ARBUCKE, CA (MPG) – Last year was an up and down one for the Bears, who despite turning in commendable efforts against the likes of Orland and Colusa, were plagued by injuries and some inconsistent play that resulted in a fourth-place finish in the Sacramento Valley League.
Yet, in the Northern Section CIF Division IV playoffs, Pierce showed what it could do by ousting No. 1 seeded East Nicolaus in the second round.
The Bears then followed up by giving Colusa all it could handle in the championship game but fell in a heartbreaker that left them as the runner-up for the third consecutive season. Running the ball 85 percent of the time in 2022, the Bears rolled up 1992 yards on the ground, and while averaging 20.6 points per game, often struggled to get the ball in the end zone at critical junctures.
This season, however, without workhorse Manuel Lopez, who graduated, the Bears are making some adjustments to the offense where they plan to integrate more passing into their scheme and balance the attack.
Returning to expedite the offense will be junior quarterback Drew Burnum, who, with a season of experience under his belt, should have more opportunity to throw the ball and take some of the pressure off the ground game.
One of the primary targets for Burnum looks to be last year’s leading receiver Roberto Ramirez, who averaged 19.2 yards per catch, while another is junior Gavin Guynn.
In the run game, Pierce has a variety of options starting with senior and All-SVL pick, David Aguirre, who returns having averaged 8.7 yards per carry a season ago.
Filling the role of fullback, vacated by Lopez, will be sophomore Nathan Gomez, while senior Alfonso Orozco, and junior Isaac Tirado will see time in the backfield as well.
Still, according to head coach Anthony Tapia, the key to the Bears’ success on offense will rest with the play of the line.
“We will go as our line goes,” said the Pierce alum, who is now in his sixth year at the helm. “The guys worked hard over the summer, and we are deeper than we have been. We are big and strong and are excited to see what happens.”
Anchoring the front line will be a trio of seniors including Colton VanLaningham, Daniel Bustamante, and Antonio Gutierrez.
For VanLaningham, who is coming off an injury that shortened his junior campaign, this season presents an opportunity that didn’t fully materialize last year.
“We made it to the championship game will a lot of injuries, so I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do when we are healthy,” said VanLaningham, the 6’2” tackle who is one of the team’s captains. “Our lineman put more work in the weight room this summer and our expectation is to be playing in the championship game come Thanksgiving.”
Defensively, Pierce has lost its All-Section pick and leading tackler Luke Myers along with another key contributor in Joseph Saavedra to graduation but brings back a core group that played its best games against the toughest competition.
Senior captains Eduardo Cuellar and Erick Montanez return to the secondary, while Loreno Orsi will join VanLaningham and Bustamante on the line.
It’s a whole new group at linebacker in 2023, but the coaching staff is looking to Gomez and Tirado to fill two of the spots.
In addition to toiling in the very competitive SVL, the Bears face another challenge this season, given that increased enrollment has moved them into the Division III playoff bracket that includes Orland, Gridley, U-Prep and West Valley to name a few.
Still, Pierce is looking forward to the test as Tapia explained, “This move will force us to play as a team. It’s also changing our approach to the season. We were always about ‘playing for November,’ but this year, we want to win every game. We are a smaller group, but we welcome the challenges and adversity that comes with moving up.”
Pierce has a tough task ahead as it will undergo a trial by fire against Division III foes Oroville and Paradise in weeks four and five and then must survive the gauntlet it faces in the SVL to achieve its ultimate goal.
