by Larry Ham
The Reedley College Tigers opened their defense of the Valley Conference championship with a hard fought 32-28 win over the Sierra College Wolverines Saturday night at Reedley High School Stadium.
The Tigers third win in a row was much tougher than the first two, as they led early, built a big lead, saw it evaporate, fell behind, then scored in the final two minutes for the win. Jeff Kidd’s 33-yard touchdown pass to C.J. James was the decider. It was made possible by a controversial pass interference penalty against Sierra, which allowed the Tigers to keep the game winning drive going.
Officiating was a problem for both teams. The Tigers were burned by a very questionable pass interference call in the first half that led to a Sierra touchdown, and a Sierra personal foul late in the first half near the goal line led to a Reedley touchdown just before half time.
Offensively, Tiger quarterback Jeff Kidd continued his excellent play, completing 27 of 36 passes for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Alphonse Coleman had an excellent game with five catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Avery Collins caught ten balls for 52 yards. Wideout Rodney Perry spent some quality time in the backfield, rushing for touchdowns covering 37 and two yards.
The Special Teams highlight of the night came from punter Tommy Carter, who also holds for placekicks. A bad snap on an extra point attempt forced Carter to run with the ball, and much to the delight of his teammates and his parents, he found the end zone for a two-point conversion.
The Tiger’s three game homestand is now over, and they will play three of their last four conference games on the road, beginning with a trip to Stockton this Saturday afternoon at one, to face a very good San Joaquin Delta College team. If you want to win championships, you have to win on the road. We’ll see this week if the Tigers can get it done on the road.
Weekly Report Card:
Offense: B
Defense: B+
Special Teams: A
Players of the Week: Jeff Kidd and Alphonse Coleman
0 Comments