Written by: Danny Scott
The Summerville Bears fell to 0-2 in a hard-fought, 35-27 loss against Stone Ridge Christian Knights.
After receiving the kick, a promising opening drive for the Bears stalled out in Stone Ridge Christian territory and wound up being the story of the night for Summerville. The ensuing Knights drive ended in a blocked punt, allowing the Bears offense to start with great field position and leading to the first touchdown of the game scored on an outside run by running back Malakai Lopez. The Bears’ defense got another stop, and the offense capitalized with a short-yardage touchdown run from running back Karter Lea. Stone Ridge Christian answered on their following drive, adding a touchdown of their own with the score remaining 14-7 through halftime. The Knights scored on back-to-back drives, taking the lead 21-14. Karter Lea added a second touchdown to his night with an early second-half score, but a missed extra point kept Stone Ridge Christian on top 21-20. After the Bears opened a 14-0 lead, they would be outscored 35-6 until a touchdown within the final minute of the game from #23 Bowen Forester brought Summerville within one score. Summerville had a chance to tie it if they were able to have a successful onside kick; however, the Bears were unable to recover.
The Bears struggled to replicate their successes of the first half later in the game, no thanks to injuries to key players across the Bears roster. The Knights used their passing attack to move the ball down the field consistently in the second half, leading to the Summerville loss.
Karter Lea received Black Oak Casino Resort Player of the Game honors for his two touchdown performances and work as a lead blocker. Bryce Bailey delivered the Foust Heating and Air Hot Hit of the Game. The Bears travel to Madera next week to take on Liberty.
