REEDLEY – Reedley returned home following a close victory against Orosi looking to put together a more complete game. Standing in their way was a Selma team trying to put a heartbreaking loss to Dinuba in the rear view mirror.
With both teams looking to make a statement in their non-conference match, something had to give. Led by the poise of quarterback Aaron Ramirez, the Bears utilized a blend of run and pass plays to go along with timely defense to pull off a 20-8 victory against the Pirates at Sal Gonzalez Field on Sept. 20. The victory improves the Bears to 3-2 on the season. As for the Pirates, they dropped to 2-2.
“Aaron Ramirez is a stud,” said Bears head coach Mitchell Francis. “He’s the correct guy that we want. He always handles it like a champion.”
The Bears knew they had to put their difficult 12-9 loss to Dinuba behind them if they were going to defeat a tough Pirates team.
“We had a grinder last week,” said Francis. “We knew that we were gonna have to get back to it and do what we’re expecting our guys to do.”
The Bears stuck mostly with the run game on their first possession. The highlight play came when Kayden Berry bounced outside to the left from the Selma 43 yard line for a 27-yard rush that put the ball in Reedley territory. Then, facing a fourth and sixth situation, Ramirez tossed an 11-yard touchdown to Braden Francis for the first score of the game.
As for the Pirates, the Bears defense forced them to go three and out on their first possession.
Ramirez’s execution of the offense was essential as the Bears decided to mix things up against the Pirates. They implemented a balanced game plan of pass and run plays that kept the Pirates guessing all night. “I think we got a wide variety of what we got going on offense,” said Francis.
Ramirez finished the game by going 4/6 for 40 yards. Jacob Hernandez led the Bears ground game, rushing for 88 yards on just eight carries. Overall, the Bears finished with 210 yards of total offense.
As for the Bears’ defense, they kept pressure on the Pirates all night. Quarterback Kyle Bacon never developed any rhythm with his receivers. And the run game was primarily limited to a lot of short yards.
“Our defense is amazing,” said Ramirez. “They got their stops when we needed them. It was perfect.”
The Pirates only scoring drive of the night came in the third quarter. Bacon led the offense down the field to the Bears’ 4-yard line. He handed off to Rocky Garcia who punched it in the end zone for a touchdown. After that, Adrian Morales ran the ball in for a successful 2-point conversion to make the score 14-8.
Francis hopes this victory against the Pirates serves as a turning point for his team for the remainder of the season. “I got to get them playing well and getting them to where they’re confident,” said Francis.
The Bears will take this confident victory with them on the road as their next game is against Immanuel on Oct. 4. The Pirates will have a chance to get back in the win column when they travel to Mt. Whitney on Sept. 27.
