Tulare County Football: Top games to watch, quarterfinal playoff predictions
Here are some of the top Tulare County high school football games to watch in quarterfinal round of the 2023 Central Section playoffs (all games are Thursday unless noted), plus the Times-Delta's predictions:
No. 6 Mt. Whitney (8-3) at No. 3 Mission Oak (6-5), 7 p.m., Bob Mathias Stadium
This all-Tulare County Central Section Division III quarterfinal showdown features several storylines.
Mission Oak head coach Marty Martin is familiar with the Mt. Whitney program. He served as the Pioneers’ head coach from 2011-17 and even shared a sideline with current Mt. Whitney boss Nathan Chamberlain.
This game is also a rematch from earlier this season. In September, Mission Oak dispatched Mt. Whitney 25-22 in a non-league contest.
The Pioneers actually outgained the Hawks 357-342 offensively but Martin’s squad held on for the win.
Mission Oak has won four straight against Mt. Whitney and is averaging nearly 35 points per game in those victories.
The Pioneers’ last win over Mission Oak came during the 2018 season when they earned a 55-21 victory. That season, Mt. Whitney went on to advance to the Division III semifinals before falling to eventual section champion San Joaquin Memorial.
Mt. Whitney is on a seven-game winning streak, which is the longest for a Pioneers’ team since the 2006 campaign, the last year the Pioneers captured a section plaque. They won a Central Section Division II title that season.
More: Tulare County Football: Nine teams still in hunt for section title, top performers
Mt. Whitney, the Cowhide and East Yosemite League champion, has not lost a game in nearly two months since falling to Mission Oak on Sept. 8.
X-factor players to watch in this game are Mt. Whitney sophomore receiver/cornerback Israel Briggs (10 receiving touchdowns) and Mission Oak senior quarterback Danny Gonzalez (26 passing touchdowns, seven rushing touchdowns).
Times-Delta prediction: Mt. Whitney 28, Mission Oak 27
Calpreps.com projection: Mission Oak 31, Mt. Whitney 21
No. 9 Tehachapi (11-0) at No. 1 Central Valley Christian (10-1), 7 p.m., Cavalier Stadium
It’s not that often that two double-digit win teams face off in the quarterfinal round of the playoffs but that’s exactly what’s on deck in this Central Section Division II main event.
Undefeated Tehachapi, the South Yosemite Mountain League champion, didn’t even get awarded an opening home postseason game despite finishing the regular season with a perfect record.
The Warriors are just one of five unbeaten teams remaining in the Central Section and are the only program among that group of five (Clovis North, Frontier, Shafter and Atascadero) that did not get a home playoff contest (112 teams play 11-man football in this section).
It’s not like Tehachapi is an unknown, either. The Warriors won 10 games during the 2022 season and have a storied tradition.
From 2007 to 2011, Tehachapi posted five straight double-digit win campaigns with 55 total victories while capturing three Central Section championships.
Friday's game will likely be closer than some fans anticipate.
CVC is one of the section’s highest-scoring teams. The Cavaliers are averaging nearly 44 points per game. Senior running Bryson Donelson, a Fresno State verbal commit, has scored 37 total touchdowns.
Tehachapi has allowed only 100 total points this season. The most points the Warriors have surrendered in a single game this fall is 19 in a 58-19 rout of East Bakersfield.
The Warriors are a run-heavy team that operates a Wing-T attack.
CVC head coach Mason Hughes is familiar with that type of scheme. Hughes coached against a similar offense when Golden West enjoyed its best seasons utilizing that ground-and-pound assault under former head coach Paul Preheim in the late 2010s. The Trailblazers rode the Wing-T to the school’s first section football championship in 2017.
More: Vote for the Tulare County athlete of the week, Nov. 6-10
Tehachapi has run for nearly 2,700 yards this season and is led by senior A.J. Anderson (1,018 yards rushing, 12 rushing touchdowns).
Tehachapi will be making its second visit to Visalia this season. In September, the Warriors defeated Golden West 41-7 in a non-league game at Visalia Community Stadium. Tehachapi had seven interceptions and four sacks in that win.
Expect a tough, hard-hitting game like CVC’s 33-22 victory over Kingsburg in October.
Times-Delta prediction: CVC 29, Tehachapi 21
Calpreps.com projection: CVC 38, Tehachapi 27
No. 5 Kingburg (9-2) at No. 4 Tulare Union (7-4), 7 p.m., Bob Mathias Stadium
Tulare Union is only one of two teams to beat Kingsburg this season.
The Tribe downed the Vikings 42-12 in September.
Tulare Union won its first playoff game this season for the first time since the 2018 campaign, beating San Luis Obispo 42-14 to open the Central Section Division II postseason.
The Tribe enter Friday's playoff game averaging 40.1 points per game.
In stats reported to MaxPreps.com, Tulare Union sophomore quarterback Jordan Crisp leads the state in passing yards with 3,593. He has thrown 40 touchdowns and has completed 248-of-344 attempts.
Crisp throws to the top receiving corps in Tulare County. That unit is led by freshman Demaje Riley (59 catches, 931 yards receiving, 13 touchdowns), sophomore Brayden Stevenson (59 receptions, 889 yards receiving, 12 touchdowns), sophomore Franklin Lockard (54 catches, 695 yards receiving, nine touchdowns) and senior Sonny Guess (45 catches, 613 yards receiving, four touchdowns).
Tulare Union linebacker Dominic Wilson is one of the top tacklers in the section. He leads the Tribe with 128 tackles and averages nearly 12 stops per game.
Kingsburg has won three games in a row.
The Vikings are led by senior quarterback Max Warkentin, senior running back Dennis Gagnon, senior receiver Wyatt Boyd and senior linebacker Bodhi Verners.
Hughes praised Verners after his 10-tackle performance against CVC.
Times-Delta prediction:Tulare Union 34, Kingsburg 21
Calpreps.com projection: Tulare Union 31, Kingsburg 30
Times-Delta overall season predictions record: 41-8
Here are the other playoff games featuring Tulare County teams this week (all games Thursday):
No. 5 Orosi (10-1) at No. 4 Morro Bay (6-5), 7 p.m.
No. 11 Roosevelt (7-4) at No. 3 Exeter (10-1), 7 p.m.
No. 8 Porterville (7-4) at No. 1 Mission Prep (7-3), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Woodlake (6-4) at No. 4 Strathmore (7-4), 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare County Football: Top games to watch, playoff predictions
