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The Shafter Generals football season came to an end on Friday with a heartbreaking loss to the Coalinga Horned Toads in the Central Section Division IV championship game, 34-33. The top-seeded Generals just missed winning their second title in three years, dropping the contest to the third-seeded Horned Toads after allowing Coalinga to come back from a 12-point deficit with under five minutes remaining in the game. Coalinga got on the board first after a long drive on their first possession, usi...
The Shafter Generals football team punched their ticket to the Valley Championship game with a 31-22 win against the Immanuel Eagles on Friday night. Shafter, the top seed in the Division IV bracket, beat the 5th-seeded Eagles with a mixture of offense, defense, and special teams, with each faction contributing to the victory. The Generals jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half, thanks to some key runs from Maryion Sloan and Christopher Espinoza, accounting for the majority of the yardage...
The Shafter Generals football team punched their ticket to the Valley Championship game with a 31-22 win against the Immanuel Eagles on Friday night. Shafter, the top seed in the Division IV bracket, beat the 5th-seeded Eagles with a mixture of offense, defense, and special teams, with each faction contributing to the victory. The Generals jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half, thanks to some key runs from Maryion Sloan and Christopher Espinoza, accounting for the majority of the yardage...
The Shafter High Generals did not fall into the trap that so many teams fall into after having a week off when it comes to the playoffs. Head Coach Jerald Pierucci said that he was proud of the way his guys came out to take care of business on Friday night, dominating the eighth-seeded North High Stars, 56-7, setting up the Generals in a semifinal matchup with the fifth-seeded Immanuel Eagles of Reedley. "Sometimes you worry about being a little rusty after a bye week in the playoffs," said...
The Shafter High School girls varsity tennis team claimed second place at the Division IV Valley Championship Central Section last Tuesday at Cesar Chavez High School in Delano. Coach Jorge Maldonado, a 32-year Shafter High School soccer coach, social studies teacher for 27 years, MEChA club advisor and LISTOS program advisor, brought a fresh approach to the team in his first season as their coach. "It was an outstanding season starting in the summer when we did conditioning. I'm a new coach,...
The Wasco High Tigers football team saw its season come to an end in the opening round of the Central Section Division IV playoffs with a loss to McLane High. The 13th-seeded Tigers already were facing a tough task, with the #4 ranked Highlanders in Fresno, and when you throw in playing that game without your best player, it was too tall of an order. Hammie Lopez was hit with two personal fouls in the loss the previous week to the Shafter Generals, making him ineligible for the game at McLane....
The Shafter High Generals did not fall into the trap that so many teams fall into after having a week off when it comes to the playoffs. Head Coach Jerald Pierucci said that he was proud of the way his guys came out to take care of business on Friday night, dominating the eighth-seeded North High Stars, 56-7, setting up the Generals in a semifinal matchup with the fifth-seeded Immanuel Eagles of Reedley. "Sometimes you worry about being a little rusty after a bye week in the playoffs," said...
The Shafter High Lady Generals volleyball team advanced to the semifinals in the Central Section Division IV playoffs last week, but they lost their seminal match with the third-seeded Immanuel from Reedley in three straight sets. Shafter, seeded number two in the playoffs, had little trouble in the first round, dispatching Hanford West in three straight games. Led by the hitting of Sydnee Macias and Rylyn Hanner, the team was aggressive from the beginning and never let up. In the quarterfinal...
After a remarkable run, the Shafter High varsity girls tennis team competed at the Valley Championship in Delano on Tuesday, though they lost to Chavez 4-5. "Our season ended with a great battle for Valley. We fell short, but we are super proud of our hard work that led us here," player Ellen Esquivel said. Pictured are Yessica Gil, Katie Avila, Coach Jorge Maldonado holding their second-place plaque, Elissa Muñoz, Ellen Esquivel and Jayna Pierucci. {Photo courtesy of Ellen E...
The Shafter High Generals got a bye for the first week of the Central Section Division IV playoffs as top seed in the division, and with the ranking ensuring a home game throughout the gamers leading to the championship. The North High Stars, the number eight seed, defeated Templeton, setting up the quarterfinal against the Generals. Shafter has had another outstanding season, having the top ranking in Division IV throughout. It has been a challenge, though, with the loss of quarterback Ezekiel...
The Shafter Commanders youth football and cheer organization, for ages 6-14 and part of the GEYFC league, made history this Saturday as their freshman, sophomore and varsity football teams each won the National Division Golden Empire Youth Football Championship for the 2024 season. President and headv arsity coach Fortino Valdivia, who also has helped coach Shafter High's varsity football team for the last nine seasons and is the co-chair of the Shafter Recreation and Parks District, said, "We...
The 97th matchup of the Shafter High Generals and Wasco High Tigers took place on Friday night, and it was tightly contested game for almost three quarters, before the Generals scored 21 unanswered points to break the game open and beat the Tigers, 35-14. With a crowd over 4,000 strong, the two teams battled it out in the first half, with each side showing the intensity that has fueled this rivalry for almost a century. The teams played to a 7-7 tie in the first half, with Shafter scoring in...
