Mission Oak football pulls away in second half to beat Mt. Whitney in playoffs
TULARE − The Mission Oak High School football team is aiming to become the first squad in program history to win a Central Section championship.
No. 3 Mission Oak defeated sixth-ranked Mt. Whitney 35-12 on Thursday night at Bob Mathias Stadium, scoring 28 unanswered points in the second half to cruise to a quarterfinal victory in the 2023 Central Section Division III playoffs.
The Hawks (7-5) will now host No. 7 Washington Union (5-7) next week in a semifinal showdown. The Panthers upset previously undefeated and second-seed Atascadero 41-13 in San Luis Obispo County.
According to Central Section historian Bob Barnett, Mission Oak is just one of four Tulare County programs to have yet to win a section title.
The Hawks have won back-to-back playoff games and can clinch a spot in the section final with a home victory next week.
"It's simple, we want to win a ring," Mission Oak star senior Kenny Jackson said. "We do not want to lose. We want to get better, better and better. We want to work. We're doing that as a team. It's either you win or go home, we want to win."
Jackson led the way in Mission Oak's second straight postseason victory. The senior running back rushed for a game-high 135 yards, averaging nearly seven yards per carry. He scored on a 32-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to hand the Hawks a 7-6 lead at halftime.
Jackson had four rushing attempts gain 15 yards or more — 20, 17, 32 and 21. He also found the end zone on a 16-yard catch in the fourth period to stretch the Hawks' advantage to 28-12 with 5 minutes and 11 seconds left in the game.
Jackson has posted back-to-back 100-yard rushing efforts. Both playoff victories.
"He's been getting better and better running the ball," Mission Oak head coach Marty Martin said. "He's finally getting healthy, and so, if you go back through the last four games, he's gotten better and better and better. He's peaking at the right time. That's when we need him to peak."
Hawks senior quarterback Danny Gonzalez completed only six passes for 74 yards but accounted for four total touchdowns, scoring on a one-yard quarterback sneak and a nine-yard jaunt. He also fired a 29-yard touchdown to senior receiver Jacob Ramirez early in the fourth quarter.
Mission Oak ran for 255 yards. Gonzalez and Demetrius Whitfield both added 52 yards rushing.
The Hawks' defense was superb, winning the turnover battle by intercepting four Mt. Whitney passes and falling on two fumbles. Achilles Sierra had two interceptions and Jackson and Ramirez both had one. Omar Arevalo and Isaiah Rivera each had a fumble recovery.
Mt. Whitney rushed for only 52 yards and passed for 195 yards but couldn't overcome its six turnovers.
"When you get six turnovers, you should win the game," Martin said.
Mt. Whitney (8-4) had its seven-game winning streak come to an end but the Pioneers turned in a highly successful season. They won their first league title, an outright East Yosemite League championship, for the first time in 23 years and posted its longest winning streak in nearly two decades.
The Pioneers also captured the Cowhide and Sid Hosking Trophy championships.
Senior receiver Carter Myers scored both of Mt. Whitney's touchdowns in the loss, hauling in a 14-yard pass and a four-yard strike.
"Very proud," Mt. Whitney head coach Nathan Chamberlain said. "Very proud of the kids' attitudes and efforts the entire season. They worked very hard the last 11 months. The majority of these kids started in January, pre-first, lifting weights into practicing in the morning to summer ball, and grinding the entire time and never wavering. Crazy proud. Of course, it's disheartening to lose, especially for the seniors, because in the playoffs, you lose and you go home, but proud of this class. Proud of the legacy that they left and some of the traditions that they have created moving forward."
Mission Oak 35, Mt. Whitney 12
MW 0 6 6 0 - 12
MO o 7 7 21 - 35
More: Tulare County Football: Week 2 Playoff Scoreboard
Second quarter
MW – Carter Myers 14 pass from Micah Rodriguez (pass failed), 10:07
MO – Kenny Jackson 32 run (Zuriel Cruz), 7:19
Third quarter
MW – Meyers 4 pass from Rodriguez (kick failed), 9:34
MO – Danny Gonzalez 1 run (Cruz kick), 7:09
Fourth quarter
MO – Jacob Ramirez 29 pass from Gonzalez (Cruz kick), 10:19
MO – Jackson 16 pass from Gonzalez (Cruz kick), 5:11
MO – Gonzalez 9 run (Cruz kick), 3:10
Individual statistics
RUSHING – MW: Kysen Sing 14-41, Micah Rodriguez 2-(minus) 15, Donald Brooks 6-25, Tallen Xiong 1-1. MO: Kenny Jackson 20-135, Danny Gonzalez 9-52, Isaiah Rivera 3-8, Demetrius Whitfield 2-52, Achilles Sierra 2-9, Team 1-(minus) 1.
PASSING – MW: Rodriguez 16-29-4 137, Israel Briggs 1-1-0 58. MO: Gonzalez 6-20-0 74.
RECEIVING – MW: Xiong 6-44, Carter Myers 5-43, Sing 1-11, Briggs 3-43, Xaver Soto 1-58, Brooks 1-(minus) 4. MO: Cameron Azevedo 3-23, Sierra 1-6, Jacob Ramirez 1-29, Jackson 1-16.
Records – Mt. Whitney 8-4, Mission Oak 7-5.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Mission Oak pulls away in second half to beat Mt. Whitney in playoffs
