The Twentynine Palms Varsity Wildcats won their 3rd consecutive league contest 51-0 over Desert Mirage Friday night for a Homecoming victory.
Wildcats Win Homecoming 51-0
By Head Coach Ernest Martinez
The Twentynine Palms Varsity Wildcats won their 3rd consecutive league contest 51-0 over Desert Mirage Friday night for a Homecoming victory. The Wildcats held the visiting Rams to only 46 total yards of offense, and took a 39 -0 lead into Halftime. The Cats scored on their first play of the game, on a terrific 60-yard TD run by junior running back Chris Pacheco. Pacheco had 112 yards rushing on 8 carries and scored the first two touchdowns of the game. Senior wide receivers Mac Miller and Chris Rantzow scored the next 3 times for the Cats. Miller caught a 33 yard touchdown catch to make the score 19-0. Rantzow added a 70 yard td reception, and a 15 yard scoring reception from Carson Estrada to make the score 33 – 0 with less than 2 minutes left in the half. Estrada was 9 of 12 passing for 194 yards and tossed three touchdown scores in the contest. The Wildcats defense led by junior defensive linemen Jordan Tua added the final score of the half, on a forced fumble. Tua rambled 25 yards for the last score of the second quarter led by a large group of Wildcat defenders. Senior Matai Patu took the opening kickoff of the second half 70 yards to give the Cats a 45-0 lead. The Second half was shortened by a running clock, that ensued shortly after the score. Junior running back John Picena added a 12-yard run for the final score of the game. Defensive leaders were Jeremiah Kirk with 15 total tackles, Jordan Tua, and Matai Patu. Tua had 11 total tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 2 QB sacks, a forced fumble and a 25-yard fumble return. Matai Patu and Martin Rodriguez teamed up for 10 total tackles, and Rodriguez added two QB sacks and a fumble recovery. Dustin Menard, Conner Poss, Erik Stone, Richard Sandoval, Justin Peters had outstanding games for the defensive front, holding the Rams to only 9 yards rushing in the second half. The Wildcats Offensive line led by George Zama, Gabe Rangel, Micah Pollnow, Joel Horn, and Nate Brown played outstanding, blocking for 6 offensive touchdowns, and nearly 400 yards of offense. Jacob Hueso connected on a two-point conversion to senior Erik stone in the second quarter as the team rushed for 172 total yards. The Cats will travel to Cathedral City Friday night, hoping to keep their playoff hopes alive with two consecutive victories. The Lions lost to Yucca Valley 27-0 last Thursday in their 5th league contest to fall to 1-4 in the Desert Valley league. The Cats will then return home in two weeks for the important Battle of the Bell game, as the Trojans are currently 5-0 in league play. The Frosh Soph game will begin Friday at Cathedral City at 4:00 pm and the Varsity will be at 7 p.m.
