Tulare Union scores 8 TDs in win over Mt. Whitney
The Tulare Union High School football team was operating on all cylinders in its season opener against Mt. Whitney.
The Tribe scored eight touchdowns, finding the end zone on offense, defense and even special teams to roll to a 54-13 win over the Pioneers at Mineral King Bowl. The entire fourth quarter was played with a running clock.
Tulare Union sophomore quarterback Jordan Crisp gave his squad an edge early on Friday night.
Crisp fired four first-half touchdowns, completing 14 of 18 passes for 209 yards. He threw four touchdowns during that stretch, connecting with Brayden Stevenson twice (seven yards, 48 yards), Damaje Riley (nine yards) and Franklin Lockhart (31 yards).
Crisp’s hot start gave Tulare Union a 28-6 lead at halftime.
"My line held up great today," Crisp said. "I just let it fly."
The Crisp and Stevenson connection jumpstarted the Tulare Union offense.
After the Tribe's opening drive resulted in a turnover on downs at midfield, Crisp marched his team 80 yards on seven plays on the ensuing possession. Stevenson capped off that series with a seven-yard touchdown and the gears started moving.
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The two sophomores hooked up again in the second quarter when Crisp hit Stevenson on a screen pass and the receiver did the rest, rumbling for a 48-yard touchdown.
Stevenson finished with five catches for 76 yards — all in the first half.
"He's fast," Crisp said of Stevenson. "He's explosive. He's everything you could ask for in a receiver."
Crisp distributed the ball efficiently in the victory. He completed at least one pass to eight different receivers. The sophomore culminated his outstanding performance by hitting 20 of 25 attempts for 297 yards and four touchdowns.
Tulare Union had four receivers gain 40 yards receiving or more:
Stevenson (five catches, 76 yards)
Sonny Guess (four catches, 60 yards)
Tieler Peterson (three catches, 69 yards)
Franklin Lockhart (three catches, 40 yards)
Crisp averaged nearly 15 yards per completion. He directed an offense that scored on six of the team's eight offensive drives.
"He's got a chance to be a helluva player," Tulare Union head coach Darren Bennett said of Crisp. "He did a good job."
Peterson had an all-around performance. He hit paydirt twice in the third quarter, scoring on a two-yard run and a 41-yard scamper.
Peterson's 36-yard reception in the opening period led to the game's first touchdown by Stevenson. That handed the Tribe a 6-0 advantage.
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Linebacker Dominic Wilson got in on the action, too. He intercepted a pass in the third and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown.
Then in the fourth, Guess returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown as the Tribe extended their lead by 41 points.
"Our goal was to score every time we touched the ball tonight until the end of the game," Bennett said. "Other than the beginning, we did alright."
Mt. Whitney's Adrian Huerta and Israel Briggs each caught a touchdown. Huerta hauled in a three-yard strike and Briggs brought down a 12-yard pass. Quarterback Micah Rodriguez led the team with 119 yards passing.
Tulare Union 54, Mt. Whitney 13
TU 6 22 19 7 - 54
MW 0 6 0 7 - 13
First quarter
TU – Brayden Stevenson 7 pass from Jordan Crisp (kick failed), 1:23
Second quarter
MW – Adrian Huerta 3 pass from Micah Rodriguez (kick failed), 8:14
TU – Stevenson 48 pass from Crisp (Gabriel Perez kick), 6:41
TU – Damaje Riley 9 pass from Crisp (Perez kick), 1:29
TU – Franklin Lockhart 31 pass from Crisp (Tieler Peterson run), :08
Third quarter
TU – Peterson 2 run (kick failed), 7:54
TU – Dominic Wilson 70 interception return (kick failed), 4:03
TU – Tieler Peterson 41 run (Perez kick), 1:19
Fourth quarter
MW – Israel Briggs 12 pass from Rodriguez (Rodriguez kick), 8:23
TU – Sonny Guess 80 kick return (Perez kick), 8:06
Individual statistics
RUSHING – TU: Tieler Peterson 11-104, Jordan Crisp 3-0, Brayden Stevenson 1-10, Sonny Guess 1-13, Rashawn Hayes 3-29, Team 1-(minus) 13. MW: Israel Briggs 1-6, Kysen Sing 15-46, Donald Brooks 7-38, Micah Rodriguez 1-(minus) 4.
PASSING – TU: Crisp 20-25-0 297. MW: Rodriguez 14-28-1 119.
RECEIVING – TU: Stevenson 5-76, Guess 4-60, Damaje Riley 2-13, Peterson 3-69, Franklin Lockhart 3-40, Michael Soto 1-22, Nehemiah Moreno 1-6, Adam Sims 1-11. MW: Briggs 2-33, Adrian Huerta 3-23, Sing 1-12, Tallen Xiong 5-39, Carter Myers 1-7, Noah Murillo 2-5.
Records – Tulare Union 1-0, Mt. Whitney 0-1.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare Union scores 8 TDs in win over Mt. Whitney
