Cambridge Football Scores Big Win Over Rome 38-21, Friday Sept. 12th

Posted: Sep 15, 2014

"We Believe… that we will win!" That was the chant by the cheerleaders at the Friday night Sept. 12th football game between Cambridge and Rome. Coincidentally, Head Coach Craig Bennett said the talk all week was about the players believing in themselves and believing they could win. Bennett said sometimes the doubt creeps in, but with the emphasis on believing, at least a little bit more, he knew they could get the job done. That is exactly what the team did and exceeded Bennett's expectations in a game where the Bears beat the Wolves 38-21.

Senior standout, Brock Nielson, was dominant throughout the game. He recovered an early Wolves fumble and was key in the drive setting up a 30-yard touchdown pass from Quarterback Brian Moore to the wide open Hunter Smith. Along with successful defensive efforts by Nathan Kish and Michael Pellegrino, the Bears held the 7-0 lead into the second quarter.

Highlights of the second quarter included a pass reception by Nielson and more stellar play by the linebacker Michael Pellegrino, who took the ball away from Rome to end their drive. Sophomore running back, Kaelyn Bird, proved repeatedly he is a force to be reckoned with, charging 18 yards for a first down, followed up by a 12-yard rush. A pass from Moore to Smith for 25 yards then resulted in another touchdown. A clean PAT kicked in by Senior Clayton Hammer finished off a four play, 67-yard drive which gave the Bears a 14-0 lead.

As the game continued, #23, Craig Carter made his impact known in a big way. Recovering a punt dropped by the Wolves, Carter busted up a goal line play to keep the Wolves from scoring, and paired up for the Carter/Kish defensive tackling machine. It's always a team effort to stop the opponent, but with other exceptional tackles by the tenacious Garrett Walton and highly visible Trey Wolfe, the Bears held the Wolves to a 28-14 score in the 3rd quarter.

Rome's several very tall, athletic, wide receivers were challenged by the pressure put on them over and over by Senior Tate Prezzano. In the fourth quarter, Carter and Kish stopped the kickoff return cold on an effective squib kick by Hammer. A gutsy 30-yard run by QB Moore led the Bears with a mix of plays to another touchdown. Bird had a 25-yard rush, followed by a couple of determined goal line rushes by JD White, who finally pushed in for the 6 points. The point after kick by Hammer made the score 35-14.

Wolves scored once more before the Bears ended it with a combination of notable plays, including a hard earned first down pass play when Moore kept the play alive and hooked up with Smith. Key tackles by Devin Kane, Josh Kania, Prezzano and Wolfe, gave the Bears' offense a final chance to score with a 34-yard field goal by Hammer.

The Bears are now 3-0 overall and 1-0 in Region play.

Congratulations Bears football!

Come support Bears Football at the Bear Growl Community event with great music and fun on Sept. 19 at Chukkar Farms.

Next game is on Friday, Sept. 26th at Kell High School in Marietta. Kick off is 7:30 p.m.