MILTON, GA – With a 14-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the Bears controlled the game. An untimely interception allowed North Atlanta to storm back and take a 23-14 victory on Friday, September 21st.
Turnovers plagued Cambridge yet again, as the Bears committed four on the evening. "We made some mistakes with a young quarterback, put him in a bind at times," said head coach Craig Bennett. "North Atlanta gets some credit, they made some plays on turnovers which gave them 14 points."
The loss drops the Bears to 1-4 (1-2 region) on the season. Last year, the Bears countered an 0-5 start by going 4-1 in the last half of the season. "We have changed some things with our practice schedule to help with some of that," said Bennett. "We have to stay positive and know that we have five games left, a lot of good things to come."
The Bears outgained the Warriors 265 to 207 yards, but the Warriors took advantage of mistakes. North Atlanta returned two interceptions for touchdowns, including a late interception return to seal the game.
"It was definitely a tough loss, as are most," said Bennett. "I am still proud of our kids, they didn't stop fighting and didn't quit."
The Bears moved the ball well. However, Cambridge struggled to produce points in the red zone. Zach Harris posted 227 passing yards and two touchdowns in his first ever start. The freshman showed great accuracy and found lanes against a tough Warrior secondary.
Chandler Jones proved to be Harris' favorite target. Jones caught both touchdown passes, including an incredible grab over the Warrior defensive back for the first Cambridge touchdown. Jones reached over the defender and wrestled the ball away.
The Cambridge defense attacked North Atlanta all game. The Bears sacked the Warrior quarterback three times and only allowed 63 passing yards. Despite turnovers, the defense dug in and protected the end zone. North Atlanta only managed nine offensive points all night.
After a strong performance, the Bears need the defense to step up yet again against a tough Chattahoochee team. The Cougars are winless but played several games very close. Chattahooche suffered a narrow 35-42 defeat to Pope last Friday. "They have some really good weapons on offense, so we have to tackle well," said Bennett. "They run a lot of zone read, so we have to stick to our assignments on defense."
The Bears also face an experience defensive coordinator. "Defensively, they have a great defensive coordinator that has been around the game for a long time, actually started the program at Chattahoochee," said Bennett. "We need to take advantage of every scenario we have."
The Bears hope to level its region record with a win on Friday night. The game kicks off at home on Friday, September 28th. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.
Go Bears!
article by Jack Sadighian