Tigers rally falls short, 23-15

It was a tale of two halves when the Wasco Tigers and Tulare Western met up on Friday night. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the Tulare Western half was just a little better than Wasco’s second half, ending with a 23-15 defeat.

Tulare Western came out firing in the game, with them scoring the first touchdown just a couple of minutes into the game. This was thanks to a fumble on the Tigers’ first offensive series in the game. In fact, Wasco fumbled the ball away on their first three possessions, resulting in 15 points for the Mustangs.

Late in the second quarter, the Mustangs got another break when the Tigers fumbled again, giving them the ball inside the Tigers’ five-yard line. Tulare Western scored on a two yard touchdown run before halftime, taking a 23-0 lead into the locker room.

In the second half, the Tigers came to life on the offensive side of the ball, as well as strengthening up on the defensive side, holding the Mustangs scoreless in the second half.

The Tigers got on the board with a four-yard touchdown run by Moroni Carranza, making the score 23-6.

Wasco got another opportunity just a couple of minutes into the fourth quarter, when after a long run, Hammie Lopez took it into the end zone on a four-yard run to make the score 23-12. The Tigers added a field goal, narrowing the gap to 23-15, but the ensuing onside kick was recovered by the Mustangs, who were able to run out the clock and come away with the victory.

Wasco will begin SSL play on Friday night when they take on Chavez High School in Delano, with kickoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m.