​Bricen Gutierrez’s mind was sharp, focused and ready to deliver. The Independence High defensive back was eager to make a difference in Friday night’s game that was already emotionally charged with the South Yosemite Valley League title at stake, against a Bakersfield Christian football team that has been just about unbeatable all season.“I think the game was a little too big for us in the first half, to be honest,” Independence head coach Paul Golla said.It was a self-destructive first half that included a 19-play BCHS drive for the game’s first score, a bad snap on a punt that went into the end zone for an Eagles safety, a second Darriyon Page score and even a Falcons field-goal attempt that went wide right to end the first 24 minutes.“We weren’t doing any little thing right. Just lining up wrong. Simple things that we’d done all year that we weren’t doing,” Golla said. “Give credit to BCHS; they’re a great football team. A lot of times a good team does that to you. We had a bad first half. But they had a bad second half and we’re lucky we got on the board last.”That’s right. Down 16-0 at halftime, Independence turned it completely around for a 27-23 victory, a first for the Falcons against BCHS and to claim the school’s first SYVL title. In a battle of teams who lost their first game and rode win streaks into it, Independence stood tallest at the end.“We settled down, got some lucky breaks,” Golla said. “I’m so proud of the way our kids worked and never gave up when we had every opportunity to give up.”Enter Gutierrez.Bakersfield Christian quarterback Colton Michael threw a ball intended for receiver RJ Shehee on the Eagles’ first drive of the second half. But, instead of a big gain for Shehee, Gutierrez stepped in, intercepted the ball and ran it back 58 yards for a pick-six. It was just as he thought was possible after studying game film and thinking about it again at halftime.“That play, we talked about it at halftime. We had started slow. We had to see what we were working with. We needed to fix our technique. They were doing the same thing, over and over. I was reading it. ‘OK, RJ (Shehee) was going to do the same route.’ When the quarterback threw it, I saw it, got it and took it to the house,” Gutierrez said. “I felt that was the momentum we needed to come back and win the game. That was a special moment for me.”It was quite emotional for Gutierrez, a junior, and his younger brother, Caleb, a sophomore for the Falcons. Their grandfather had passed away just days before this game.“I think this is God right here. My grandpa died on Monday. Me and my brother prayed before the game. We just told God, ‘Please watch over us, have our grandpa watch over us, and be here for this game.’ I believe that was him. It was too soon for him. We still had so many memories to make. That was God and my grandpa watching over us,” Gutierrez said.While the turnover cut the lead to 16-6, BCHS sti