SHAFTER, Calif. (KERO) — After falling short of a state title in 2022, and the valley title game in 2023 for reasons beyond their control, the Shafter Generals remain steadfast in their playoff quest.
- In 2022, it was a muddy State Championship match-up against Orland where the Generals fell 20-7. The game was played despite protests from Shafter about moving the game away from the soppy site because Orland staff did not agree to move the game site. In an interview with 23ABC after that game, Shafter Head Coach Jerald Pierucci said he understood why Orland did not want to move the game away from their home turf, but was disappointed CIF staff didn’t step in when seeing the state of the field. Following that heartbreaking loss for Shafter, the CIF announced that all football state championship games will be played at a neutral site.
- In 2023, the Matilda Torres Toros beat Shafter in overtime, 43-42, after what appeared to be an improbable pass on a broken-up extra point play. The play was improbable because the player who caught the pass was the Toros long snapper, an ineligible receiver. Had the penalty been called immediately after the play, the penalty would have resulted in a loss of down and Shafter would have advanced to the Valley title game. The Toros went on to beat Dos Palos for the Valley title, 69-14 before falling to Jurupa Hills in the first round of their state playoff bracket.
- As Shafter prepared for the tilt with the Immanuel Eagles on Tuesday, 23ABC asked if Pierucci and his players still thought about those losses and the disappointment that went along with them. Pierucci said in regards to 2022, there's still some frustration, but he's happy to know that change came about because of their strife. When talking about the 2023, Pierucci lamented that he and his team feel that if he and his team took advantage of opportunities early in the game, the result would not have been left in the referees' hands.
- Regardless of the past, the Shafter Generals are more focused on the present as they look to advance to the Valley title game again against the Immanuel Eagles on Friday at 7 p.m.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
There's a plethora of cliches that I could throw at you to lead this story off, but we'll keep it simple it's Shafter-Immanuel, win or go home. I'm Sam Hoyle your shafter neighborhood reporter.
Over the last few years, Shafter High School Football has had a ton of success in the regular season and the playoffs, but somehow the elusive state football championship has eluded their grasp.
In 2022, it was a muddy match-up against Orland that saw the generals fall 20-7, despite protests from Shafter about moving the game away from the soppy site. In an interview with 23ABC after that game, Jerald Pierucci said he understood why Orland did not want to move the game away from their home turf, but was disappointed CIF staff didn't step in when seeing the state of the field.
Following that heartbreaking loss, CIF now hosts all-state championship football games at neutral sites.
Last year, an overtime game that should have fallen in favor of the Generals, sending them to the Valley Title game, slipped through their fingers after an ineligible receiver caught a 2-point conversion to end the game in favor of the Matilda Torres Toros.
Now, a year later, head coach Jerald Pierucci believes his team is better for it but wants to honor the past with effort in the present.
"I think you can get caught up in that mentality a little bit too much and you can lose sight of the fact that everything that we have to do is with us now," said Pierucci at practice on Tuesday.
Now as the Generals prepare to take on the Immanuel Eagles, the Generals plan to leave nothing to chance.
"The controversy with our losses, is it just it pushes us to be like, Hey, we can't leave it up to a controversy. We have to be good enough to where there's no doubt in anyone's mind that — that we won," said Ezekiel Osborne.
"Whenever we're all clicking on all cylinders. We're a dangerous team. I mean, even when we're not, you know, we have people, our brothers, here to help lift us up, get us back in the game," said Mariyon Sloan.
Shafter is set to host Immanuel in the semi-final round on Friday at 7 p.m.
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