The Wildcats were in an all or nothing situation last Friday night as it was their last game of the season. Taft High’s varsity boys faced the BCHS Eagles and the game resulted in a tough loss, 48-0 with the visitors’ bleachers covered in confetti.

The captains for the game were Fano Maui, No. 9, Thomas Stark, No. 25, Jackson Van  Roekel, No. 6, and Maino Maino, No. 56. The ‘Cats decided to receive the ball to kick off the night. Zack Tuaila, No.5, caught the kick and took it to the ‘Cats 23-yard line before he got brought down. The Wildcats’ offense was short on the drive and was forced to punt on fourth down. The Wildcats kicked from the 18-yard line, and the Eagles returned the punt, getting stopped at the 44-yard line. BCHS picked up a first down on their third pass attempt, with the first two attempts missing their intended targets. The Eagles got another first down from a completed pass, and the ball was now on the 20-yard line. BCHS went for another pass where they almost scored a touchdown, but the ‘Cats defense caught a break when the referees called BCHS for holding on the play, setting them back 10 yards.                                                                                   

Wildcats took advantage of  the penalties against the Eagles. BCHS came up short on the following play for a first down, and the ‘Cats were now back on offense at their own 16-yard line. Maui got the first on third down after taking the brunt of the Eagles’ defense. TUHS began to lose yardage as the offensive line began to crumble. Van Roekel and Tuaila got sacked back-to-back, putting the Taft offense in a difficult situation by having to punt from the goal line. BCHS moved the ball down the field quicker than the Wildcats could keep up with them, ending at  the 18-yard line. The Eagles got the first TD of the game on a pass play with 3 minutes and 45 seconds left in the first quarter, making the score 7-0. On the kickoff, Tuaila got the ball and carried it to the 23-yard line in Wildcat territory. Maui was on the following run with the hand off, getting the Wildcats a first down at the 34-yard line. Maui fought through the Eagles’ defense, but came up too short for a first down.

With a minute and a half left in the first, the Wildcats punted but were not able to get a stop with BCHS nearly getting another TD; however, it was called back for blocking in the back, leaving them at their own 10-yard line. The Eagles got a huge gain to make up for the loss with a block in the back called on the Wildcats, which brought them to the 40-yard line. A few penalties were thrown on BCHS, slowing them down for the Wildcat defense and relieving some pressure for them. The Eagles’ offense advanced up the field with the ‘Cats’ defense unable to stop the drive. With 36 seconds left in the first quarter, BCHS closed in for their second TD. On a run play, the Eagles scored, ending the first 14-0.

In the second quarter, the Wildcat offense fell flat, unable to gain any yardage on the drive. The Wildcats’ offensive line continued to collapse, allowing Van Roekel and Tuaila to be sacked for big loss in yards. Maui still wrestled through the Eagles defense, but not enough for a first down. BCHS had a big pass completion, moving them to the 16-yard line. The Wildcat defense did not stop the open pass on the following play, which allowed the Eagles get the TD.

The scoreboard was in the Eagles’ favor 21-0 with 8 minutes and 2 seconds in the half. Tuaila got the kick return and brought the ball to the ‘Cats’ own 27-yard line. Maui took the handoff but did not get an inch on the play. The Wildcats were starting to make little mistakes with some players not paying attention on the sideline to the coaches who were trying to get the right amount of players on the field. The ‘Cats’ were forced to punt again on fourth down.

BCHS threw some incomplete passes on the drive and were now on the fourth down at the 42-yard line but got a 12-yard pass completion. The Wildcats’ defense kept the Eagles stuck on the 30-yard line. The Eagles decided to punt rather than give the ball to Taft. The ball was kicked from the 30-yard line. The ‘Cats got it to their own 37-yard line, but a flag was called against Taft for blocking in the back, putting the ball on their 27-yard line. The Wildcats’ offense made little mistakes on the drive, forcing them to punt to the Eagles. On the punt, Taft didn’t get the stop, allowing BCHS to score another TD. This game was an uphill battle for Wildcats with 3 minutes and 45 seconds left in the second quarter. The score was 28-0 in the Eagles favor with the referees not calling critical fouls on plays.

The Wildcat offensive line still couldn’t hold the Eagles’ defense because the quarterbacks didn’t have time to throw the ball. BCHS got the ball back and scored again, making the game 34-0 with 1 minute and 59 seconds in the second quarter. The Wildcats’ defense and offense were not getting a hold on the game, with many mistakes being made on both sides of the ball at the end of the first half.

The Wildcats kicked off the second half of the game from the Eagles’ 38-yard line. Jordan Miranda, No. 3, got a beautiful hit on a pass play on defense. BCHS continued down the field with ease against the Wildcat defense, stopping the ball on the Taft 16-yard line. The Eagles got an early TD with 9 minutes and 24 seconds in the third quarter and the score now at 41-0.

The Wildcats started on the 20-yard line after the kickoff. The Wildcats still didn’t seem to be able to get a grip on the game with no points in the first half of the game, which affected them in the next half. The ‘Cats were not taking advantage of the penalties during the third quarter with the offense not getting a good amount of yardage through the third quarter. Bakersfield Christian’s relentless offense broke the Wildcats’ defense with the Eagles getting another TD. The score was 48-0 in the third quarter with 1 minute and 40 seconds left in the third. Some fighting between the Wildcats and the Eagles began to brew on the field after the kickoff, but coaches on both sides were able to stop it before anything really broke out. The Wildcats gained a few yards at the end of the third quarter with the ball on the 35-yard line.

In the fourth quarter, the Wildcats refused to give up with the majority of the fourth being a back and forth battle between the teams. Taft didn’t allow the Eagles to score at all during the fourth. The final score was in the Eagles favor 48-0. Though the Wildcats lost the game, they continue to stand confidently to show the spirit and pride of Taft Union High School.