Inland Conference : Snyder Stars as Tehachapi Upsets Montclair Prep, 17-7

Patrick Snyder rushed 40 times for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Tehachapi High School to a 17-7 Inland Conference final upset of Montclair Prep Saturday night before a crowd of 3,500.

“This is the best I have ever felt,” Snyder said. It was also the first time he had had television cameras and reporters chasing him down after a game. “I have wanted this to happen ever since I was 8 and now I have it.”

And Montclair Prep doesn’t.

“It’s one of those things,” Montclair Prep Coach John Hazelton said. “You live by the sword and you die by the sword. And it’s double-edged.”

It is also sharp. The favored Mounties from Van Nuys let several scoring opportunities slip away as they gave in to an aggressive Warrior squad.

In the first quarter, Montclair Prep saw a first and 10 on the Tehachapi 19 turn into a first and 10 for the Warriors on their 17.

Montclair Prep’s Riche Swinton, who had rushed for more than 2,000 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, dropped the football, and Tehachapi recovered on the 17.

Swinton played uncharacteristically. He rushed 20 times for only 102 yards. He had gained more than 500 yards in the previous playoff games.

Lest Swinton be the goat, Montclair Prep’s offense gained only 207 yards, its worst showing in its last 10 games.