Fast start propels Wasco to 40-20 win over Porterville-Monache

Sep. 2—It's pretty hard for a team to lose when it's already scored four touchdowns and four 2-point conversions, while its opponent has only run four plays.

Wasco put that axiom to the test Thursday night against Porterville-Monache. The Tigers built a quick 32-0 lead early in the second quarter, only to squander their next four drives on a fumble, two interceptions and a turnover on downs.

But Wasco forced critical incompletions from Monache quarterback Emmett Focke when it counted, added a highlight-reel rushing touchdown from Izaiah Juarez late and locked down a 40-20 win to stay unbeaten.

"We came back at half, and we faced a little bit of adversity and stuff," Juarez said. "They got a lot of touchdowns, obviously. But after a while, we decided to change up the plan and execute."

Juarez was the closer for Wasco Thursday, adding that late touchdown to complete his final statline: 13 carries for 124 yards and two touchdowns, plus a pair of interceptions on defense. Fellow running back Michael Dominguez also starred for the Tigers, serving as a workhorse with 25 carries for 118 yards and two more touchdowns of his own.

"It makes life easy when you got not only guys who can run the ball, but dudes," Wasco coach Chad Martinez said. "Mike is our sledgehammer, and Juarez, he's not a finesse guy, but he's the home-run hitter. We feel like we got another guy in Erasmo Prieto who's just waiting in the wings."

Monache got in such a huge hole early because of Martinez's battle-tested strategy of almost always kicking onside, never punting and always attempting 2-point conversions. Between a high, popped-up kick on the first attempt and a low roller on the second, the Tigers secured a pair of recoveries. They scored on their first three drives — culminating in a deep touchdown pass from David Manzo to Isaiah Acosta — then made all three conversions, and Monache went down 24-0 before ever touching the ball.

"We did it all last year, we're going to do it all this year and we're going to do it all next year," Martinez said. "It's just who we are as a program. We're going to stay aggressive, we're going to come out throwing haymakers and everyone's gotta weather the blow."

A four-and-out for the Marauders allowed Wasco to eat more clock entering the second quarter, convert a key third-and-6 on a pass from Manzo to Jonathan Chavez and add a Dominguez touchdown and Manzo conversion to go up 32-0.

The Marauders did not immediately capitalize, with Focke leading Monache into Wasco territory on a pass interference but throwing his first pick to Juarez on third-and-20.

After halftime, though, the Marauders came out revitalized. Three plays in, Ty Baxter took a handoff outside, spun out of a tackle, cut right and sprinted 63 yards for a quick score to make it 32-6 (the conversion was no good). After an abortive four-and-out, with Dominguez dragged down from behind on fourth-and-1, Monache needed just one play to score again, this time on a long catch-and-run from Focke to Joseph Espinoza.

Wasco looked poised to stall again after a mishandled snap, but Acosta ran 23 yards to set the Tigers up near midfield. However, Manzo threw an interception to Damien Espinoza to cut the drive short.

"We just kind of let our foot off the gas," Martinez said. "We got a lot of stuff that needs to clean up. We've got an extremely young team, they're growing, they're developing."

Again Monache capitalized, this time with a slow, methodical drive. The key play was a 22-yard pass from Focke to Damien Espinoza that was followed by a personal foul. On a third down in Wasco territory, Joseph Espinoza ran up the middle for a 31-yard touchdown, and the Marauders added a conversion to go down just 32-20 late in the third quarter.

Wasco drove back into Monache territory, using a clutch fourth-down conversion by Dominguez and passes from Manzo to Chavez and Ram Lopez, but disaster struck again on a botched handoff that was recovered by Monache.

Finally, the Tigers were able to bear down.

The Marauders converted a fourth down on a run by Joseph Espinoza, then Baxter added 19 more yards to bring them to Wasco's 31-yard line. But that was where they stalled. A delay of game and false start set them back, then Focke couldn't connect with Joseph Espinoza on third- and fourth-down targets.

Three plays later, Juarez was in the end zone after shaking off tacklers on a 42-yard rushing score. After four more plays, he picked off Focke again to seal the deal.

Wasco hasn't lost a regular-season game since April 1, 2021, but will face a big test next week as it hosts red-hot Tehachapi.

Reporter Henry Greenstein can be reached at 661-395-7374. Follow him on Twitter: @HenryGreenstein.