Gutierrez catch sparks state-clinching rally for Bakersfield Christian
Chris Gutierrez isn’t a prototypical jump ball wide receiver. Standing just 5-foot-7, the Bakersfield Christian senior normally wouldn’t be seen as an ideal option to snag a 50-50 ball out of the air.
And yet, with the Eagles trailing 14-0 and in desperate need of a big play in Saturday’s CIF Division III Football State Championship against Rancho Cotate, Eagle quarterback Dominic Gamboni didn’t hesitate to target a tightly covered Gutierrez in single coverage, a throw he made with complete confidence in his undersized wideout.
“His heart’s three times bigger than his frame,” Gamboni said. “He’s an incredible athlete and I know he’s going to put his body on the line for that football.”
He did just that, and in turn, put the Eagles on the path to their first state title.
Adjusting to an underthrown pass, Gutierrez came back and grabbed the ball at its highest point, coming down with a 33-yard gain deep into Cougar territory.
The play was a bit of a blur for Gutierrez afterward, as he was initially worried he hadn’t hauled the pass in cleanly.
“Honestly, I don’t know how I caught that,” he said. “I thought I dropped it at first, but then it hit my helmet and I just grabbed it.”
The play set up a 9-yard Gamboni to Ben Yurosek touchdown pass just before the end of the half to cut the deficit to 14-7. More importantly, it began a furious scoring surge that saw the Eagles outscore the Cougars 42-7 the rest of the way en route to a 42-21 win that secured the team’s first state championship.
It wasn’t the only touchdown set into motion by a Gutierrez big play. He grabbed a 42-yard pass to set up a second Yurosek touchdown on BCHS’ opening drive of the third quarter.
He then made a splash on defense, intercepting a Jared Stocker pass that turned into another touchdown in a third quarter where the Eagles held a 28-0 scoring edge.
It was a fitting cap to a record-setting season for BCHS, which sent Gutierrez and 16 other seniors out on top.
“All season we worked for this,” Gutierrez said. “It’s a dream come true. It took four years to finally get it. It’s amazing.”
UNSUNG HERO
A 49-yard third-quarter touchdown run by Jess Wattenbarger
will likely be remembered as a signature play from Saturday’s win, and for good reason.
Not only did Wattenbarger’s run give BCHS it first lead at 21-14, it kickstarted an Eagle run game that had failed to gain more than one yard on any of its six rushing attempts up to that point.
But one play prior to the run that permanently swung momentum in the Eagles’ favor, one of Wattenbarger’s teammates prevented the Cougars from potentially stealing it back.
Disaster nearly struck for BCHS when a low, line-drive punt bounced off the ground and into the back of Noah Doss, who was running down field to block.
But with a live ball laying around midfield, Donovan Foster alertly pounced on it to keep the possession alive. On the very next play, the Eagles took the lead for good.
“I saw it hit him and I just reacted so fast to try to get it, try to save my team,” Foster said. “Whatever I’ve got to do. I play my heart out for these guys every play.”
It was the second critical special teams play during the rally.
After BCHS’ first score, David Stevenson, the placeholder in the kicking game, made a great play on the PAT, rising to a near-standing position to bring in a high snap. Stevenson then placed the ball down cleanly, allowing Julius Salinas to push it through the uprights.
Stevenson, the team’s leading rusher, also had a 12-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. He returned to the field after missing the previous two games with an ankle injury.