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	Coaches Corner   10/6/2007   The Bears came out hungry and ready to earn a win for the final regular season game.  The focus all week was mental toughness, and to get back to basic blocking and tackling.  Those were the keys as the Bears shutout cross town rival Cougar Gold, 20 – 0. Punt return man Isaiah Farr got the Bears fans to their feet early in the 1st quarter.  He gathered up a Cougar punt on the 35 yard line, weaved his way through a wave of Cougar tacklers, picked up a couple of down field blocks, and then jetted along the Ingersoll stadium sideline for an exciting 65 yard touchdown run. Then the Bears defense took over.  Defensive ends Noah Anderson and Ben Bishop greeted the Cougars in the backfield to disrupt many handoffs as defensive linemen Tyler Mackey, Michael Montello, and Tyler Hong controlled the line.  Linebackers Joel Jones and Joshua Woodson cracked the Cougar running backs causing them to fumble, while nose guard Zach Cusack pounced on the loose football. Back on offense, Quarterback Kaden Wilson guided the Bears through Cougar territory.  Kaden handed the ball to wingback Alec Williams who reversed the play direction, and juked his way down the sideline, rousing the Bears fans to their feet again, for a 55 yard touchdown run.  Running back Eric Daniel popped through for the PAT and a 13 – 0 lead. The Bears defense continued their relentless pursuit of the Cougars.  Defensive backs Joe Ashby, Daeshawn Scott, Treshon Hayes, and Liam Murphy mauled a Cougar running back after a long gain, and the ball popped loose again.  Sliding in to make the fumble recovery was safety Tyler Waltrip. With the ball back in the Bears possession at mid field, running back Liam Shincke got the Bears fans excited one more time as he took the hand off and kicked it into high gear, rocketing 50 yards around the end for the final touchdown, and after the PAT, a 20 – 0 lead. With one last attempt to get on the scoreboard, the Cougar running back broke loose for what looked like a for sure touchdown run.  However, defensive back Graden Payne had the advantage of the angle pursuit and collar tackled the Cougar runner, ending their scoring hopes, and preserving the shutout. Many of the Bears linemen qualify to be running backs, so the coaches made a deal with them, that if they block well, then they’ll get an opportunity to carry the ball.  Tackle Derion Scott has been doing a great job all season, so he earned the chance to be a running back, and busted through the Cougars defense for a first down. The Bears extra hard work and focus in practice paid off with a win, so Coach Dennis Payne picked the entire team as the Players of the Game and treated them all for ice cream. Next week the Bears go into the playoffs and for their first round opponent they take on the Cougar Gold again!  Thanks to all the Bears fans for their support – and be sure to check out our photo section! Go Bears! 9/29/07   The practice week started off with a bang as blocking and tackling fundamental drills were re-emphasized to try and stoke the Bear football fire to flames.  That type of intensity was continued throughout the week in preparation for the upcoming game against the hard-hitting Tornado’s of Yelm.  However, the Bears found out the hard way that the intensity needs to transfer to Saturdays, for the entire game, as the Tornado’s blew through the Bears for a 39 – 13 shellacking at Yelm High School. The Bears took an early 7 – 0 lead on the first play of the game when running back Eric Daniels followed blockers Noah Anderson, Kaden Wilson, Tyler Hong, and Ben Bishop to blast up the middle and dash 60 yards to the end zone for the touchdown.  After the successful PAT, the Bears seemed really fired up for the battle. Unfortunately, the fire dwindled to a smolder quickly as the Tornado’s offensive line doused defensive ends J P Benson and Isaiah Farr, linemen William Montello, Tyler Mackey, Zach Cusack, and Treshon Hayes with some punishing blocks, and the rest of the Bear defenders found the fake bait too tempting as they pursued the off-tackle-counter running play.  That combination allowed the Tornado’s tailbacks some generous running room as they racked up six long touchdown runs against a Bear defense that had been very stingy all year long. The Bears offense regained some respect by dishing out their own version of bruising Bear blocking on the Tornado’s.  Offensive blockers Derion Scott, Kaden Wilson and Liam Shincke helped pave the way for Alec Williams as he executed the reverse to perfection for a 35 yard run. Later in the 4th quarter, the Bears got their second score when fullback Elijah Hill took the snap and sneaked up the middle for a few yards, and when he appeared to be tackled, snapper Joshua Woodson came flying through to lay out the Tornado’s linebacker with a “Superman” block, opening a huge path for a 40 yard touchdown run. The consistent bright spot for the Bears this season has been kick off and kick return specialists Tyler Waltrip, Graden Payne, Michael Montello, Joe Ashby, and Daeshawn Scott.  In this game they got all the work they needed on the special teams unit, and may not need to spend as much time practicing kick returns next week! At the post game team meeting, the coaches reminded the Bear players of how proud we are of them, and commended them for displaying character maturity, good sportsmanship, and a never give up attitude. The coaching staff also appreciates the support from the Bear parents, grandparents, family and friends during the “rain or shine” of a season.  Thanks for cheering us on! And from the positive side of youth sports that you don’t read about often enough in the newspaper…..After the post game high fives, both teams met at mid-field for a special recognition.  The Tornado’s have a tradition to select a player from each visiting team by giving a sportsmanship award.  Bear lineman Ben Bishop was honored by the Tornado’s as he was the recipient of the Sportsmanship Medal. The Bears are excited and looking forward to their next opponent as they host the cross town rival Cougar Gold! Go Bears! 