by 
Last Friday night at Dave Mcfee Memorial field, the Ray Bearcats hosted the Valley Union Blue Devils in a key conference matchup. It was the last home game for six seniors, although there were only five seniors that took the field that night, the sixth senior Alex Carrera was there to be introduced to the Bearcat crowd. After suffering a season ending knee injury in a scrimmage game, Carrera never got to play in another down this season for the Bearcats.
His loss was a huge void for the Bearcat team. Seniors playing their last home game were Patrick Morales, Josette Kimmel, Daniel Harmon, Clarence Baptisto, and Jacob Wernett. Every senior on the team played a key role in Friday’s victory but it was Jacob Wernett who shined in his final home game, rushing for a game and season high of 230 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bearcats to a 54-0 win over the Blue Devils.
Wernett got his first score on the second play of scrimmage as he sprinted 69 yards for the Bearcats first touchdown. The two point conversion pass from Destry Yocum to Dominic Bravo gave the Bearcats an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter. The Bearcats would get the ball back on their own 30-yard line after forcing a turnover on downs.
The Bearcats then marched down the field 70 yards to add another score as Yocum capped the drive with a 1-yard quarterback keeper. The two point by Baptisto was good to give the Bearcats a 16-0 lead with 4:00 left in the first. Turnovers plagued the Blue Devils as defensive end Jacob Pace had one of three takeaways stripping the Blue Devil running back of the ball as time expired in the first quarter.
The Bearcats started the second quarter on their own 38-yard line. A big pass reception of 38 yards by Bravo from Yocum put the Bearcats in scoring position. Wernett then took the handoff from 2 yards on the fourth play of the drive to score his second touchdown of the night.
The two point failed giving the Bearcats a 22-0 lead with 9:35 left in the quarter. After another three and out for the Blue Devils the Bearcats took over the ball at midfield. With 5:00 left in the first, half the Bearcats scored again on a 15-yard quarterback keeper by Yocum. Yocum added the two point conversion to bring the lead to 30-0.
The Blue Devils in need of a score put together a drive. Moving the ball with ease, the Blue Devils finally broke into Bearcat territory. Their stay did not last long as defensive back Bravo grabbed the first of two interceptions stopping the Blue Devil drive. Starting from their own 15, Wernett took the ball and out ran the Blue Devil defense 85 yards for his third score of the game.
The run on the two-point conversion by Nick Lara gave the Bearcats a 38-0 halftime lead.
Coming out of the locker room for the second half the Blue Devils tried to catch the Bearcats off guard by attempting an onside kick. The ball was recovered by the Cats on the Blue Devil 47-yard line.
The Bearcats took advantage of the short field using only three plays to find the end zone as Wernett got his fourth and final touchdown of the night on a 16-yard run. The two point conversion by Yocum gave the Bearcats a demanding 47-0 lead. With the 42-point rule taking affect, the game clock ran continuous bringing the third quarter to a quick end.
After an interception by the Bearcat defense at the end of the third quarter, the offense started the final quarter of play on the Blue Devil 32-yard line. The Bearcats ate up most of the quarter on a drive that was capped on a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Patrick Morales.
The two-point conversion by Morales was good bringing the final score to 54-0.
The Bearcats played an astonishing game both offensively and defensively. Leading the rushing attack was Wernett with 230 yards on 11 carries and 4 touchdowns, and Morales had 10 yards on four rushes and a touchdown. Quarterback Yocum completed nine of 15 passes for 96 yards. Receiving Bravo had 80 yards on four catches.
Defensively the Bearcats held the Blue Devils to under 100 yards for the game. Leading tackler for the Bearcats was Yocum with six and one assist, Wernett and Pace had four tackles and assists each, Julio Noriega had three tackles and two sacks, and Ryan Bickley, Robert Medina, and Bravo with two each.
The Bearcats will be making the short trip to take on their rival Hayden Lobos Friday night. Let’s all go out and give our support. Good luck Bearcats!
To comment on this article and others visit the Copper Area News Facebook or send us an email at CBNSun@MinerSunBasin.com
by by