Photo credit to Bob Dahlberg
The Bears played another outstanding game on Saturday, November 26, beating the Milpitas Trojans 17-0 and winning the Central Coast Section (CCS) Open Division I title. The game was ultimately decided by two monster plays from star running back Jordan Mims. The defense posted its second straight shutout in one of its grittiest performances of the season, holding a Milpitas offense that had averaged over 30 points per game this season to zero points. After a tough first two games in which M-A lost by a combined 20 points, the Bears have since gone undefeated. This performance marks the second straight shutout for the Bears’ defense against two prominent offenses in Bellarmine and Milpitas.
The first quarter was tightly contested with both defenses playing very well. However, late in the quarter, Mims burst through a gap in the Milpitas defense for a 76-yard touchdown to give the Bears a 7-0 lead, after the extra point made by junior Spencer Corona.
Corona later made a field goal to put the Bears up 10-0 midway through the second quarter. At the end of the half, Milpitas was controversially allowed a timeout with less than a second to go in the half. The next play, senior captain Tate Tussing made a diving block on a Milpitas field goal attempt to maintain the Bears’ shutout. The Bears went into halftime with a 10-0 advantage.
The defense came up with big plays throughout the game to keep the Trojans’ offense in check, forcing a fumble and two interceptions. Mims finished off the game with his second big run, going for a 72-yard touchdown.
Mims finished the game with 257 yards on just 24 carries, averaging over 10.7 yards per carry. He also had one 35-yard reception. Quarterback Aajon Johnson threw for 73 yards, with Corona, Tussing, Mims, and his twin brother Aaron completing receptions. Marquise Reid had 96 yards on kickoff and punt returns in an impressive showing.
On defense, sophomore standout Daniel Heimuli led the way with 20 tackles including 2.5 sacks. Christian Wiseman added 14 tackles and star linebacker Stavro Papadakis sacked the opposing quarterback 1.5 times. Returning junior Curtis Francis was in the backfield the whole night, recording two tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. In total, the Bears recorded eight sacks for a total of 105 yards lost to go along with 95 tackles.
Tussing and Reid each recorded interceptions with returns of 20 and six yards, respectively.
Head coach Adhir Ravipati has had great success in his second year, having already won two consecutive Peninsula Athletic League (PAL) titles and a CCS title. Ravipati has improved the Bears’ record in both seasons coaching the team. Ravipati and the team will continue to practice in the next two weeks as they will most likely receive a bid for a Northern California championship game this upcoming weekend.
Stay tuned to our twitter account and the M-A Chronicle website to receive updates on the location, time, and opponent of the Bears’ upcoming Northern California championship game.
