Our Varsity boys played their very first home game of the season September 8th and unfortunately lost 6-33. Taft started the game by kicking off to Porterville who ended with a complete 60-yard pass for a touchdown and also the first point of the game. Taft came out with a big sack against Porterville in the first quarter. This was then followed by a interception by Taft High’s very own senior, Zack Tuaila. Porterville kicked off to Taft with two minutes left in the first quarter, in which Taft then came in and took over on their own 40-yard line. Wildcats’ QB  Jackson Van-Roekel had a long pass in the first quarter that got the Wildcats to the Panther’s 25-yard line. The crowd went wild as the next two plays lead to long runs by the ‘Cats. The first quarter ended with the Wildcats on Porterville’s 25-yard line.

The score at the start of the second quarter was 0-14 in the Panthers’ favor.  Wildcats score with a 35-yard field goal making the score Porterville 14, Taft 3. Later into the game Wildcats got a big sack on the Panthers. The Panthers were a little shaken up and ended up turning over possession on downs. Porterville came back but Taft never gave up; they came back with an even bigger sack against Porterville. Taft kept their heads high throughout the game. With three minutes on the clock, Porterville punted to Taft who then took over their own 20-yard line. Taft took a hard hit, but the team didn’t give in. Taft recovered a fumble by Porterville. Toward the end of the quarter, Taft came out with some long runs and the quarter ended with Taft 3, Porterville, 20.

Third quarter Porterville kicked off to Taft. Taft had a completed catch and took over their own 31-yard line. The stands went crazy while the Wildcats came out with two long runs that got them to Porterville’s 25-yard line. The Taft Wildcat football team definitely had the support of their community; fans went cheered on their beloved Wildcats. Taft completed a 20-yard field goal and raised the score to Taft 6, Porterville, 20. Wildcats ended the 3rd quarter with a score of 6-26 and a hard sack against the Panthers.

Fourth quarter Taft had another interception by Zach Self and had the ball on their own 3-yard line. In the middle of the fourth quarter, all the lights surrounding the field went out, leading to many explanations including a fault with either a transformer or a power circuit. During the power outage, however, fans stayed on their feet and danced along with the Wildcat Varsity Cheerleaders as the band played.

After Taft High’s staff got the lights turned back on, Wildcat fan, Regan Montgomery admitted her favorite reason to attend ‘Cat football games was “watching our Wildcats try their hardest.” Although they didn’t win, the boys fought hard and played their best on the field. At end of the night, the Wildcats faced their families and friends with their heads still held up high sang along to Taft High’s Alma Mater.