The Bears were outbattled by the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs 35-0 in their first home game of the season.
After winning the coin toss and choosing to receive, the Bears struggled to gain any yardage due to strong defense by Mitty, leading to a quick turnover. Mitty continued to dominate, finding a first down in only two possessions. Despite this, the Bears’ defense stayed resilient in fighting against the Monarchs’ rapid passes, eventually leading to an interception wich ended Mitty’s run.
The Bears struggled on offense, with their attempts at running the ball getting shut down by Mitty’s impressive defense. Backed into a corner, M-A took a timeout in hopes of bouncing back and finding more offensive success.
Coming out of the timeout, senior running back Monty Turner stepped up with multiple speedy runs, allowing the Bears to get some much-needed distance on the field. However, Mitty eventually put an end to the Bear’s hot streak after failed attempts at getting the first down.
Mitty’s fast passes proved troublesome for M-A, but the Bears’ defense stayed consistent in shutting them down. A massive hit by junior middle linebacker Kini Evaimalo fired up the Bears’ bench, bringing up everyone’s spirits at the end of the quarter, which ended scoreless on both ends, 0-0.
The Bears started off the second quarter with two good defensive stops. Despite this, just 40 seconds in, Mitty’s running back found multiple gaps in the Bears’ defense, leading to a touchdown that put the Monarchs up 7-0.
The Bears battled back with excellent throws by senior quarterback Teddy Dacey, who followed this up with a run of his own to gain solid ground. Even so, Mitty’s defense remained impenetrable, and after numerous stops, the Bears were forced to punt.
On the punt return, a Monarch receiver dodged multiple tackles, eventually running into the endzone for an over 50-yard touchdown, setting the score at 13-0 with 8:50 left in the quarter. A successful conversion then brought the score to 14-0.
Ready to bounce back, Dacey shot a pass over to junior tight end Leif Wietz for a first down. Yet again, the Mitty defense overpowered the Bears as a blocked pass paired with a sack forced Dacey to recover his own fumble, losing 10 yards in the process and leading to the Bears punting with 6 minutes left in the half.
The Bears continued to have trouble with Mitty’s overwhelming offense, and in the Monarchs’ first possession, they broke through M-A’s defense and ran the ball for another 50-yard touchdown, making it 21-0 after a successful conversion. The struggle resumed after Mitty managed to break through for another touchdown to make the game 28-0, ending the first half.
Mitty continued to dominate the Bears’ defense with runs and passes. Senior tackle John Niko had an amazing hit, slamming down a Mitty running back at the moment of contact. The Bears continued to battle, with efforts on both ends of the field beginning to pick it up. Another sack by Niko forced a turnover of possession and gave the Bears more energy. Even so, Mitty’s defense continued to get the best of the Bears’ struggling offense.
While Dacey had numerous good throws, most were incomplete. After a long punt, Mitty’s offense snuck up on the Bears’ endzone with accumulated runs. The Monarchs scored a touchdown with six minutes left in the quarter, making it 35-0 with a successful conversion. The Bears’ offense continued to battle, but couldn’t execute, ending the quarter 35-0.
The fourth quarter was similar, with the Bears struggling to score. Mitty fumbled on a bad snap to lose some yardage, but the Bears were unable to take advantage of it. The game ended 35-0, leaving fans disappointed.
“In the future, we definitely need to clean up our assignments and bring more physicality on defense,” senior tackle Jordan Lavulo said.
“Honestly, I think I just need to get back to work. I just need to be working with my QBs to get on the right page so we can just connect more,” sophomore wide receiver Kyle Gabriel said.
The Bears will face the California Grizzlies next Friday at 7:00 P.M
