The Bears earned their second win this season beating the Monterey Dores 28-7 on Friday night. After a dominant performance over Bellarmine last week, the Bears traveled over two hours to play their first Friday Night Lights game in Monterey, and they didn’t disappoint.
Monterey started with the ball, and were forced to punt on their opening drive. The Dores’ punter fumbled the snap and was quickly tackled, providing the Bears’ offense with an excellent field position.
The Bears soon capitalized on the Dores’ early error: junior running back Evaimalo Ama rushed in for the first touchdown of the game, and junior Anthony Perez kicked for an extra point.
The Dores did not let this break their spirit, and soon responded with a passing touchdown of their own.
Towards the end of the first quarter, M-A drove down the field and settled for a field goal but missed just wide of the uprights. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied 7-7.
With the ball in M-A’s hands at the start of the second quarter, the Bears were able to put together an electric drive. Ama hurdled past a Monterey defender, as the M-A sideline erupted into cheers, giving all the momentum to M-A. Junior quarterback Teddy Dacey finished the drive with a 14-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Jackson Harding, and Perez topped it off with another extra point, ending the half at 14-7 in favor of the Bears.
M-A’s defense was lights-out returning from halftime as they drove the Dores’ defense to the ground. Senior cornerback Kareem Franklin outstandingly guarded their three-star receiver, holding him to zero catches in the first half and just one in the second. M-A continued to pound the ball on offense with Ama and his dynamic plays.
“Our team shows diversity. We’re all very different, and that’s the good thing about us because we all bring it together,” Ama said after the game. “We just have to keep working together and get better.”
The Bears started with the ball in the third quarter. On a pivotal third down, Dacey scrambled off a broken play, getting the first down. The Bears took advantage with a rushing touchdown by senior wide receiver Angelo Marin. In addition to Perez’s perfect kick, the Bears earned another seven points, putting them up 21-7.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, Monterey still struggled to find offensive ground. Even as the ball returned to the Dores’ possession, they eventually turned it over on downs.
The Bears held a comfortable 14-point lead, but were still hungry for more. As the clock wound down, Dacey looked for junior wide receiver JT Roeder in the corner of the endzone and connected with him for another touchdown. As the game came to a close, M-A emerged with an incredible 28-7 victory.
“Each time we have a new game plan, we just execute it,” Franklin said. “I love everyone on this team. I feel like we got something special this year.”
“This week, the guys were just unselfish and sacrificing. I expect big things from this team as long as they keep growing and cut out the minimum effort,” said wide receiver coach Imani Percoats.
The Bears will take on Archbishop Mitty next Friday away at 7:00 p.m.
