'A game-changer': Alpaugh celebrates first night home football game with historic win

Alpaugh High School hosted its first night home football game in school history on Sept. 15 in southwest Tulare County.

The Buffalos defeated Mojave 42-30 in an 8-man, non-league game. Alpaugh, a city with a population of less than 1,000 people according to 2020 census figures, sits near Kings and Kern counties lines.

Alpaugh High School was established in 1980. According to U.S. News and World Report, Alpaugh Unified School District serves over 300 kindergarten to 12th grade students.

The Buffalos were able to play the first night home football game this season thanks in part to the effort made by Alpaugh superintendent Troy Hayes.

Hayes spearheaded the evolution of the school’s sports facility, working with staff and the school board to redevelop the football field, including the addition of lights.

That project gave coaches and players an opportunity to earn their first victory of the season.

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"I praise Mr. Hayes since the first day he's shown up," Buffalos head football coach Luis Vasquez said. "I've lived in Alpaugh for 10 years. Since he showed up a few years ago, it's been a big sigh of relief to have someone as dedicated, genuine and passionate to improve our school. It's a blessing to have him. It's a great feeling to have that type of staff on our side really care about the kids — to use all resources available.

"Him and his team strive for the betterment of that school and the kids. We see those kids from a young age and watch them grow. They live in town and go to school. The cycle continues and it's nice to see that generation get to know and have Mr. Hayes is a big blessing."

Alpaugh senior quarterback Jesse Alcazar threw for 177 yards and three touchdowns to lead the team. He also ran for 80 yards in the win. On defense, he made a team-high 17 tackles on defense. Junior Alexis Alfaro added 11 tackles.

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The Buffalos also had standout performances from senior Rafael Munguia (five catches, 102 yards receiving; 30 yards rushing), senior Rafael Loera (43 yards rushing), senior Luis Vasquez (38 yards rushing; one catch, 55 yards receiving) and senior Kolten Lockhard (17 yards rushing; one catch, 20 yards receiving).

Defensively, Lockhard intercepted three passes. Senior Josue Alfaro had an interception, too.

Alpaugh is off to a 1-2 start this season and will play four more home games.

Vasquez took over as the interim head coach midway through last year but is now officially the team's skipper.

The Buffalos scored a season-high 42 points in their victory against Mojave. It was the first time they scored 42 points or more in a single game since last year's season opener.

Alpaugh used to play their home football games on Saturday afternoons since their field didn't have lights but that is no longer the case.

How beneficial has the new lighting been?

"It was kind of surreal," coach Vasquez said. "We know what we are capable of under the lights. We always struggled with that because in the past, we would practice during the day and once it got dark, we had to go home. And then we would go travel to play night games and the kids, their night vision wasn't really good, but now, we practice into the dark every day and it's second nature. We can play at night without any problems because we practice in it now. It's a game-changer now. We're able to compete at an even level."

This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Alpaugh celebrates first night home football game with historic win