The Cambridge Bears fall short in Friday night's game against Northview Titans.
Friday night in Bear Country started early with the pre-game festivities and recognition of all the Cambridge feeder football teams and the feeder cheerleading squads. The new school has had great support from the community and is building a strong program to feed in future high school athletes.
As the game got underway, the Titans scored on their first drive, but Cambridge freshman JD White promptly answered with a 95 yard kickoff return to even the score 7-7. The Titans then roared back and scored several times to make the score 42-7 at the half. The Titans held the Bears leading rusher, JD White, to 54 yards in the game.
Third quarter brought on some excitement when Daion Donaldson recovered a Northview fumble to run in the defensive touchdown making the score 62-14. Rather than give up, the Bears continued with determination and teamwork and pulled together to score 14 points in the 4th quarter Kevin Little with a pass completion to Ricky Nuckles built up passing confidence for the Bears. A 33 yard touchdown pass from Kevin Little to Malik Harris energized the team as they played with heart to the very end. The Bears had their highest pass completion percentage of the season being successful with 11 of 13 passing attempts.
Late in the 4th quarter a fumble recovery and high emotion led to some swings being taken and a brawl that was quickly broken up by the referees. An 85 yard gain by AJ Campbell on a touchdown pass from Kevin Little drew a pass interference call which upset the Northview coach. With several players ejected from the game for both teams and offsetting personal fouls, tensions ran high. Cambridge Principal Edward Spurka was front and center to ensure and encourage his team to use good sportsmanship. After the game, Dr. Spurka commented that he was pleased the team showed a lot of heart and never gave up. Athletic Director Matt Lawless said "Northview got the win, but Cambridge got the moral victory."
The Bears attempted on onside kick near the end of the 4th quarter, but Northview retained possession to end the game.
Regardless of the score, both Spurka and Lawless said they could see continued improvement in the young Bears. Malik Harris finished with 3 receptions for 45 yards, and AJ Campbell was 3 for 98 yards. Kicker Hawk Hammer went 4 for 4 PATs for a final score of 62-28, 28 points marks the highest point total scored for the Cambridge varsity team.
Next up, Oct 12th, a region game as Cambridge travels to Forsyth Central. The Bulldogs are 1-4 after beating North Springs Oct. 5th.
