Bear River freshman running back Jim Bamburg looks for running room in action from Thursday's Pioneer Valley League opener against Colfax. Bamburg scored on a two-yard run and kicked the Bruins' extra point in a 15-7 setback to the Falcons. obfoto.com

Oct. 3, 2008

Late Score Lifts Colfax Frosh Past Bruins, 15-7

For the freshman football teams at Colfax High and Bear River, the football rivalry between the two cross-river schools is in its infancy stages.

But you wouldn’t have guessed it Thursday night at Marson Stadium in Colfax has the little Falcons and Bruins slugged it out in a hard fought defensive battle which would have made their varsity counterparts proud.

In a slugfest between the Falcons and Bruins, Colfax quarterback Austin Young scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with just 24 seconds left in the game to snap a 7-7 tie and help lift the Colfax (3-1, 1-0) to a 15-7 win over previously undefeated Bear River (3-1, 0-1) in the Pioneer Valley League opener.

Young’s touchdown capped an eight play 52-yard drive in which the Falcons got the ball at their own 42 after a Bear River punt with just 2:39 left in the game.

On the winning drive, Young connected on passes of eight and nine yards to Benton Brown and Nolan Karbowski respectively but the key play in the march was a 25-yard bolt by Hunter Owens on a third down and one yard to go situation from the 26.

Owens’ run with 53-seconds left carried the Falcons down to the one where Young took it over on the next play to make it 13-7 Colfax.

Colfax then turned an errant snap on the kick conversion try into two points when Karbowski scooped up the bad snap and outraced Bear River’s defenders into the end zone for a 15-7 lead.

Colfax’s defense then knocked down three passes by the Bruins and then stopped a short completion as the final gun sounded.    

The two teams played a game of field position in the first half as Colfax recovered a Bear River fumble and the Bruins returned the favor with a pass interception.

Following a Bear River fumble recovery, the Bruins  broke the scoring ice with 1:29 to go in the first half when Jim Bamburg capped a 12-play 49-yard drive by going over from two-yards out. Bamburg also booted through the extra point to make it, 7-0, Bear River.

However, with just 1:29 left in the half, the Falcons moved 65-yards in just six plays to tie the game at halftime.

After Shawn Rawlins returned the Bruins’ ensuing kickoff 17 yards to the Colfax 35, Owens ran for six and eight yards before the Bruins were hit for 15 more yards on a pass interference call.

Rawlins then scooted 12 more yards down to the 22 before Young, with the clock showing less than five seconds when the ball was hiked, found Devn Saavedra in the end zone for the touchdown as time expired. Young’s extra point boot sent the Falcons into halftime with a 7-7 tie.

In the second half, both teams battled back and forth with Colfax missing a chance to score easrly in the fourth quarter when Young’ 29-yard field goal try was just wide. The Falcons got their opportunity on the drive when a Colfax's David Mowbray picked off a Bear River pass and return it 20 yards to set the Falcons up at the Bruins 39.

Colfax’s Hunter Owens rushed 15 times for 106 yards while Rawlins added 21 yards on five carries and Karbowski picked up 19 yards on six trips.

Bamburg led Bear River rushing with 13 carries for 35 yards while Dallen Huetter picked up 8 yards on three carries and James Harris ran twice for five yards. Garret Jensen added two yards on two carries for BR. Justin Butler also came up with a pass interception for the visitors.

Harris was 5 of 12 through the air for 34 yards with Kevin O’Brien, Brandon Wooner, Bamburg, Trevor McGhee and Huetter all catching passes.  All total, Colfax held the Bruins to just 87 yards total offense.

On defense for the Falcons, the standouts included Owens, Karbowski, Roger Lillie, Chris Hoffman, Aarin Anderson, Sam Quinlan and Austin Pachaud.