Tigers beat Wildcats, 26-21, to stay in contention

The Wasco Tigers kept their SSL title hopes alive with a 26-21 victory over the Taft Wildcats on Friday night. The win gives the Tigers a chance to share the title with a win over Shafter in the annual rivalry game this Friday night.

The Tigers used a powerful running game for the win, outgaining Taft by over 150 yards. Wasco amassed over 300 yards on the ground, including a 67-yard touchdown run by Nomi Lopez.

Michael Dominguez also had a big game for the Tigers, with a touchdown run of over 40 yards for himself.

Quarterback David Manzo handled the offense with precision and kept the Wildcat defense on the field for the majority of the game, as well as grinding out big chunks of yardage with every possession.

Special teams also helped out for the Tigers, including a fumble recovery that was run back for 34 yards, giving the Tigers great field position to start their next drive.

Wasco has a three-game winning streak after dropping its South Sequoia League contest against RFK earlier in the season. During this stretch, the Tigers have won their games by an average of 12 points per game.

Against the Generals on Friday, the Tiger defense will be working to slow down the Shafter offense, including its sophomore quarterback, Ezekiel Osborn, and a corps of receivers who have given the quarterback over 2,800 yards in passing for the year.

The junior varsity game will begin at 5 p.m. on Friday night, with kickoff for the varsity game scheduled for 7:30 p.m.