg, the Badgers have
yet another weapon for opposing coaching staffs to reckon with.
Credit the play of the offensive line. Coming into 2003, the Badgers
had three returning starters on the O-line. Starters Forrest Reyes
has been injured the entire season. The starting lineup of LT Kyle
Mosher, LG Casey Robeson, C David Dan, RG Casey Wolters and Kyle
Harders are starting to gel as a unit.
The Badger defense has been outstanding. New starters on the defensive
line Robbie Sotelo, Garrett Tompkins and Price Walling did a great
job stopping the run against Kingsburg and Dos Palos. They and the
LBs will have to get pressure on Tarrango.
The pass defense, which allowed 244 yards vs. Kingsburg, will be
tested.
The MaxPreps.com Website ranks players throughout the state and
each section according to their position. Here is a list of Badgers
currently ranked in respective categories in the Central Valley
section.
* Safety Burke Wardle continues to rewrite YHS defensive records.
Wardle had 17 tackles vs. Kingsburg. According to Coach Erik Peterson,
Wardle is now the all-time school record holder for tackles in a
season at 150. Wardle surpassed Michael Graves record of 148 in
2002. Wardle is averaging 15 tackles a game. Wardle is ranked No.
1 in the Valley in tackles.
* Garrett Tompkins is ranked No. 13 in tackles with 90.
* CB Jake Dodderidge had his most productive defensive outing of
2003. Dodderidge had two interceptions; one returned for a 41 yard
TD to go along with his seven tackles and five pass breakups. Dodderidge
has now tied the season/career mark of eight. Overall, Dodderidge
is ranked No. 2 in the Valley.
* QB Shawn Long is ranked No. 4 in the Valley in passing. Long is
116/184 completing 63 percent of his passes. Long has 19 TDs with
only four picks. Long is also a Valley leader in punting. Long is
averaging 40 yards per punt, No. 2 in the Valley. Leader Luis Borjas
of Coalinga is averaging 45 yards per punt.
* Kicker Casey Lucas is ranked No. 2 in the Valley with 50 points
overall. (41 XP/3FG). Lucas should take over the lead during playoffs.
Lucas, a junior has shattered all YHS kicking records.
* TJ Grijalva has rushed for 722 yards, placing him 24th in the
Valley. Grijalva, coming off a three TD performance at Kingsburg,
has 11 TDs for the year.
Other notes: Justin Holtman had a great all-around game against
Kingsburg. Holtman, who has played back up to QB Shawn Long, rushed
four times for 29 yards. Holtman also directed a Badger drive for
45 yards down to the Kingsburg 10-yard line.
On defense, Holtman had four tackles and a sack. Look for Holtman
as a backup receiver in the playoffs.
What a year JV RB/LB Aaron Wilkins had.
Wilkins simply had an incredible year. According to JV Head Coach
Bonner Cunnings, Wilkins rushed for a JV record 1,395 yards, breaking
TJ Grijalva’s unofficial record of 1,190 yards in 2002. Wilkins
also rushed for 17 TDs.
Wilkins had 305 yards against Dos Palos. On defense, Wilkins had
a 102-yard interception return against Kerman.
Three JV players have been moved up to varsity for the upcoming
playoffs: RB/LB Aaron Wilkins, Steven Rasmussen, and Kyle O’Neil.
Head Coach Aaron Eames said, “The three will play. They were brought
up based on position need.
We don't bring up JV just to watch. We expect all will contribute.”