- Following their loss in the Division 6-AA state title game, players and head coach Chad Martinez from the Wasco Tigers spoke candidly about the loss and what the community's support meant to them on Friday night.
- The Wasco Tigers finish their 2023 season as the Division 6-AA runner-up with a final record of 9-6.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Football season is a long one. From the early summer mornings, the cool winter nights, the practices that never seem to end but there is one thing that coaches always seem to preach and that is to never quit and that’s exactly what the Wasco Tigers football team did not do, they never quit. Unfortunately to the bitter end when they fell in the state title game against the St. Vincent de Paul Mustangs, 27-6.
Here are the players and their coach after the game.
“I want to thank the whole community the fans that are here, my family, everyone that's here. I just want to thank them so much and just know that we're very thankful for you guys and everything you guys do,” said Hami Lopez.
“Hard to come away from, but these guys, you know, they're gonna continue to push through. And, you know, hopefully, these younger classmen will, you know, take it bring us back and you know, actually win it for our town,” said Ram Lopez. “We're the first team from Wasco to actually go because the 2012 team that was undefeated wasn't going to have that chance and, you know, honestly, giving us that chance to go to that sectional, regional game. You know, we just kept pushing through and you said, you know, why not us, why not make it to state and go win it?”
“Maybe in 10 years, I’ll look back and you know, think like, “Oh man,” but at the moment I want – I want to be back. I want to be on the other side of this. I want to I want to earn the right to you know, call ourselves state champions. And, you know, I'm hungry for more, you know, it's a great accomplishment, which I'll appreciate later on. But at the moment, I just, I want more. I want to win this thing,” said Chad Martinez, Wasco’s head football coach.
There are a lot of things that could be said about this Wasco Tigers football team this season from the slow start, to winning 7 of their last 8 games leading up to this state title game, to the unfortunate end against the St. Vincent de Paul Mustangs but there are a few things that the Tigers can hang their hats on to end this season. They were the last team standing from Kern County and they made Wasco history. Obviously, there have been other teams that have won a Valley title, but this is the first time the Wasco Tigers have played for a state title, and if that’s not something to be proud of? I don’t know what is. In Pasadena, I’m Sam Hoyle, your Wasco neighborhood reporter.
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