Bruins Headed To Work
Bear River's Jr. Bruins Midgets squad heads into Dave Ramsey Stadium for last Saturday's SYFC match up with the Placer Jr. Hillmen. Placer took three of five games between the cross-river rivals but the Bruins midgets posted a 30-16 win in their contest. Bear River plays at Oak Ridge on Saturday while Placer hosts Natomas.
Sept. 30, 2008
Jr. Hillmen take three from Bear River
Placer’s Jr. Hillmen traveled made the short trek into Nevada County last Saturday and returned home with three Sierra Youth Football Conference wins over the Bear River Jr. Bruins.
After dropping a close 19-13 contest to the hosts in the Might Mites game, Placer reeled off three straight victories including a 32-6 romp in the Jr. Peewees game, a 27-20 verdict in the Peewees title and a 21-0 shutout in the Jr. Midgets test.
Bear River rebounded in the final Midgets game to notch a 30-16 win.
Here’s a recap of the reported Placer-BR games:
Placer Jr. Midgets 21 Bear River 0 – A ball controlling Placer offense and a stingy effort by the Hillmen defense helped key the shutout win for the Jr. Midgets.
Isaac Brahce sparked Placer on defense as he came up with three pass interceptions of Bear River passes on the afternoon. All total in the game, Placer allowed Bear River just four first downs on offense.
The game’s scoring started in the first quarter when Placer quarterback Logan Strange carried in a keeper from a yard out to give the Hillmen a 6-0 advantage.
The Hillmen took their slim lead into the locker room at halftime before a Brahce interception set up the visiting team’s second score. Now playing running back, Brahce then took a pitch from Strange and scooted around end 20 yards for the touchdown. Colton Blackwell’s ensuing two-point extra point boot made the score, 14-0, Hillmen.
Placer upped the count to 21-0 at the end of the third quarter as Todd Valliere capped another long march by scoring on a 10-yard touchdown run. Strange then found tight end Jordan Tucker for the conversion and the final 21-0 count.
Leading Placer’s defensive charge in the win was the fine play of linebackers Conner Rubio, Ryan Gray, and Blackwell along with the secondary work of Brahce with his three picks, Valliere and Cameron Scott (sack) and Luke Jordan.
The offense also clicked because of fine efforts from Strange at quarterback, running backs Brahce and Valliere along with Sammy Queen, Logan Markstein, and Brandon Pierson.
Placer defensive coordinator Aaron Rubio was pleased with the overall play of the Hillmen defense while head coach Jim Gray noted that “Isaac Brahce had a heck of a game with his three interceptions and touchdown.”
Placer, 1-3 overall and 1-1 in conference play, hosts Natomas on Saturday.
Placer Peewees 27 Bear River 20 – In a high-scoring Peewees contest, Placer’s Frankie O’Neal tallied three touchdowns to help lift the Hillmen to the 27-20 verdict.
O’Neal’s scores came on a 60-yard interception return, a 50-yard run from scrimmage and a 70-yard kickoff return as he totaled 203 yards of offense on the day.
Also having a hand in the win as offensive standouts were Dustin Edwards, who had a touchdown gallop of 48 yards on his way to racking up 138 rushing yards, and Andrew Peek and Steven Zehm who combined for 50 more yards between them.
The defense also had its stars as O’Neal, Robbie Queen and Alex Peek all recorded five or more stops for the Hillmen.
Bear River Midgets 30, Placer Jr. Hillmen 16 –Bear River quarterback Dillon Smith turned in a strong effort to lead the Bear River midgest past the Hillmen.
Smith completed 7 out of 9 passes for a total of 150 passing yards. Derek Ross snagged 2 of the passes for touchdowns while Cody Heard grabbed another TD reception. Heard also ran in for another score.
Bear River kicker Hayden Macklin, meanwhile, punched in three out of four PAT's for 6 additional points.
Bear River’s defense also shined as Jake Savoie with a sack and a fumble recovery, and Austin Dowling's aggressive tackling, as well as his 30 yard pass reception made their presence known over the entire field.
For Placer, standout Hillmen running back Michael Robinson carried 16 times for 216 carries and two touchdowns in the loss for Placer (2-3). Robinson scored on runs of 47 and 43 yards.
The Jr. Hillmen defense held Bear River’s potent offense to three first-half scores. Jake Lewis finished with a team-high seven tackles and returned four kicks for a total of 60 yards.
Eddie Vanderdoes and Brendan Packhiser each had six tackles for Placer.
Placer hosts Natomas on Saturday while Bear River travels to Oak Ridge.