It was a roller coaster night for the Bear River football team with one quick high and an even quicker low to end the game.

With 16 seconds left on the clock, Center wide receiver Robert Gervais crossed the goal line on a 65-yard kickoff return to put the Cougars ahead 35-28 after the extra point.

The Bruins refused to go down without a fight and used the remaining seconds to drive up to the 50-yard line, but time expired and Bear River took its second Pioneer Valley League loss in as many weeks.

“It's a huge loss,” said co-head coach Terry Logue. “Thinking about a league title is over. Now we shoot for the playoffs and try to make something happen there.”

Down 28-21, the Bruins forced a punt with just under four minutes left to play.

Running back Devaughn Lofton brought the ball back to the Bear River 48-yard line, and from there, the Bruin offense put together a game-tying 11-play drive.

On fourth down and goal inside the 1, Jimmy Bamburg punched the ball across the line for his second rushing touchdown of the game.

After a Hayden Macklin extra point, Bear River had new life after trailing for the first 47 minutes of the game.

But it was not to be.

Co-head coach Scott Savoie had few words to describe the feeling afterward but called the experience “devastating.”

It was an uncharacteristic night for the Bruins' defense, which had not given up more than 13 points in a game yet this season.

By the end of the first quarter, Center had taken a 14-0 lead, and Bear River had to fight its way back into the game.

Energy out of the starting gate was something both Savoie and Logue tried to stress during the week's practice.

“We tried to warn them,” said Logue. “We came out flat and it hurt us. There's nothing you can say. Just tip your hat to Center. They played a great game.”

The whole way through, Bruins roamed the sidelines, trying to inject some energy into the players, both on the field and on the bench.

As the half came to a close, the defense began to tighten up, and the offense started to click.

The Bruins headed into the locker room down 21-7 after quarterback James Harris completed a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Wooner with less than a minute to go.

Harris finished the day 14-for-23 with 168 yards passing, including hitting Harley Sauers seven times for 83 yards.

The Bruin run game, which had been held to fewer than 100 yards against Placer last week, came back with a vengeance for 227 yards and three rushing touchdowns.

Earlier in the week, Logue predicted a big game for running back Josh Toft, and Toft came through with 143 yards on 12 carries and a 21-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter.

Bamburg rushed seven times for 19 yards but made his carries count with two scores, and Harris added 56 yards on the ground.

But Center was able to come up with big plays when the situation called for it, including a fake punt on fourth down that turned into a 22-yard gain, and came away with the victory.

“Everything we could do at the wrong time, we did,” said coach Logue. “We let them off the hook.”

The Bruins will try to bounce back next Friday at Lincoln.

JV: BR 39, Center 20

The Bruins' JV squad picked up 274 yards of total offense en route to a 19-point victory over Center, including 192 yards on the ground.

Caleb Johnson came through with a 68-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, and the Bruins managed two touchdowns each through the air and on the ground.

On the other side of the ball, Andrew Leonard had a strong game on defense.

To contact Sports Writer Anthony Barstow, e-mail abarstow@theunion.com or call (530) 477-4232.