ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – Although football teams from Pierce and Williams High Schools have history that dates back to 1927, it was only in the 2000s that the game became known as the Rice Bowl.
And while not meeting every year since that time or sometimes playing more than once in a season, the official tally coming into last Friday night’s game was 95 meetings with the Bears holding a 57-33 advantage over the Yellowjackets, although five times the two teams played to a draw.
However, in the 96th rendition played on Sept. 19 at Gregg LeMaster Field in Arbuckle, the recent trend continued as Pierce shutout Williams 35-0 and extended its win streak to nine straight games.
Things went all the Bears’ way at the outset, when on the third play from scrimmage Austin Jorge stepped in front of a ‘Jacket receiver and picked off the pass just outside the red zone at the 23.
After two straight running plays to Nathan Gomez, the senior running back broke through the line and bulled his way past the Williams defenders into the end zone from 15 yards out.
Francisco Ruiz tacked on the PAT as the Bears jumped out to a 7-0 lead at the 9:32 mark in the first quarter.
Williams responded with a six-play drive that chewed up three minutes of clock, but ultimately was forced to punt although it did set up one of its best defensive series of the night as the Yellowjackets forced the Bears to turn the ball over on downs.
Yet, unfortunately for the ‘Jackets, as the second quarter began, they couldn’t take advantage of the opportunity and were forced to punt again.
With good field position near midfield, Pierce moved into the red zone when Jorge connected with receiver Colin Dye on a pass down to the Yellowjacket 19, preceding another powerful run by Gomez, who was not to be denied and scored his second touchdown of the first half.
Just a minute later though, the Bears would be back in the end zone, increasing their lead to 21-0 after Mikey Acevedo recovered a Williams fumble at the 20, then following a facemask penalty on the ‘Jackets, Jorge scored on a keeper, going untouched around the edge from nine yards away.
Nonetheless, Pierce wasn’t done yet and as the Williams offense continued to sputter, the Bears put their final points of the first half on the board when after a 33-yard run by Gomez, Jamison Porter took the handoff inside and scrambled nine yards for the touchdown.
Porter, who has been dealing with an injury, was limited to three plays in the game and made the most of his touches finishing with 26 yards and the score.
Taking a 28-0 lead into intermission, Pierce came out looking to add on as it received the second half kickoff, but instead disaster struck as Gomez, after unleashing another long run, suffered a potentially season-ending leg injury and left the game.
On the night, the hard-charging senior running back was virtually unstoppable with the ball in his hands against Williams, finishing with 118 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries.
But the game continued on and after the Bears were forced to punt, Dye gave the ball back to the Bear offense after he intercepted a pass near midfield with 4:17 remaining in the third quarter.
Pierce eventually capitalized on the opportunity when Acevedo took the handoff from six yards out and found paydirt, for what were the Bears’ last points of the night.
In reflecting on the game, Pierce Coach Anthony Tapia, who is unbeaten in the Rice Bowl dating back to his days as a player, was happy with the win, but also expressed concern over injuries and keeping his team playing at a high level, saying, “Our team is really impressive, but our situation is tough because being in D3 we need to stomp our opponent and pitch shutouts. Our defense is playing well, but we want our offense to be clicking a little better. There are a couple of things we need to fix and after playing those first two games in what was like a playoff atmosphere we are banged up and even more so now with Gomez going down with who knows what kind of injury.”
Still, Tapia also specifically commented on the toughness he sees in Jorge, who not only serves as the Bears’ quarterback, but plays defense as well.
“Austin never comes off the field,” said Tapia. “He is a big part of our defense and even plays on special teams because he is the holder on kicks. He definitely isn’t afraid of contact and always wants to be in the mix.”
As for Williams, the score doesn’t really tell the full story, as it put forth a commendable effort, continuing to play hard in the second half, something that ‘Jacket coach Forrest Bateman was pleased to see.
“Obviously it’s not the outcome we wanted, but there are some positives to take away,” Bateman said. “We fought harder in the second half although I would have liked to have seen the offense do a little more, but we are a work in progress.”
One admirable performance on offense came from Matthew Cervantes, who carried 14 times for 70 yards and refused to quit on his team, something that made Bateman immensely proud.
“He’s fearless,” said Bateman of his starting quarterback. “He’s an all-around great kid and he has serious heart.”
Defensively, Ricardo Medina finished with 11 tackles, Julian Garcia made 10, Rigoberto Ramirez accounted for nine while Julio Rosales and Roberto Cervantes accounted for eight apiece.
Pierce (4-0) makes the short trip to Colusa tonight for its Sacramento Valley League opener, while Williams (2-2) enters its bye week and will return to action at home against Los Molinos on Oct. 3.