Home  Football Football - Gutty, Gritty Bears Fall Short in NEFC Championship Game
|
|
Football - Gutty, Gritty Bears Fall Short in NEFC Championship Game |
|
|
 NEFC Bogan Division Offensive Player of the Year Christian George scored the only Coast Guard touchdown, but left the game in the third quarter with an injury.
Coast Guard which won its second straight NEFC Bogan Division championship, finishes the season 8-2. The Bears have not applied for consideration to an ECAC Bowl game this season.
Curry (11-0) which beat Coast Guard 34-28 in the 2006 NEFC Championship Game held off the Bears, who used a halfback option pass from senior running back Lance Lynch to sophomore Sam England, a 37- yard strike, which set up the Bears at Curry 25 with under a minute to play. England was wide open and had to turn back toward to ball which was slightly underthrown, but he held on to the ball as he fell to the turf.
Junior quarterback Niles Pierson (6 of 17, 48 yards) ran for three yards on the next play before being sacked for a seven yard loss on third down. Pierson spiked the ball to kill the clock on third down as the Bears had no timeouts left, but the game tying field goal was partially blocked.
Coast Guard, just as they did in last season's NEFC Championship Game, struck first. Senior quarterback Christian George (1 of 5, nine yards) scored on a one-yard run with 3:09 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.
Junior linebacker Brian Yurovich (11 tackles, two sacks, forced fumble), who had a great game, intercepted a pass which led to the Bears 51-yard touchdown drive.
Curry tied the game on a 19-yard touchdown pass from Ryan Van De Giesen (13 of 24, 138 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) to Felix Borukhov with six minutes left in the first half.
Curry took the 10-7 lead on a 19-yard field goal by David Vincent the opening drive of the second half, but credit the Coast Guard defense which kept the Colonels out of the endzone as they had a first-and-goal from the six.
George, the two-time NEFC Bogan Division Player of the Year, was hurt on the next series and would not return, Coast Guard was forced to punt, the Bears' defense came up big once again as the Colonels drove 63 yards to the Bear 21 before Jamaal Woods fumbled, the fumble was forced by Yurovich and recovered by Brian Field.
Curry dominated play in the third quarter as they totaled 134 yards, 113 on the ground, while holding Coast Guard to just nine total yards. The Colonels came out in the second half established the run as they ran it 23 times equalling its 23 first half rushes.
The Curry defense was dominating play in the second half, so the Coast Guard special teams looked to give the Bears a chance as Pat Frost blocked a punt giving the Bears the ball at the Curry 48 with 8:36 left in the game, but the Bears again went three and out.
The Colonels took over with 7:04 left and converted three third down conversions moving the ball slowly down the field. With 1:25 left Curry faced a 4th-and-five from the Bear 21. Vincent would miss a 38-yard field goal giving the Bears one last chance.
Pierson completed a 14-yard pass to Cale Cooper putting the ball on the Bear 38 before the Lynch to England halfback option pass down to the Curry 22.
Curry finished with 444 total yards, 306 on the ground as Woods (23 carries, 135 yards) and game MVP Steve DiFabio (26 carries 127 yards) each went over 100 yards in the game.
Coast Guard finished with 201 yards, 107 rushing. Lynch led the Bears with 22 carries for 63 yards while George had 12 carries for 62 yards.
Sophomore defensive back Kevin Novick led the Coast Guard defense with a career-high 13 tackles while freshman Kyle Ennis and Yurovich each finished with 11. Curry which came in averaging a NEFC best 41.5 points per game was held to a season-low 10 points.
|
|