GRAHAMSVILLE – Saturday’s weather was the perfect backdrop for a Bears vs. Wolves matchup. It was also senior day for the Bears’ football team and cheer squad. The Bears asserted themselves early on offense. Logan Noren put the first points on the scoreboard on a Bears’ third down. The home team quickly converted the extra two points to take an 8-0 lead. 

After Tri-Valley forced a QB sack against the Rockland Wolves, that halted the chances of evening the score during that possession. On the Bears’ next set of downs, Matthew Ortiz Jimenez rushed 61 yards into the end zone, and the crowd erupted! 

The Bears extended their lead to 16-0 after the extra points. The Wolves came out after the half to receive, and after a set of well-handled possessions by Jacob Davis, Elijah Feliciano, and Karell Simmons, the Wolves made it into the end zone but could not convert on the extra point attempt. Both teams turned the ball over on downs during their next offensive possessions. When the Bears regained possession on their own 40-yard line, Noren ran it in for a 40-yard touchdown. 

However, a penalty flag against the offense on the 2-point conversion forced the Bears back 5 yards, and they failed to convert. The clock was ticking away for the Wolves, but at the five-minute mark, freshman Carson Branch went for six to make it 22-12, the final score. Coach Kevin Crudele was pleased with his team’s win, saying, “We go week by week! We consider ourselves 0-0 after every game. This is a division game, and it was a big win, but we have to improve on penalties. We had penalties last week, and we had 10 penalties today. We have to clean that up first and foremost.