By Head Coach Ernest Martinez
The Twentynine Palms Wildcats hosted the defending league champions Friday night, but lost their second consecutive league game to Coachella Valley 70-6. The Wildcats were playing the game without eight starters, who were lost to injury in the previous games.
The Wildcats managed over 16 first downs and 290 yards throughout the first three quarters, but were unable to convert the drives into points, as five turnovers cost the home team several scoring opportunities.
Carson Estrada completed 17 of 33 passes for 177 yards to lead the offense. Chris Pacheco rushed for 76 yards on 16 carries, and had 102 yards on kick returns for the Wildcats. Jacob Hueso had six catches for 85 yards, and Chris Rantzow had four catches for 50 yards to lead the team. Pacheco caught a 32-yard reception for the Cats only score of the game early in the third quarter.
Defensively, the ’Cats had two interceptions in the game, one by Chris Pacheco and the other takeaway came from Chris Rantzow. Jeremiah Kirk led the team in tackles for the second straight week with 10 total tackles. Matai Patu and Erik Stone both had eight tackles, and Diego Pinedo had a sack and two solos in the contest. Conner Poss, and Dustin Menard combined for seven total tackles in the game.
The Wildcats started 0-2 in league last season and then won five consecutive games to reach the playoffs. The team will begin the task of trying to repeat the same playoff run when they travel to Desert Hot Springs Friday night. The ’Cats are in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive in the next five contests.
The Frosh-Soph team won their game to move to 4-1 on the season. Their game will begin at 4 p.m., followed by the varsity at 7.
