Valley Harvests Another Upset in Bakersfield, 24-14

Hey, that deja vu stuff is for real.

Returning to the scene of one of its biggest victories, Valley College upset Bakersfield, 24-14, in a Western State Conference interdivisional game Friday night before 5,106 at Memorial Stadium.

Valley had lost 16 consecutive games at Memorial Stadium dating to 1956, when Valley won, 13-7, before winning last year, 33-30.

The Monarchs (2-1), who started the season slowly, controlled the second half of the game and defeated Bakersfield for the second consecutive time on a field in which the Renegades seldom lose.

Valley, upset last week by Santa Barbara City, scored 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter and held the high-octane Bakersfield offense scoreless over the last 30 minutes.

Sophomore wide receiver Eric Ruhle ignited the Monarchs with one of two plays that turned the tide when he ran 40 yards on a third-down pass from David Lins in the fourth quarter. That set up an 11-yard touchdown from Lins to Ruhle moments later.

The touchdown gave the Monarchs a 17-14 edge, their first lead of the night and seemed to shift the momentum to the point of no return for the Renegades, who entered the game ranked No. 2 in the state and averaging 41.5 points.

Valley, ranked 19th in the state, cut the deficit to 14-11 with 11 minutes 57 seconds to play on the second play that proved crucial when Marcus Harvey returned a punt 60 yards for a touchdown, carrying three tacklers on his back for five yards before shaking them off and cruising down the right sideline.

Lins, 27 of 47 for 298 yards and two touchdowns, and Ruhle, who had nine receptions for 144 yards, combined to put the final nail on the Bakersfield coffin with a 13-yard touchdown pass with 2:33 left.

The maligned Valley defense, which had allowed 494.5 points per game, yielded only 299.

The Monarchs limited Bakersfield’s trademark running attack to 163 yards, a comedown from its 243.5 average.