By Head Coach Ernest Martinez
The Twentynine Palms High School varsity Wildcat football team battled back from a 20-18 deficit to win 26-20 in front of a large homecoming crowd at Cathedral City Friday night.
The Lions played inspired football and were tied with the Wildcats at halftime, 12-12. A pass that was ruled backwards lateral set up the Lions with a go-ahead score early in the fourth quarter, but the visiting Wildcats refused to go quietly, and fought back for the game-winning score with two minutes left.
Leading the ’Cats was junior running back Chris Pacheco, who rushed for over 110 yards in the second half. Pacheco scored the final two Wildcat touchdowns, and after Jordan Tua’s two-point conversion run, the ’Cats led 26-20 with just under two minutes to go in the contest. A long pass play by the Lions took the ball down to the Wildcats’ 30-yard line, but a key tackle by senior cornerback Richard Sandoval forced the ball into the air, where it was taken by Matai Patu for a 28-yard return. The Wildcats were able to run out the clock and took home their fourth victory in a row to set up the key matchup with Yucca Valley in the season finale.
Chris Pacheco was the rushing leader with 179 yards on 27 carries. The offensive line—led by George Zama, Gabe Rangel, Micah Pollnow, Nate Brown, and Joel Horn—blocked for over 330 yards of offense. Junior quarterback Carson Estrada was 6 of 18 passing with one touchdown pass. Alex Burns caught a 34-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring for the Wildcats. Jacob Hueso had an outstanding game, receiving and help to set up the final score on a 42-yard reception.
Defensively the Wildcats were once again able to shut down the opposing running game, and held the Lions to 43 total yards on the ground. Senior Jeremiah Kirk led the team in tackles with 17, including two quarterback sacks. Junior Jordan Tua had eight tackles and a quarterback sack. Linebackers Eric Stone and Matai Patu teamed up for 11 tackles, a forced fumble, and a sack. Conner Poss and Justin Peters had outstanding games on the defensive line and combined for eight tackles and a quarterback sack. Senior Chris Rantzow had an interception and a 36-yard return to set up a Wildcats score early in the game.
The Wildcats have a 4-2 league record, and their post season hopes will come down to the final game of the season, as they need a victory over first-place Yucca Valley to secure a possible playoff spot. The Trojans won on a forfeit win against Desert Mirage last week as the game was cancelled due to the closing of the school for a local fire for several days. Yucca Valley will bring in a 6-0-league record into the game, and have a share of the league title secured.
The Wildcats have won the Battle of the Bell game 14 consecutive seasons, and will need another outstanding effort to secure their 15th victory in the series. The game will be the 52nd contest for the Kiwanis Club’s High Desert Championship game. The ’Cats hold a 33-18 victory margin in the series that was once close at 19 wins to 18 after 2004, but the ’Cats have dominated the series with 14 consecutive wins since that season.
The Wildcats will host the Bell game, which will also be senior night for 16 Wildcats seniors. The frosh-soph game will begin at 4 p.m., and the varsity will follow at 7 p.m. The Bell game usually draws a very large crowd and fans should expect to arrive early for the contest to avoid long lines.
