Bears beat Cougars in crossover, on to state

WHITE SWAN – The Brewster Bears varsity football team, combining a strong offensive attack and some big plays on defense, kept its state hopes alive with a 60-46 loser-out win over the Cougars in a crossover game at White Swan last Friday, Nov. 8.

“We did a good job offensively only having to punt twice,” said head coach Jake Johanson of the 562 total yards the Bears gained. Contributing to Brewster’s offensive punch was sophomore wide receiver Adiah Najera who carried the ball 22 times for 199 yards and three touchdowns. Senior quarterback Mason Kelly kept the ball seven times for short yardage but the 21 yards he gained included three TDs. Freshman running back Clayton Isensee ran for 58 yards on 14 carries and added another score.

Isensee has a great game for a freshman,” said Johanson, “and our offensive line led by Rodolfo Madrid, Anthony Olvera, Anthony Talavera, Bryan Talavera, Cristan Duran and Mario Guzman paved the way for 308 yards rushing on the night.”

Kelly connected on five of nine passes for 109 yards that included an interception and touchdown. Junior wide receiver Logan McGuire caught one of those strikes for a score and freshman wide receiver Nico Maldonado pulled down his only reception for a 44-yard TD. Gebbers also connected on two-for-two passing and a touchdown.

“Defensively we made some big plays and made some big hits that we have been waiting for all season,” Johanson said.

Junior linebacker Arne Arevalo was credited with 21 combined tackles and a forced fumble. Isensee had 17 combined tackles and half of a quarterback sack. Najera had seven combined tackles, a QB sack and two forced fumbles. Kelly intercepted a pass, had three combined tackles and a fumble recovery.

The Bears, seeded 16^th in state rankings, have a tall challenge in the first round of the WIAA state tournament facing No. 1 ranked Onalaska at 8 p.m., Friday, Nov. 15, at Onalaska Memorial Football field.