The Richland Junior High Lady Trojans varsity volleyball team won the SYAA Championship on Oct. 26, ending the season undefeated with 24 games won. They competed against eight teams from Shafter, Wasco, Delano, McFarland and Richgrove in the Delon event. The junior varsity team finished the season in third place. (Photo courtesy of Coach Rosie Villagomez)...
The Wasco High Tigers got back on the winning track this week with a win over the Delano Tigers, 30-27. It was a tough matchup, with Wasco’s high powered offense against the Delano defense. The Wasco defense did a good job of keeping the Delano offense in check for most of the game. Wasco took a quick lead with the only pass of the game for Wasco. Moroni Carranza caught a pass and ran it 76 yards for a touchdown. The Tigers took a 30-13 lead into the locker room. For the night, the Wasco o...
Shafter High quarterback Ezekiel Osborn made a triumphant return to the field on Friday night, leading the Generals to a 56-0 rout of the Chavez Titans, keeping the Generals perfect in SSL play, with one week remaining in the regular season. Mariyon Sloan, who stepped in to quarterback Shafter in Osborn's absence, still had a major impact in the game, moving from receiver, to a back, attacking the Titans in a variety of ways in which they had no answer for. Shafter had a 14-0 lead just three...
The Wasco Tigers upped their SSL record to 2-1 with a rout of the Taft Wildcats, 53-14, on Friday night. Wasco was unstoppable on offense, racking up over 500 yards on the ground for the game. Hammie Lopez had 203 yards rushing on the night, leading the way. But, there were plenty of Tigers in support, with five other Wasco players gaining yardage on the night. The Tigers scored early and often, with Lopez scoring two first quarter touchdowns, one of them for 43 yards. Wasco ended the game with...
Shafter High quarterback Ezekiel Osborn made a triumphant return to the field on Friday night, leading the Generals to a 56-0 rout of the Chavez Titans, keeping the Generals perfect in SSL play, with one week remaining in the regular season. Mariyon Sloan, who stepped in to quarterback Shafter in Osborn's absence, still had a major impact in the game, moving from receiver, to a back, attacking the Titans in a variety of ways in which they had no answer for. Shafter had a 14-0 lead just three...
The Shafter High Generals football team saw their record improve to 3-0 in the SSL with a 34-28 victory over the Kennedy Thunderbirds on Thursday night. Shafter and Kennedy both came into the game unbeaten in the SSL, with the winner of the contest getting a big boost toward the league title. Kennedy drew first blood in the game, taking up the majority of the first quarter on their opening drive, culminating with a short touchdown run by Jace Demacabalin, making the score 7-0. The Generals didn'...
The Richland Junior High Lady Trojans varsity volleyball team is undefeated, while the junior varsity team boasts 12 wins and two losses. Both teams have had an exciting season on the court, under the guidance of their dedicated and passionate coach, Rosie Villagomez. "They are athletes, really hard workers, and when I tell them where they need the work, we go over it, they work on it, and we fix it. They listen, they get it, and that is what has made us successful," Villagomez explained. The...
The Wasco High Tigers faced the Kennedy Thunderbirds on Friday night, fighting for a leg up in the SSL race. They fell short, though, with Kennedy scoring 21 points in the second half, beating the Tigers, 35-14. It looked like it was going to be a big night for the Tigers at the start of the game, as Hammie Lopez took a handoff on the first play on offense for Wasco and ran 72 yards for a touchdown and a quick 7-0 lead. The TBirds’ star running back, Jace Demacabalin, answered back with a 47-yard touchdown run for Kennedy, tying the score. L...
The Shafter High Generals football team saw their record improve to 3-0 in the SSL with a 34-28 victory over the Kennedy Thunderbirds on Thursday night. Shafter and Kennedy both came into the game unbeaten in the SSL, with the winner of the contest getting a big boost toward the league title. Kennedy drew first blood in the game, taking up the majority of the first quarter on their opening drive, culminating with a short touchdown run by Jace Demacabalin, making the score 7-0. The Generals didn'...
The Wasco High Tigers opened their SSL schedule with a dominating win over the Chavez Titans on Friday night, 57-7 The Tigers scored early and often in this game, having a 27-0 lead before the end of the first quarter. The star of the show was Hammie Lopez, who had four touchdowns on the night, running for over 300 yards. Lopez ended the game with 306 yards rushing, with freshman Aiden Hulsey gaining 104 yards on the ground. Wasco had a total of 546 yards gained for the night, making it the...
The Shafter High Generals football team didn't play their best game on Friday night, but they played well enough to take a 28-0 win over the Taft Wildcats on Homecoming night for the locals. Mariyon Sloan, at quarterback, accounted for three of the Generals' four scores on the night. The first score for Shafter was a 34-yard run by Sloan, giving the Generals a 7-0 lead. The Generals' defense kept the Wildcats' offense out of the red zone for the majority of the game. Sloan ended the game with...
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 pos...
The Shafter High Generals football team saw their road winning streak snapped at seven games after a heartbreaking 30-28 loss to the St. Josephs Knights on Friday night. The streak dated back to last season, and in those games, the Generals had outscored their opponents, 136-47. On Friday night, quarterback Mariyon Sloan, in for the injured Ezekiel Osborn, had an outstanding game, rushing for 170 yards and two touchdowns while passing for 155 yards and a touchdown. The game-tying touchdown was...