The Bears dominated the Monterey Dores 35-7 in the CCS quarterfinals on Friday night.
The Dores started with the ball but had a poor first quarter. Their first possession was plagued by dropped passes and unsuccessful runs. A series of tackles from senior linebacker Anthony van der Meer forced a punt.
On the Bears’ first drive, senior quarterback Xander Eschelman landed a lengthy 68-yard pass to junior wide receiver JT Roeder. Eschelman quickly connected with Roeder again for a 5-yard touchdown pass, putting M-A up 7-0.
The Dores’ second attempt on offense was better than their first, but still ended in a punt, putting the ball back in the Bears’ hands.
Back on offense, M-A made a few more promising drives. Blown coverage allowed senior wide receiver Josh Olsen to catch a 13-yard pass from Eschelman, bringing M-A to a first down. Unfortunately, on fourth down, Eschelman’s pass to Roeder was incomplete, turning the ball over to the Dores.
Monterey still was unable to get their offense rolling. On fourth down, the Dores’ quarterback tried to make a run for a first down but was quickly sacked by senior defensive end Giles Hayhurst. The ball returned to the Bears, but the possession resulted in a punt, ending the quarter at 7-0.
The Dores started the second quarter on offense. Despite numerous tackles from senior cornerback Kareem Franklin and Hayhurst, Monterey was able to make a 10-yard touchdown, evening the score 7-7 with 8:22 left in the first half.
Even as the Bears’ offense lay stagnant, their defense prevented Monterey from making any further advances. On third down, van der Meer tackled a Dores receiver right after a complete pass.
With less than three minutes left in the first half, the Bears were ready to dominate again. Roeder sprinted down the field to catch a 37-yard pass from Eschelman. Eschelman then threw a 9-yard pass to senior wide receiver Angelo Marin, who just barely caught the ball in the far corner of the end zone, scoring M-A’s second touchdown of the night.
But the Bears weren’t done: senior linebacker Will Roberts intercepted an overthrown pass by Monterey’s quarterback and quickly ran it to the end zone, stunning the Dores and scoring a touchdown. M-A entered halftime with a comfortable 21-7 lead.
M-A continued their offensive momentum as they dove into the second half. On third down, Eschelman threw a 64-yard pass just barely within Marin’s reach, allowing Marin to effortlessly fly into the end zone, putting the Bears up another seven points with 10:20 left in the quarter.
The Bears’ defense continued their relentless pressure, stopping all of Monterey’s attempts to go deeper into their territory. Franklin continued to shine, making multiple tackles and breaking up a pass.
Back on offense, junior Teddy Dacey stepped in as quarterback and smoothly guided the Bears back into the end zone. Dacey handed the ball off to junior running back Monty Turner who made a 4-yard touchdown run. The Bears finished the third quarter winning 35-7.
“In the second half we started playing as a team with more confidence, which allowed us to succeed,” Roberts said.
As the final quarter started, M-A’s 35-7 lead elicited a running clock. On the Bears’ final fourth down, senior kicker Aliyah Calvillo-Figueroa punted the ball.
The Bears kneeled the ball away to end with a blowout 35-7 win, advancing to the CCS semi-finals.
“We came out here with the confidence that we are going to win this game, locked in, and just had good energy,” Franklin said.
“The game plan was to be physical and dominate at the start, and I think we did that as a team. We just wanted to play for each other and get this win,” Turner said.
The Bears will return to Santa Clara to play the Wilcox Chargers on Friday at 7:00 p.m. for the CCS Championship semi-finals.
