PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : INLAND : Montclair Prep vs. Tehachapi : Swinton Is Big Test for Warrior Defense

Running back Riche Swinton of Montclair Prep in Van Nuys, has been 2,120 yards of poetry in locomotion this football season.

Saturday night at Tehachapi, Swinton and his offensive line will try to win a title in the Mounties’ first appearance in an 11-man final. The Inland Conference championship game will begin at 7:30.

“It will be a real challenge to beat them there,” Montclair Prep Coach John Hazelton said. “They are a great team and they beat a fantastic football team last week (Valley Christian of Cerritos).”

To get to the final, Tehachapi, the fourth-seeded team in the playoffs with a 10-2 record, shut out three straight teams: L.A. Lutheran of Burbank, 34-0; Beaumont, 22-0, and Cerritos Valley Christian, 14-0.

“We played against Valley Christian’s running back, Rodney Bowman, last week and held him to less than 50 yards,” Tehachapi offensive coordinator Steve Dodson said. “I think we can use our defensive speed to counter (Montclair Prep’s) offensive speed.”

The Warriors, however, will have to use more than speed to stop Swinton. The 5-foot 10-inch senior has 24 touchdowns to go with his 2,000-yard season. Blocking for him are Chad Pascua, 6-4 and 260 pounds, and Troy Banks 6-5 and 255. Both are among the premier linemen in the Inland Conference.

“We just need to keep the intensity that we have had going for the last few weeks,” Hazelton said. “We have had our highs and lows this season, but if we go up there and do our best, we can beat that team.”

Tehachapi also has a good running back, senior Patrick Snyder, who doubles as a linebacker. He has rushed for 1,777 yards. Quarterback Bret Oberg has passed for more than 1,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.

“He’s our leader,” Dodson said of Oberg. “He’s a senior, a two-year starter and he can read a defense really well.”

Oberg’s favorite receiver, senior Norman Villanueva, can catch the ball in heavy traffic, is a good downfield blocker and the team’s leading receiver.