By Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium
Saturday evening brought a misty feeling to Renton Memorial Stadium as the 12U B12 Bearcats (5-2) traveled from Vancouver to take on the 11U Benson Bruins (5-2), the top-ranked 11U team on the West Coast, in a Northwest Premier Junior Football League 12U division matchup. Coming into the game, both Benson and B12 Bearcats were in a three-way tie with Grid Iron for second place in the division. With a victory, one team would tie the 12U Gridiron team for the second-place seeding in the upcoming playoffs, which begin next week, and the other team would fall to the fourth and final playoff spot.
Both teams were extremely confident coming into the game with high expectations regarding where their teams stood in the playoff race.
“[I trust] the hard work these guys put in all season,” said Benson Bruins Head Coach Chris Vala. “[For me] I never underestimate the other side; it’s any given weekend, any given Sunday, or any given Saturday… As long as our guys play their game, we’ll be just fine.”
The Bearcats had a good idea of how the Bruins would play, and they were very determined to get onto the field and show what they’re made of.
“[We prepared] well and we’re just ready to play,” said B12 Bearcats Head Coach Jamar Howard. “We know they’re a good team and well-coached, but we’re ready for this.”
At the start of the game, the Bruins’ defense came out on fire as they forced the Bearcats into a very quick three-and-out. Benson’s constant pressure kept B12 at bay, as they were getting into the backfield, stopping every run and pass play that came their way.
The Benson Bruins’ offense set the tone early with two running backs in Deshawn Brown and Lawrence Philips who could completely wear down a defense. Their combination of running the ball with their ground-and-pound philosophy set up their first touchdown of the night, with quarterback Heathcliff Love connecting on an eleven-yard pass to game MVP Kaiden “Agent 44” Leonardo.
The game became a defensive battle, as the two teams traded sacks and a failed 4th-down conversion by the Bruins, until the 5:50 mark of the second quarter. The Bruins had a time-draining drive led by Phillips, who punched the ball in from two yards out, giving Benson a 12-0 lead.
The intensity of the game was evident as “Agent 44” and Benson’s Michael Johnson combined for a sack that turned into a mini-scuffle during the final minute of the first half. Calmer heads prevailed, and play resumed without any penalties.
Choosing to let his play do the talking, “Agent 44” scored on a long touchdown pass from Love right before halftime, making the game 19-0 in favor of the Benson Bruins.
Down but not out, B12’s coaches rallied their players together and preached about what they needed to do to become victorious as the second half approached.
As the second half began, all the momentum shifted to the Bearcats as they came out on fire, shutting down the Bruins for the majority of the third quarter, with Kingston Vercher leading the way as he recorded two sacks. Bearcats quarterback Dae-Dae Washington was doing his best impression of Cam Newton or Michael Vick by extending plays and improvising with his legs to create first downs and keep the chains moving.
Towards the end of the third quarter, B12’s Donovan Cercenia made a clutch catch on third down, which set up an eleven-yard touchdown run by Steven Tuiileila, making the game 19-6 going into the 4th quarter. The Bruins answered with a touchdown drive of their own, with a score by Lawrence Phillips, bringing the score to 25-6.
After a turnover on downs, the Bearcats needed an answer on defense as time was winding down on the clock. This defensive intensity by the Bearcats led to an interception by Cercenia, which set up a 90-yard touchdown run by Washington, making the game 25-13.
With about five minutes left in the game, the Bruins put a dagger in the Bearcats as Love connected with Alexander Richards for his third touchdown pass of the night, making the game 31-13. Despite that, the Bearcats wouldn’t go away as they capped the night off with the final score of their night on a 60-yard touchdown, ending the game 31-19 Benson Bruins.
Both coaches had their ups and downs in terms of how they felt about the game afterward, but going into the playoffs, both have high aspirations for what they want to see from their teams going forward.
“[We] started off slow, but that second half was great… We were just down a little bit too much, but we’re going to see them again,” said 12U Bearcats Head Coach Jamar Howard.
“[I thought] our team played well; everything wasn’t perfect, but that’s just the game of football; they’re a great team,” said Benson Bruins Head Coach Chris Vala.
With the win, Benson secured a tie with Grid Iron for 2nd place at 6-2, with B12 falling into 4th place at 5-3. Next week, Benson and Grid Iron will play as the 2-3 seeds, and B12 will face HEIR 12U in the 1-4 matchup.
