The Bearcats scored their first of seven touchdowns just over four minutes into the first quarter as they went on to shut out the Santa Ynez Pirates 52-0 on Friday in front of a packed home crowd at War Memorial Stadium.

At the half, the Bearcats were up 35-0.

“We were confident coming in and this team is a great group of guys that has talent,” said Paso Robles varsity head coach Rich Schimke.

That talent was evident throughout the game, as Josh Weferling and Brett Wise scored two touchdowns, and Nathan Nelson, Travis Davis and Brandon Ladley each added one.

“That’s the design of the offense, to hit all over the place and not be one dimensional,” Schimke said.

The Bearcats tallied a total of 25 first downs, rushed for 162 yards and passed for another 263 yards while scoring 52 points. Nelson kicked off the offensive explosion for the Bearcats by catching a short pass in the flat and powering in for an 11-yard touchdown reception. With the extra point, Paso Robles led 7-0.

Nelson caught four passes for 48 yards and carried the ball once for 11 yards.

With just over two minutes left in the second quarter, Weferling scored his first of two touchdowns for the night on a four-yard Ladley pass, putting Paso Robles up 14-0 at the end of one quarter..

The second quarter provided the Bearcats with another three touchdowns, as they ended the half, 35-0.

A 40-yard pass from Ladley to Wise gave the Bearcats their third touchdown of the night, as they jumped ahead 21-0. Wise would get his second touchdown pass of the night, and his teams fourth, on a 12-yard pass from Ladley in the left corner of the end zone on fourth down. With the extra point, the Bearcats moved ahead of the Pirates, 28-0. That touchdown was set up by a blocked punt that was recovered by Robbie Boggs deep in Pirates’ territory.

Wise described the unity the team displayed on the field as a key contributor to the win.

“We practiced hard together and that carries over into playing [during the game],” Wise said.

Wise caught a team-high seven passes for 98 yards and two scores.

The Bearcats added a final touchdown to the first half, on a quarterback draw from Ladley on a second and goal. The senior Bearcat passer pounded the ball in from a yard out.

Ladley accounted for a lions’ share of the Bearcat offense, going 19-for-26 for 234 yards and five touchdowns without throwing an interception. He also carried the ball seven times for 42 yards and a touchdown, leading the Paso Robles rushing attack. Fullback Andy Bridge also registered 41 yards on seven carries as the team posted 162 yards on 29 carries from six different ball carriers.

Ladley said his offensive line was key to his success as quarterback in the game.

“They did a tremendous job blocking, they did their job, and that’s the reason everything came together,” Ladley said.

Ladley applauded his team’s defense as well.

“There’s a double zero up on the board, and you can’t say much more than that,” he said.

The Bearcat defense allowed the Pirates just five first downs, 23 yards passing and 68 yards rushing on 26 attempts. They allowed 91 total yards and forced three turnovers.

The Bearcats started the second half with a bang, as Travis Davis picked one off for another TD.

“I didn’t really expect it to happen, that fast coming out of the second half, but it felt good,” Davis said. “It was really just a technical thing, we were doing the right things on that play and it all came together, and I was in the right spot at the right time.”

Even when things went wrong, it turned out right for the Bearcats. On the extra point attempt, the snap got away from Michael Stark who then picked up the ball and flipped it to Weferling in the end zone for the two-point conversion, making it 43-0.

Later in the third, Weferling caught his second touchdown pass of the night, this time from 12 yards out to make it 49-0. Weferling caught five passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball six times for 31 yards.

In the fourth quarter, a number of Bearcat reserves, including second-string quarterback Austin Flynn, got into the game. Flynn was 4 –for-5 for 29 yards and led the Bearcats to a field goal attempt. Ryan Bedell, who nailed five extra points during the game, made a 24-yard field goal to cap the scoring for Paso Robles.

“One game doesn’t make the season, but it’s definitely a step in the right direction,” Schimke said.

The Bearcats play at home against Hanford on Friday starting at 7:30 p.m., and JV game starts at 5 p.m.



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