Tigers Ready For Section Playoffs
BY TREVOR HORN
THE NATOMAS BUZZ | @natomasbuzz
Efficiency was the name of the game for Inderkum in the regular season finale against neighborhood rival Natomas on Friday night, beating the Nighthawks 56-0.
Without leading rusher Eric Walters, who has been kicked off the team for personal conduct reasons, Terence White and Josh Montes both scored two rushing touchdowns. The Tigers (8-2 overall, 4-1 TCC) will know by noon Saturday the team’s fate in the Division III playoff bracket.
“Getting Josh back healthy and Terence has been running hard,” Stark said. “I think we have a good shot. We are not as explosive, but at the same time, we have a lot of good backs.”
White led the Tigers with five rushes for 77 yards and Montes contributed four rushes for 74 yards.
But, rivalry games can do some funky things to a football season. Within the first five plays from scrimmage, both teams turned the ball over a combined three times.
Then on a fourth-and-two on the Tigers 19-yard line, Nighthawks junior quarterback Daniel Guttierrez (10-23 136 yards, 2 INT) completed a red zone pass to Willie Thames, who fumbled the completion at the two-yard line. Inderkum defensive back Larry Hardy recovered the ball and returned the ball to the Nighthawks 26-yard line.
On the next play, White scored his first of two rushing touchdowns for Inderkum on a 26-yard rush—which ignited the Tigers on an unbelievable run of efficiency.
The Tigers scored five touchdowns on just eight offensive plays, in route to a 35-0 run that took just over nine minutes off the clock.
“At the beginning, our kids were trying too hard because they wanted to score touchdowns instead of executing,” Stark said. “They wanted to go 80 yards. So they were trying so hard. So they had to settle down and they settled down. But once they settled down, we were OK.”
CJ Spencer went just 2-4 passing on the night, but both passes were touchdowns, with the latter to senior Dedric Allen on a 45-yard slant pass. Allen also recorded a sack in the second half, says the team didn’t overlook the neighborhood rival, but are ready for the playoffs.
“It’s great to see all of the fans come out and support both high schools,” Allen said. “Now the goal is to win the (section) championship. That’s the whole point.”
But the Tigers were dealt a huge blow with the loss of Walters.
“He is one of the best players in the section, and it is unfortunate that he chose a bad decision over the team,” Allen said.
For the Nighthawks (0-10, 0-5), the season was rough on the 23 players who finished the season with the team, and for first-year head coach Jeff Remington.
“We fought through the year and we did the best we could do with where we are at and where we started with our guys,” Remington said. “Some guys couldn’t do things the Nighthawk way. But we are going to do things one way around here, and that’s my way.”
But one player who performed for Natomas was Guttierrez. After the diminutive signal caller was helped off the field with an ankle injury in the first half, he came back in the second half and completed the first play of the third quarter to Thames for 20 yards.
“He’s been down a few times this year,” Remington said. “He has been beat up and banged up and bruised and taken more hits than a quarterback should take. But on a nightly basis he just gets up and continues to play.”
Check back on Saturday afternoon for all of the Division III section playoffs seedings for where Inderkum will play in the first round. The Tigers have advanced to the second round of the playoffs every season since 2006. The Tigers finished second in the TCC behind undefeated Yuba City. The Honkers beat River Valley Friday night 29-3. All three teams will make the playoffs.
Scoring Drives:
Tigers: White 26 yard run (kick good) 7-0 6:26 1st
Tigers: Spencer pass 47-yard to Hudson (kick good) 14-0 1:46 1st
Tigers: Montes 1-yard run (kick good) 21-0 11:57 2nd
Tigers: Spencer pass to Allen 45-yards (kick good) 28-0 8:30 2nd
Tigers: Montes 10-yard run (kick good) 35-0 7:07 2nd
Tigers: White 26-yard run (kick good) 42-0 0:00 2nd
Tigers: Thurmond 13-yard (kick good) 49-0 3:20 3rd
Tigers: Aguilar 36-yard run (kick good) 56-0 9:03 4th
(Senior lineman Brandon Johnson on senior night for the Nighthawks with assistant coach Mason Mitchell.)
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