Photos by Nick Ellis
BY ADAM WAYBRIGHT
Bakersfield High School and Clovis East went to battle Friday night with the winner receiving a quarter-final berth against second-seeded Buchanan in the Division 1 CIF Central Section Playoffs.
The Drillers dominated the second half of action to advance to the next round by the score of 34-15.
Clovis East received the opening kickoff and on their third play from scrimmage Timberwolves quarterback, Sean Kelly, took it 76 yards to take an early 6-0 lead.
BHS would respond with their run game. The Drillers bullied their way down the field on the ensuing drive with the drive being capped off on a 13-yard score when senior Devontay Bell received the read-option pitch to get in the endzone and put his team up, 7-6.
The next drive, Clovis East would go up 12-7 on a touchdown from Jo’nation Dejohnette when he took the handoff from 3 yards out and punched it into the endzone.
Bakersfield responded once more just before halftime on a Wesley Wilson 4-yard score that made it 14-12.
Wilson, who filled in at quarterback for an injured Ricky Easterwood, spoke on his transition to the position this week.
“All I had to do was step up. That’s all coach was telling me... For being at quarterback I did pretty good.
After the half, Wesley Wilson would put one more rushing touchdown into the stat-sheet when he handled the read option and took it to the edge for an 11-yard score.
“You’ve got a guy who stepped up when you needed it and came out and ran the offense almost to perfection. I’m just proud of him and the rest of the guys,” said BHS head coach Michael Stewart on Wesley Wilson’s performance.
The Drillers’ defense upped the ante late in the game by holding Clovis East to just 3 points in the second half.
“We had to fill in some of our gaps and just wrap up and just not give away plays,” Steward said. “The guys made adjustments and held their poise and the difference was the second half which was a lot better.”
The Drillers would continue their onslaught of Clovis East in the fourth quarter with touchdown runs from senior Cameron Bonner and junior Blaine Abbott to put the dagger in the Drillers’ 34-15 win.
“We got one in. We’ll prepare and we’ll go on the road and play a good Buchanan team next week,” Michael Steward said.
BHS travels to (2) Buchanan next Friday in hopes of a semi-finals matchup on their road to a valley championship.
Winner of (7) Bakersfield/(2) Buchanan will play the winner of (11) Clovis West/(3) Liberty.
BHS - 7 7 7 13
CEHS - 6 6 0 3
1st quarter
Clovis East - Sean Kelly 76-yard touchdown run (PAT no good)
Bakersfield - Devontay Bell 13-yard touchdown run (PAT good)
2nd quarter
Clovis East - Jo’nation Dejohnette 3-yard touchdown run (2-pt conversion failed)
Bakersfield - Wesley Wilson 4-yard touchdown run (PAT good)
3rd quarter
Bakersfield - Wesley Wilson 11-yard touchdown run (PAT good)
4th quarter
Clovis East - Made field goal
Bakersfield -Cameron Bonner 4-yard touchdown run (PAT good)
Bakersfield - Blaine Abbott 1-yard touchdown run (PAT no good)
