Bearcats hope to rebound with win against Braves Posted: Thursday, Oct 15th, 2009 BY: Brenda Wiley
Picture 1: Running back Robbie Burbank runs the ball during his team’s 21-18 loss to El Diamante on Oct. 9.Tonight the Bearcats open league with a game against Lompoc. Picture 2: Bearcat quarterback Jacob Searcy looks to throw a pass during a recent football game. Photos by Brenda Wiley.
After a disappointing 21-18 loss to El Diamante on Oct. 9, the Bearcat varsity football team ended pre-league competition with a 2-3 record.
Tonight, the Bearcats begin PAC 7 play and open it with a game on the road in Lompoc.
For the Lompoc Braves, it will be their second league game. The Braves lost their league opener 20-0 against the San Luis Obispo Tigers on Oct. 9.
With the loss, the Braves remain winless for the season, 0-5 overall, 0-1 PAC 7.
For the season, the Braves have 231 yards rushing, with Michael Haynes leading his team with nine carries for 71 yards. Nick McComber has 14 carries for 65 yards.
On receiving, the Braves are led by Jake Moreheart who has 12 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns.
Starting quarterback Evan Aguilar is currently injured, so backup quarterback Ryan Bower will be filling in. Bower has gone 2-for-6 for 28 yards and one interception.
Lompoc coach Robin Luken described a tough start to the season for his team.
“It’s tough, we live in a society where winning is everything,” said Luken. “But we just keep telling the kids it’s a learning process, and they’re getting better and we just have to stay positive. It’s just one of those things, life has all kinds of stings for you and you better learn right now how to handle situations.”
In the game against the Tigers, Luken described a Braves team that battled the entire game.
“We played hard for four quarters but we gave up two touchdown passes just before the half, and then they scored late in the game on a big long drive where they ate up about eight minutes on the clock,” he said. “And so it was good in our respect because we competed very hard for four quarters, and we just did the best we could.”
Luken admits the team has struggled offensively this season.
“We have to work on our offense, so that’s what we’re concentrating on right now,” he said.
Some of that inability to be effective offensively stems from inexperience.
“We’re a young team, basically we’re a junior-dominated team,” said Luken.
Both his quarterbacks are juniors as are his wide receivers.
While the team is made up of a majority of underclassmen, two of his key running backs are seniors. One of those, Moreheart leads his team in rushing. Along with Moreheart, Luken mentioned offensive lineman Jonathon Julian, also a senior, as one of the Braves’ key players.
Coming into the game against the Bearcats, Luken expects a physical game, and knows his team will have to be ready for a rush offense.
“We’ll have to stop their run,” he said.
For the Bearcats, senior starting quarterback Thomas Bernal was injured during the St. Joseph game on Sept. 19. Bernal has completed 36 of 64 passes for 430 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. On rushing Bernal has 32 carries for 138 yards and one touchdown.
Junior quarterback Jacob Searcy led the team during its 8-7 win over Garfield on Sept. 25, and the team’s 21-18 loss to El Diamante.
For the season, Searcy has completed six-of-17 passes for 88 yards and one interception.
On rushing, Robbie Burbank leads his team with 112 carries for 804 yards and nine touchdowns. On receiving, sophomore wide receiver Elias Stokes has 16 catches for 296 yards and two touchdowns.
Tonight, Luken knows his team steps on the field to take on a quality opponent, and said his team would continue to do what it's done all season, give a 100 percent regardless of win or lose.
"They're going to bring their 'A' game, they always have against us," he said. "Coach Schimke does a great job of doing the things he does with those kids, and they're just a physical bunch."
Kick off starts at 7:30 p.m. at Lompoc High School.
For the complete article see the 10-16-2009 issue.
