Written by: Mike Woicicki
Last night, the Bears took a one-and-a-half-hour drive to match up with the River Islands Riptide. The Bears entered the game with a 4 and 2 record, and the Riptide came in at 1 and 5, so it seemed the Bears had a clear advantage in this one. But as they say, it’s not over until it’s over. The Bears did score the first two touchdowns in the first quarter but their offense stalled in the second frame, and with a beautiful Riptide pass for a touchdown, the halftime score was 14 to 7.
In the third quarter, the Bears came out running on all cylinders and scored quickly, but the Riptide battled back, and at the end of three, the lead was just 20 to 13. Then the Bears did what they had to do. Bryson Benites kicked a short field goal, and Ben Meyers intercepted a pass that led to the final TD of the night, and the Bears walked away with a 30-to-13 win.
The Bear defense was the shining star of the night as they kept a very good Riptide passing offense bottled up for most of the game. Although the offense sputtered at times, the Bears finished the night with 254 yards rushing on 38 carries. The leading ball carriers were Bryce Leveroos with 113 yards and three touchdowns, Orlando Lopez with 76 yards, Clavey Duncan with 26 yards and a TD, and Richie Hanley picking up 24 yards. Leveroos also threw the rock 8 times and completed 7 for a total of 87 yards, with Luke Larson on the receiving end for 55 yards.
Gabe Rafferty made the Hot Hit of the Game, and Ben Meyers was awarded the Player of the Game for his fine play in the defensive backfield, which included swatting four passes from receivers and intercepting the pass that sealed the win in the fourth quarter.
The Bears’ record is now 5-2 for the season and 3-1 in league play, and they will play their fifth league game next Friday at home against the Millennium Falcons.
In other action, the Bret Harte Bullfrogs lost to the Linden Lions 35-0. Next Friday, they are away to take on River Islands. The Calaveras game against Millennium was canceled, handing the Red Hawks a forfeit victory. Next Friday, they are on the road against Big Valley Christian.Â
