Eagles outlast Generals in SSL showdown, 52-42
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1 of 6By Shelby Mack / The Californian
Bakersfield Christian running back Matt Smith attempts to avoid being tackled by Shafter defense during the game at Shafter High School on Friday night.
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2 of 6By Shelby Mack / The Californian
Shafter's Joseph Ramirez attempts to tackle Bakersfield Christian wide receiver Robert Keathly during the game at Shafter High School on Friday night.
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By Shelby Mack / The Californian
Shafter's defense tries to stop Bakersfield Christian quarterback Jake Thompson as he runs down the field during the game at Shafter High School on Friday night.
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By Shelby Mack / The Californian
Shafter's Teddy Bloemhof celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half of the home game against Bakersfield Christian on Friday night.
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By Shelby Mack / The Californian
Shafter's Derrick Barton is tackled by Bakersfield Christian defensive back Josh Jackson during the game at Shafter High School on Friday night.
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By Shelby Mack / The Californian
Bakersfield Christian defensive back Josh Jackson pursues Shafter quarterback Derrick Barton as he runs with the ball during the game at Shafter High School on Friday night.
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BY JOE CONROY Special to The Californian
The Shafter and Bakersfield Christian high school football teams entered Friday night as near mirror images of one another.
Both squads feature balanced offenses. They each boast quarterbacks averaging more than 140 yards passing each game. And, perhaps most important, they owned matching unblemished records in South Sequoia League play this year.
But that was entering Friday.
Following a 52-42, come-from-behind win in Shafter last night, only the Eagles remain unbeaten and alone atop the league standings.
Trailing by as many as 10 in the second half and by four with less than 10 minutes to go in the game, Bakersfield Christian stuck with Shafter long enough to take advantage of late mistakes, such as a pair of interceptions -- one of which was returned 55 yards for a score -- and a muffed punt that left the Eagles on their opponent's 3-yard line.
In the end, Bakersfield Christian (5-1, 3-0 SSL) scored 20 unanswered points -- all in the fourth quarter -- to derail Shafter's near game-long lead.
Eagles linebacker Grant Bouma picked off Generals quarterback Kyle Millwee twice in the fourth quarter, including the one that brought BCHS within four points with about 10 minutes to go.
Less than a minute later, Shafter's punt team failed to get the kickoff and turned the ball over on its own 3. It took Matt Smith (74 yards and two scores) just one play to score.
Having shaken a 31-7 opening-day loss to Ontario Christian, BCHS has won five straight games and now leads the SSL by a game over Shafter.
BCHS also snapped the Generals' (6-1, 2-1) six-game winning streak as the Eagles head to Wasco -- which is a half-game out of first at 2-0 in league play -- next week.
Millwee, despite the turnovers, threw for nearly 500 yards and five touchdowns. In fact, he had 330 yards and four scores in the first half alone.
Millwee's favorite target, Derrick Barton, recorded 277 yards receiving, finding the end zone four times.
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