When the Pierce Bears kicked off their season last Friday night at Le Master Field in Arbuckle, against the Orland Trojans, the scene was reminiscent of a heavyweight bout, as the two teams battered each other with punishing run games that resulted in a combined 90 carries and 582 yards.
In the end, however, the physicality of the Trojans, a preseason favorite among Northern Section Division III teams, simply wore down the Bears, who despite a game effort, came up on the short end of a 21-13 score.
At the outset, it was the Pierce defense that set the tone, stonewalling the powerful Orland offense four times in the first half.
In doing so, it gave the Bears time to get rolling, which they did in the final 30 seconds of the first quarter, when Manuel Lopez took the ball down to the eight yard line and from there bulled his way into the end zone for the game’s first score.
Yet, there was more to come from Lopez, who found paydirt a second time on Pierce’s ensuing possession, this time showing off his speed as he raced down the far sideline for a second quarter 72-yard touchdown that gave his team a 13-0 advantage.
In his last season for the Bears, Lopez, the Northern Section’s the second leading rusher in 2021, seemingly picked up where he left off, finishing with a game-high 211 yards on 23 carries.
Unfortunately for Pierce, it would be their final points of the evening, as despite having smacked the Trojans in the mouth for most of the first half, Orland began to shake off the effects, gaining momentum behind the efforts of quarterback Grant Foster and running back Jaime Albarran.
Foster, in particular, was illusive all game long, and engineered a drive that pulled the Trojans within six points with just over a minute remaining before intermission.
While the Bear defense came out strong in the initial possession of the second half, forcing an Orland punt, the offense couldn’t find a rhythm and gave the ball back to the Trojans, albeit deep in their own territory.
But Orland, relying on heavy doses of Foster and Albarran, was able to put together a 12-play 90-yard scoring drive to tie the score with two and a half minutes remaining in the third quarter, and set up a controversial call on the corresponding PAT.
Although Orland lined up for the kick, the play broke down, giving the Bears the impression they had stopped it. However, the referees flagged Pierce for pass interference, giving the Trojans a second opportunity, which they converted to take a 14-13 lead.
After that point, even though the Bears had chances to regain the lead, they were hampered by penalties, which stalled their drives and allowed Orland to get on the board one final time in the fourth quarter.
Defensively, Joey Saavedra made a team-high 11 tackles, while Roberto Ramirez and Erick Montanez collected seven apiece.
Ramirez, a junior, played an especially impactful role, by shutting down the Trojan run to his side and recording a sack to end a drive.
Despite the loss, Coach Anthony Tapia was excited about the way his team performed, believing that it gave his staff a chance to identify potential adjustments that will help the team move forward.
“Last year, we didn’t look good at all in our first game, but tonight we were in it even though we made mistakes,” Tapia said. “They are a better team than we are right now, but I’m not afraid to play a team like that and lose in the preseason because it shows us that we have a lot of room to grow, and if we can, we are going to be tough to handle.”
Pierce will face another difficult challenge this week when the Bears head to Lakeport to take on the Clear Lake Cardinals. ■