Over the past four seasons, Pierce and East Nicolaus have met seven times on the football field, and although the Spartans held a 4-3 advantage, including two wins in section title games, it’s the Bears that have been victorious in the three most recent contests.
As a result, the meeting between the two squads at Gregg LeMaster Field in Arbuckle last Friday night was a much-anticipated matchup.
However, the game didn’t go as hoped for the injury-plagued Bears, who found the Spartans too much to handle, and thus wound up on the short end of a 36-14 score.
Yet, despite the fact that the Spartans had the game in hand by halftime, the Bears opened with a statement when after deferring the kickoff, Joey Saavedra recovered a fumble on the third play from scrimmage, giving Pierce the ball at their own 25.
From there, the Bears marched 75 yards in 14 plays, and scored as running back Emiliano Gutierrez made his way into the end zone from five yards away.
With the drive, the Bears consumed most of the first quarter, but the Spartans answered with a touchdown of their own just 30 seconds into the second period, however, after an unsuccessful two-point try, Pierce maintained a 7-6 advantage.
Nonetheless, the Bears were in good position, responding by moving the ball to the Spartans 30 in a series that included a pass from quarterback Drew Burnum to Sebastian Ambriz, along with runs by Saavedra and Alfonso Orozco.
But fortunes quickly changed after East Nicolaus recovered a Pierce fumble.
Adding insult to injury, the Spartans needed just two plays to take a 14-7 lead and change the complexion of the game, because, from that point on, the East Nic defense was able to contain the Bears.
At the same time, the Spartan attack ramped up, gashing the banged up Pierce defense for chunks of yardage and three additional touchdowns before it was all said and done.
It was a different look for East Nic, who coming into the contest had only attempted 45 passes for the entire season, but threw 10 times against the Bears, who have struggled against the pass this season, keeping them off balance.
Also contributing to Pierce’s woes were the three turnovers that increased the pressure on their defense and allowed the Spartans to maintain momentum.
Not until the final period did the Bears get their offense on track again, when with 5:40 remaining in the game, David Aguirre found an opening and punched it in from two yards out.
In the absence of injured Manny Lopez, Aguirre took the lion’s share of the handoffs and finished the night with 91 yards on 14 carries.
For his part, Gutierrez rushed 11 times for 41 yards, while Saavedra ran hard, garnering 24 yards before leaving the game with an injury.
Defensively, linebacker Luke Myers played well, collecting a team-high nine tackles and a sack , along with forcing two fumbles, while Erick Montanez contributed six tackles and also forced a fumble.
After the game, Coach Anthony Tapia tipped his cap to the Spartans and credited his team for playing hard, but said he would like to see more consistency from his squad.
“They’re a really good team with a great quarterback and their line opened up some big holes,” said Tapia. “But we were late to the party at times and missed some tackles. We need to take care of the little things. That being said, we’re going to show up on Monday and keep fighting to put it all together.”
This week, Pierce (4-4, 1-2) prepares for Friday’s trip to Durham, where the Bears will take on a Trojan team that has also had its share of injuries this season. ■