Tulare Western football stays perfect after thrilling victory over Redwood
· Yahoo Sports
In one of the most anticipated Tulare County high school football games this decade, the Tulare Western-Redwood undefeated showdown on Oct. 9 lived up to the hype.
Visit casino-promo.biz for more information.
With 11 seconds left to play and the ball at the Tulare Western 41-yard line, Redwood quarterback Nash McElree heaved an intermediate pass to Exavier Jackson, but the play gained just 13 yards as time expired, and the Mustangs held on to win 34-28 in an East Yosemite League battle between two unbeaten teams at Mineral King Bowl in Visalia.
Tulare Western (7-0, 2-0) now sits alone atop the EYL standings as Tulare County's last remaining undefeated team of the 2026 season.
Mustangs junior quarterback Juju Hernandez threw for 236 yards and two touchdowns. His 13-yard touchdown run in the second quarter gave Tulare Western a 20-14 lead at halftime. He also rushed for 56 yards, most of them coming via scrambles.
In the second half, after Redwood (6-1, 2-1) grabbed a 21-20 lead on Jackson's 55-yard touchdown reception, Tulare Western reeled off 14 unanswered points thanks to Amarion Taylor's 48- and 20-yard touchdown catches for a 34-20 advantage early in the fourth.
Tulare Western won the turnover battle, 2-0, registering a fumble recovery and an interception.
"Very gritty," Mustangs head coach Derek Rosa said. "I'm super proud of them tonight. They've been doubted a lot, before going into this season. I mean, we had a successful summer, but they just wanted to prove it in pads as well. I told them, 'It was going to take every single play tonight.' That kind of came true, so I'm just super proud of them for staying locked in and never giving up."
Redwood nearly mounted a comeback as McElree hit Drayton Hall for a four-yard touchdown with 5 minutes and 28 seconds left to play in the fourth, cutting the contest to a one-score game, 34-28.
The Rangers even had a chance to take the lead after forcing Tulare Western to a three-and-out and punt on the ensuing possession, but with 2:11 remaining, McElree's potential game-tying fourth-down pass from the Mustangs' three-yard line was dropped by a Redwood receiver in the end zone.
Tulare Western then milked 1:50 off the clock and punted.
Redwood got the ball back with 21 seconds at the Mustangs' 36, but Tulare Western stood firm defensively, keeping the Rangers out of the end zone on three plays.
"I think if you kind of look at any championship run, there's always a moment where you need a good bounce to go your way, and maybe that was tonight," Rosa said. "I'm just happy to be 1-0 this week."
Because of an injury, Tulare Western promoted freshman kicker Izaac Pineda to the varsity squad on Monday, Oct. 5, and on the game's first play, Pineda line-drived the opening kickoff.
The ball bounced off a Redwood player near midfield, and Levi Casillas recovered the ball at the Tulare Western 49.
Eight plays later, the Mustangs were celebrating in the end zone as Josiah Gomez scored the game's first touchdown on a four-yard run. Pineda then connected on the first PAT kick of his career, and Tulare Western struck first for a 7-0 lead.
Was Pineda's opening kickoff a designed onside attempt?
"No," Rosa said. "I think he was nervous as hell. We went to go pooch it, and next thing you know, we were saying, 'Go jump on the ball.' Definitely not by design, but I'll take it."
Hernandez, who entered the Redwood game as the state's passing yards and touchdowns leader, set a new single-season school record in Tulare Western's seventh straight victory, throwing his 39th touchdown of the year to surpass former Mustangs standout Gabe Jacobo's previous mark of 38.
Hernandez broke the 22-year record when he connected with Taylor for a score on a corner route in the fourth.
"It feels good," Hernandez said. "I'm kind of glad it happened against Redwood, a very good team. Everybody's been doubting us, saying, 'We haven't played nobody.' So it feels good playing a good team, beating them and breaking the record on them."
Taylor, a 1,000-yard wideout, was held by the Rangers to just one catch for two yards in the first half.
But he made his presence felt right away in the third, finding the end zone on a 48-yard touchdown catch to hand the Mustangs a 27-21 edge. Both of Taylor's touchdown receptions against Redwood came on fourth down.
Taylor finished with four catches for 81 yards, facing double coverage on nearly every snap.
"He's phenomenal," Rosa said. "He's a special player. I've said it a couple of times. He's the best player I've ever coached."
Tulare Western 34, Redwood 28
TW 13 7 7 7 - 34
Redwood 14 0 7 7 - 28
First quarter
TW – Josiah Gomez 4 run (Izaac Pineda kick), 8:38
R – Nash McElree 5 run (Josgar Guerrero kick), 7:33
TW – Gomez 1 run (kick failed), 5:05
R – Steven Malgarejo 7 pass from McElree (Guerrero kick), 1:01
Second quarter
TW – Juju Hernandez 13 run (Pineda kick), 10:57
Third quarter
R – Exavier Jackson 55 pass from McElree (Guerrero kick), 7:58
TW – Amarion Taylor 48 pass from Hernandez (Pineda kick), 4:56
Fourth quarter
TW – Taylor 20 pass from Hernandez (Pineda kick), 8:41
R – Drayton Hall 4 pass from McElree (Guerrero kick), 5:28
Individual statistics
RUSHING – TW: Isaiah Gomez 17-97, Juju Hernandez 7-56, Josiah Gomez 5-19, Caleb Magee 5-27, Aaron Machado 1-1, Dez Bello 3-13. Redwood: Jairus Brooks 3-70, Qur’An Goodman 13-69, Nash McElree 9-8.
PASSING – TW: Hernandez 22-34-0 236. Redwood: McElree 16-28-1 263.
RECEIVING – TW: Dom Martinez 8-74, Landan Seechan 4-33, Amarion Taylor 4-81, Josiah Gomez 5-34, Grant Crawford 1-14. Redwood: Andre Ceballos 2-25, Steven Malgarejo 3-38, Exavier Jackson 6-155, Brooks 1-14, Goodman 1-1, Ollie Richardson 2-26, Drayton Hall 1-4.
Records – TW 7-0, 2-0; Redwood 6-1, 2-1.
This article originally appeared on Visalia Times-Delta: Tulare Western football stays perfect after thrilling victory over Redwood