A Saturday afternoon game at Gregg LeMaster Field in Arbuckle turned into a pre-Halloween treat for the Pierce Bears as they overcame three turnovers to post a 28-21 come-from-behind win over the visiting Durham Trojans.
Entering the contest, the two teams had identical 5-3 overall marks and such parity was evident as they slugged it out in a game that wasn’t decided until the final minutes of the contest.
At the outset, though, it was Pierce setting the tone, embarking on an 11-play, 80-yard opening drive that was capped by a Daniel Gonzalez five-yard burst into the end zone and a Ryan Travis extra point.
Yet, it wasn’t going to be that easy as just a minute and a half later Durham responded, going 78 yards on two pass plays to tie the game at seven all.
On the ensuing possession, the Bears committed their first turnover, but the defense stood tall, giving the ball back to the offense at the Trojan 35.
It was the start of a drive that lasted a dozen plays and carried over into the second quarter, but ended in six points, after quarterback Bryce Murphy hit tight end Brandon Saavedra for a 16-yard score, although the extra point try was no good.
While neither team could make any significant headway for most of the second period, a fake punt by the Bears went wrong, allowing Durham an opportunity to put more points on the board.
It was a new play for Pierce, who had the pass attempt intercepted by Durham just outside the red area, with 15 seconds remaining in the half.
Taking to the air again, the Trojans were able to take a 14-13 lead after lofting a pass to the end zone that was ruled a touchdown.
Durham would maintain momentum after intermission, scoring on their first drive and extending their advantage to 21-13.
However, the Bears proved resilient, responding with 15 unanswered points and some timely defensive stops.
Midway through the third quarter, Pierce put together another long drive featuring its power run game and fullback Manuel Lopez, though it was Gonzalez delivering the payoff with a 17-yard jaunt into the end zone, to pull the Bears within two points at 21-19.
Gonzalez had one of his best performances of the year, scoring twice in addition to rushing for 42 yards and catching two passes good for 44 yards.
From this point, the Pierce defense rose to the occasion, ramping up the pressure on the Durham quarterbacks, which clearly disrupted the rhythm they had in the first half.
Saavedra registered a sack, putting the Trojans in a hole, and leading to a punt that was blocked by Rudy Tapia and recovered by Tristan Flores, but the Bears were unable to capitalize as they fumbled the ball back to Durham on the ensuing play.
Yet, the Pierce defense was again clutch, and able to hold the Trojans at bay.
Kaden Davis led the resistance, recording a tackle for a loss to keep Durham pinned down at its own six-yard line, then on the next play induced a game tying safety as his pursuit resulted in an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone.
The Bears wasted little time in exploiting the advantage, as they marched downfield, relying primarily on Lopez, who produced what was the game winning touchdown, when he ran it up the middle from 14 yards out to make the score 28-21.
Lopez was unquestionably the workhorse, finishing the game with 27 carries for 142 yards.
Still, with over nine minutes remaining in the game, the Trojans had ample opportunity to regain the lead, but a fumble recovery by Davis stalled one drive, before a Travis interception on the next closed the door and preserved the victory.
While it was not exactly the way head coach Anthony Tapia and his staff had envisioned the game would play out, the win, over a team that has been their nemesis, was significant for a number of reasons.
“We were a little banged up after playing Paradise, but I thought our defense played well and the offense, aside from the turnovers, did as well,” Tapia said. “This is our first time beating Durham in a while which is nice, and hopefully, it will help us in the playoff seeding.”
The last time the Bears had topped the Trojans was six years ago, when Pierce prevailed in the last regular season game, but then lost to them the following week in the first round of the playoffs.
Pierce (6-3, 4-1) now sits in sole possession of second place in the Sacramento Valley League, going into its final regular season game on Friday night, when it squares off at home against Winters.■