Bear River’s Anders Torgerson runs the ball during the Bruins’ 20-6 win over Foothill on Friday. Torgerson finished the game with 103 rush yards, and two made field goals.
Bear River’s Anders Torgerson runs the ball during the Bruins’ 20-6 win over Foothill on Friday. Torgerson finished the game with 103 rush yards, and two made field goals.
In a gritty, slip and slide affair, the Bear River football team held strong and notched its first home victory of the season, defeating Pioneer Valley League foe Foothill, 20-6, Friday night at J. David Ramsey Stadium.
“We finally got our momentum,” said Bruins senior fullback Ryder Kiggins, who ran for 121 yards on 18 attempts with a pair of touchdowns. “People are coming back. People were hurt, I was hurt. I’m back, almost 100%. We’re doing good.”
The Bruins didn’t waste any time, recovering an onside kick to open the game and sending the Mustangs back on their hooves with an eight-play, 48-yard drive ending with a Kiggins’ 2-yard plunge for a 6-0 lead.
Bear River’s Ryder Holcomb (30) leads the way for Hunter Profumo during the Bruins’ 20-6 win over Foothill on Friday.
Junior Anders Torgerson would add a 25-yard field goal in the final seconds of the first half and Bear River took a 9-0 advantage into the locker room. Torgerson shared the load with Kiggins out of the backfield and also eclipsed the century mark, tallying 23 touches for 103 yards.
“It was a great crowd, a great night,” said co-head coach Mike Profumo. “Kids came out, played hard and fought. A little bit better each week, that’s our goal. Ryder and Torgerson both blocked really well. They’re blocking for each other. They want each other to do well, they’re not selfish so they get after it for each other.”
Foothill tried its own surprise onside kick to open the second half, but Bear River pounced and seized the opportunity. Two plays later Kiggins broke free around the right edge and went the distance 46 yards, avoiding a shoestring tackle and stumbled across the goal line for a 17-0 lead. Torgerson made good on the two-point conversion.
Bear River’s Ryder Holcomb breaks up a pass during the Bruins’ 20-6 home win over Foothill.
“That big one was a good one, I was excited,” added Kiggins about the long sprint. “I was pumped for that one. First one, I didn’t know I scored until I looked up and I was past the line.”
Torgerson added the exclamation point, launching another field goal through the uprights late in the fourth quarter from 35 yards out as Bear River cruised to victory.
“A win is a win and we love having wins,” said co-head coach Tanner Mathias, who later expanded on his team’s adaptation to the field conditions. “Mud is what Bear River does. We do it every year. We have a grass field on purpose. So when teams like this come down, when Center comes down, those guys aren’t used to running on grass and it takes away from the things they do really well in open space. When we get tight and in the mud and all muddy and stuff, it’s what we do best.”
Bear River’s Micah Patton runs the ball during the Bruins’ 20-6 win. Photo
‘THE WIN FELT GOOD’
Defensively Bear River delivered time and again, shutting down Foothill when it mattered most. The Bruins yielded just 33 rushing yards on 22 attempts and held Mustangs’ quarterback Brandon Herrera to 10-for-26 passing with only 102 yards and an interception by Torgerson in the first half.
“The win felt good,” said Bruins senior quarterback and defensive end Gino Lorenzo, who stepped up big, wrapping up five tackles and also recording a strip sack fumble in the first half. “We all played good. I was happy with our effort. Defensively we gang tackled. Super happy with our whole team and we hit hard and rushed good, made tackles.”
Bear River players carry out teammate Chase Milligan’s jersey ahead of Friday night’s game.
Kiggins also made his presence felt with five tackles, followed by junior Tyler Brenes with four. Junior Wyatt Baze blocked a punt in the first half and finished with three and a half tackles, including a sack.
Bear River (3-5, 3-1 PVL) will face some stiff competition as it concludes its 2021 regular season campaign on the road against rival Colfax (6-2, 4-0 PVL) next Friday.
Bear River’s Anders Torgerson runs the ball. Torgerson finished the game with 103 rush yards, and two made field goals.
JV: BEAR RIVER 36 FOOTHILL 0
The Bruins (5-1-1) dominated the game from wire to wire and kept the Mustangs in the barn.
Brian Shepard is a freelance sports writer who contributes regularly to The Union
SCORE BY QUARTER
FIRST QUARTER
BR: Ryder Kiggins 2-yard run. Two-point try no good. (9:57)
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