There was a lot of celebration on the football field Friday night following the Bearcats 49-14 win over the Ventura Cougars at War Memorial Stadium.

With the win, the Bearcats advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section Northern Division playoffs — something the team hasn’t done since 2002. While Paso Robles varsity head coach Rich Schimke knows the next round will be intense, he said he’s confident in his team’s playing ability.

“It doesn’t matter who we’re going to be playing, it’s going to be one of the top teams, not only in the state but in the country,” he said. “But we’ve had some high goals for these kids this year, and they’re not satisfied with one victory in CIF.”

The Bearcats dominated the first quarter and ended it up 14-0. After holding the Cougars on their first possession, the Bearcats moved into scoring position.

On third-and-three from the 23, quarterback Thomas Bernal connected with wide receiver Brett Wise in the end zone. Ryan Bedell’s extra point was good and the Bearcats were on the board, 7-0.

“We got off to a pretty good start and we rode it from there,” Schimke said.

On the Cougars third possession on a second down, the Bearcats’ Trevor Marsano forced a fumble following his sack of quarterback Blake Kreutz. The Bearcats recovered and took over on the 24-yard line.

From the 11-yard line, Bernal ran the ball in for the team’s second touchdown. Bedell’s extra point sailed through, and the Bearcats went up 14-0 over the Cougars.

Five minutes into the second quarter, the Bearcats scored again as Andy Bridge barreled in for the touchdown. With the extra point, the Bearcats jumped ahead 21-0.

Three minutes later the Bearcats did it again. Josh Weferling took a hand off from Bernal and stormed into the end zone as the Bearcats went up 28-0 over the Cougars following the extra point.

“They were what we expected, but they had some weaknesses and we took advantage of them,” Weferling said.

On their final possession of the half, the Cougars scored when Kreutz handed off to Brandon Dore on a first-and-goal at the four-yard line and he surged through the Bearcat defense. The extra point was good and the Cougars trailed the Bearcats, 28-7 to end the first half.

The Cougars started the third in possession after reclaiming it on an on-side kick. They went onto to score for the second and last time in the game, as Dore ran it in from the six-yard line. With the extra point, the Cougars cut the Bearcats lead, 28-14.

“We let them back in the game with the score at the end of the half and a score at the beginning of the second half,” Schimke said. “You can’t do that — that’s what I mean by a little sloppy — but we’re getting closer to playing that four quarters of football.”

Both teams stalled on their next possessions.

The Bearcats had to fight their way downfield from the 10-yard line for their next touchdown. Twelve plays later, inside their own 28, Bernal handed off to Nathan Nelson, who ran the ball up the middle for the touchdown with two and half minutes left in the quarter. The extra point was good, and the Bearcats moved ahead 35-14.

“It was good blocking, and I just found a hole,” Nelson said. “It was a very good game, and it just boosts our confidence. We have a very tough opponent at home next week.”

For Nelson, who sat out last season due to an injury, the win was an added bonus.

“I was on the sidelines, and it was a very interesting experience,” he said. “Just going and watching it, it’s not the same as playing. [Playing is] high intensity level, and it’s a whole [different] type of game. I’m just excited to be here with the team we have. I think we’re very talented, and I think we could definitely do some damage in the CIF.”

The Bearcats scored on their first possession of the fourth quarter. From the 33-yard line, Bernal scampered in for the touchdown to put his team up 28 points over the Cougars.

With only 27 seconds left in the game, senior Brandon Ladley, in for Bernal, carried the ball in for one final touchdown to cap the 49-14 win.

Bernal finished 15-for-28 for 163 yards and a touchdown. He also carried the ball 15 times for 117 yards. Nelson had 100 yards on 14 carries and Weferling had 67 yards on nine carries. Wise caught six passes for 74 yards and Weston O’Conner caught four passes for 40 yards.

The Bearcats (9-2) will host Hart (10-0-1) of Newhall from the Foothill League at War Memorial Stadium on Friday starting at 7:30 p.m.



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