The night's Team Captains, John Hurst, Nathan Kish, Charles Mills and Eddie Aganov, strode confidently to the center of the field knowing behind them was a stronger, better team than faced the Northview Titans last year.
This year the Bears intended to be a tougher opponent. The defense started out doing just that. The Titans were first to score but some impressive tackles by Mills and Zeke Gormley and a sack by Josh Kania in the first quarter held the Titans to 7 points.
A very even strength matchup on their offensive line made it difficult to get to the Titan quarterback but when Kania, Kish and Mark Phillips did get by to pressure the hard-throwing Titan QB, they forced multiple incomplete passes. A solid Bears drive started with a pass from QB Brian Moore to punter/wide receiver Hunter Smith for a 46 yard gain. Moore delivered to Hurst for a 14 yard gain and a 4 yard rushing play by JD White had the Bears fans believing. A QB sneak touchdown by Moore and extra point put the first 7 points on the board for Cambridge to make it 14-7.
The Second quarter saw more standout tackles by Kania and Mills forcing several losses of yardage. Offensively, Moore connected with Hurst, and then got a first down on a QB keeper. A 10 yard pass to wide receiver Tate Prezzano kept the energy rolling. In an aggressive effort to score once more before half time, the coaches managed the clock, and put special teams on the field. Two time outs were called elevating the excitement and tension, but a calm kicker, Clayton Hammer, delivered. His 36 yard field goal was good for 3 points and enthusiastic cheers from the crowd as the team headed off the field with a close score of 14-10.
In the Third quarter the Bears continued to show some standout defensive plays but not enough to completely stop a strong Titan running back. An aggressive tackle by Christian Johnston on the kickoff return kept Titans from a yardage gain and Nathan Kish and Eric Cizek held Titans to no gain on a punt return but Northview scored 3 more times to the Bears once. The Cambridge touchdown resulted from an impressive 75 yard rush by White and a late hit penalty which enabled the next play to score on a 5 yard quarterback keeper by Moore. Point after try by Hammer was good giving the Bears 17 points on the scoreboard.
With the best of intentions and the potential clearly there to beat the Titans, it didn't happen. The Bears succumbed to the consequences of 6 turnovers. In a close score for much of the game, Head Coach Craig Bennett said " the team played hard but did not play with enough discipline to win. We need to fix that."
Come cheer for your team Friday, Oct. 11 when Cambridge hosts Forsyth Central for the 2013 Homecoming Game.
GO BEARS!
