The Bearcats are the only team with an unblemished PAC 7 record following their 35-14 win over the Arroyo Grande Eagles Friday night.

“We executed on both sides of the ball, we were very efficient and we took advantage of the field position that the defense gave us and we clicked really well in the first half,” Paso Robles head coach Rich Schimke said.

The Bearcats ended the first half up 28 points over the Eagles.

The Bearcats scored their first touchdown on their first possession in the first quarter. The Bearcats drove the ball down field on four first downs, and on fourth and goal, sophomore quarterback Thomas Bernal handed off to running back Nathan Nelson, who ran it in. With the extra point kick from Ryan Bedell good, the Bearcats were on the board, 7-0.

Nelson said his team played solid the first half of the game.

“We executed everything we were planning to run, and we came out with a plan, and it ran very smooth,” he said.

The second quarter proved even more productive for the Bearcats as they scored three touchdowns and would end the half with a 28-0 lead.

During the Bearcats’ second possession on fourth and three at the 20-yard line, Bernal completed a pass to Cheston Holguin for a first down. On third and 12, Josh Weferling dove through the Eagle defense for the Bearcats’ second touchdown. Bedell’s kick was true, and the Bearcats surged ahead, 14-0.

The Bearcats struck again on their next possession. Bernal connected with wide receiver Michael Stark on a 16-yard touchdown strike to boost his team’s lead to 21-0.

With 28 seconds left in the first half, the Bearcats struck again as Bernal barreled in for a touchdown on first and goal at the one-yard line to give his team a commanding 28-0 lead to end the first half of the game.

“It was nerve racking,” Bernal said of starting at quarterback in his first varsity game.

In the second half, the Eagles dominated the clock and took advantage of Bearcat errors. An interception and a fumble provided the Eagles with extra momentum. While the Eagles squandered their first opportunity, they wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.

“The second half was a completely different story,” Schimke said. “And we have to got to go to work on Monday to rectify the problem.”

A fumble recovery allowed the Eagles to take over on the 29-yard line. From there, the Eagles ran the ball three times setting up a first and goal. On second down, Eagles running back Bo Cabalar carried the ball in and put his team on the board, 28-7.

“It’s ball control offense and you have to make your possessions count,” Schimke said. “And I think we did in the first half, and luckily we were up because they controlled the second half.”

But the Eagles weren’t able to contain the Bearcats for long. In possession to start the fourth quarter, the Bearcats scored again.

On first and 10 at the 19-yard line, Nelson carried the ball in for his second touchdown of the game. Bedell’s extra point kick sailed through the posts and the Bearcats increased their lead to 35-7.

The Eagles managed one last touchdown with two and a half minutes left in the game off a carry from George Lopez, and with the extra point were on the board at 35-14.

Quarterback Brandon Ladley finished out the game for the Bearcats. Ladley rushed four times for 33 yards. Bernal was 12-for-17 for 149 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed seven times for 34 yards and one touchdown.

Nelson carried 15 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns. Weferling carried the ball eight times for 64 yards and one touchdown.

The Bearcats are now 7-1 overall, 3-0 in the PAC 7. With Atascadero’s loss to Righetti Friday night, Paso Robles is alone in first place. They play at San Luis Obispo on Friday.



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