Brewster opens football season with non-league loss to Chelan

Six All-League veterans return

By Mike Maltais
Staff writer

BREWSTER – The Bears varsity football team opened its 2019 season with a 35-25 non-league loss to the visiting Chelan Goats of the 1A Caribou Trail League, but it took the Goats the better part of four quarters to finally lead by double digits.
Chelan started with a bang after recovering a Bears’ fumble on the very first play of the game and scoring a 40-yard touchdown on the next play. A pass play to Cade Gebbers near the Chelan goal set up Brewster’s first TD to end the quarter, 7-6.
Chelan jumped out to a 14-6 lead early in the second quarter but would not lead by more than a touchdown until late in the fourth when the Goats added seven points to a 28-25 lead to win by 10.
“I thought that Logan McGuire played a great game offensively for his first high school football game,” said head coach Jake Johanson. “He made some big plays to bail us out.”
Johanson added that Adaih Najera “ran well all night and played tough on defense.”
Other defensive highlights went to Gio Nila and Arnie Arevalo with seven tackles each. Cade Gebbers picked off a Chelan pass and returned it 83 yards for a Bears’ TD. Jorge Ramirez added another interception.
Brewster finished second in the Central Washington 2B League last season, earned a spot in the state playoffs and fell to Napavine in the first round. The Bears lost seven seniors to graduation but have six returning CWB All-League players. They are seniors Mason Kelly, Jorge Ramirez and Rodolfo Madrid, juniors Gio Nila and Mario Guzman, and sophomore Arnie Arevalo.
The Bears travel to Quincy for a non-league on Friday, Sept. 13.
 Bears stats:
QB Mason Kelly -15-24 for 236 yards, 0 TD, 2 INT
Rushing
Gio Nila - 17 carries for 103 yds, 1 TD
Adaih Najera - 9 carries for 69 yds, 1 TD
Jorge Ramirez - 7 carries for 24 yds, 1 TD
Receiving
Logan McGuire - 5 catches for 99 yds
Cade Gebbers - 5 catches for 93 yds
Adaih Najera - 2 catches for 43 yds
Jorge Ramirez - 3 catches for 1 yd