9/22/07 The Major JV Black Bears took one on the chin as they were shut out by the undefeated Silver Hawks 18 – 0 at Ingersoll Stadium.   The game was decided on three big offensive plays by the Silver Hawks.  The first one occurred early in the game after the Bears gave up possession of the ball after four quick plays on offense.  The Silver Hawks first offensive play caught the Bears defense in transition by surprise as the running back scooted off tackle to get outside and down the sideline for a 55 yard touchdown run.   The Bears did answer that wake up call, and the game became a tough defensive struggle after that, as the teams matched up well.  The remainder of the 1st half was a see-saw battle at mid field as neither team’s offense mounted much of a threat.  Defensive linemen William Montello and Tyler Mackey lead the Bears defense recording many tackles behind the line of scrimmage and kept the Silver Hawks in check.   Then the second big play for the Silver Hawks happened on the final play of the 1st half.  The Bears defense had the Silver Hawks stuck at the 50 yard line.  As the clock ticked down to zero, the Silver Hawks quarterback looped a quick pass over the Bear defense, connecting with the speedy wide receiver, who raced into the end zone as the horn sounded, giving the Silver Hawks a 12 – 0 half time lead.   The third and final big play happened early in the 4th quarter as the Bears defense was again holding the Silver Hawks at 3rd down and long on the 45 yard line.  The Bear tacklers thought they had the Silver Hawks runner trapped, when he broke free and popped another long run down the sideline to put the Silver Hawks in scoring position.  One play later the Silver Hawks running back bobbed his way through the Bears defense for the score, to put the game away.   Looking back on the game, the Bears actually played well this week even though the scoreboard didn’t reflect the team’s effort.  They improved by keeping the number of penalties down to a minimum with only a couple of minor infractions.   As we reach the mid point of the regular league season, some simple football principles were emphasized in the loss, such as the importance of teamwork when it comes to blocking and tackling.   The Bears were a little low in the morale department, as was expected after the tough loss.  They were reminded to always give their best effort at practice and in the game, stand proud as a team, and have a confident spirit as we move on to the next opponent.    Next week, the Bears hit the road for a battle with the Tornados of Yelm.   Go Bears! 9/15/07   Week #2 for the Major JV Black Bears was a bit of a heart breaker as they took on the Gold T-Birds.  The Bears played some exciting football, but their great effort fell short as the T-Birds squeaked by the Bears with a 12 – 7 victory.   The Bears were dominating in the first half of the game.  The offense marched up and down the field slashing and weaving through the T-Birds defense.  Liam Murphy stepped in to take over the offense, after quarterback Kaden Wilson was knocked from the game early in the 2nd quarter with a knee injury.  Wing back Alec Williams got the Bears rolling down to the 3 yard line, and in scoring position as he scooted around the T-Birds for a 30 yard reverse run.  But, a couple of inadvertent penalties pushed the Bears back from the goal, and they turned the ball over on downs.   The Bears “Monster” defensive scheme held the T-Birds to only two offensive series during the 1st half.  Joshua Woodson, William Montello, Tyler Mackey, Daeshawn Scott, and Joel Jones took turns pouncing on the T-Birds with blitzes, and recorded several tackles behind the line of scrimmage.  Since the T-Birds running game was stymied by the Bears, they attempted to go to the air, only to find defensive tackle Big Ben Bishop who grasped the T-Bird pass for an interception, and rambled back for a 15 yard return.   In the second quarter, running back Eric Daniel finally found the end zone on a sweep run around the end for the Bears only touchdown.  Tailback Isaiah Farr punched through the defense for the PAT as the Bears took a 7- 0 lead.   The T-Birds caught the Bears by surprise as they answered back on the ensuing kick off.  The T-Bird return man alluded several Bear tacklers and returned the kick off 60 yards to narrow the score to 7 – 6 at half time.   In the second half, Murphy had the Bears charging by connecting on a couple of 15 yard passing strikes to tight end Elijah Hill, and fullback Liam Shincke jumped behind the blocking of Bear linemen Zach Cusack, Derion Scott, and Tyler Hong, finding plenty of running room for another 15 yards to get the Bears in scoring position.  Unfortunately, a couple of untimely miscues kept the Bears out of the end zone again.   The Bears defense kept the pressure on the T-Birds all game long.  Speedy defensive end Noah Anderson and cornerback Graden Payne swarmed the T-Birds running backs, as they both raced to make touchdown saving tackles.   Late in the 4th quarter, with both teams running out of energy, the T-Birds tumbled into the end zone for the game winning touchdown.  Time ran out on the Bears, as their rally came up short, allowing the T-Birds to run out the clock for the win.   The loss is just a bump in the road, since the Bears were there own worst enemy.  This week the Bears will regroup and refine assignments and focus on getting back on the winning track. Go Bears!   9/08/07   The MJV Black Bears started their season with an exciting 1 point win over the Black Wolves at Black Hills HS.  The final score was Bears 14 - Wolves 13.  The Bears wingback J P Benson scored early in the first quarter by weaving through several Wolves defenders after hauling in a quick pass from Kaden Wilson.  The Wolves answered back with a late 2nd quarter touchdown to tie the score at half time.  Running backs Isaiah Farr, Alec Williams, and Eric Daniels credited the blocking of the Bears offensive linemen Noah Anderson, Elijah Hill, Ben Bishop, Derion Scott, Tyler Mackey, Zach Cusack and Tyler Hong for some great running play opportunities.  Eric scored the second touchdown of the game during the 3rd quarter following the blocking of the Bears offensive line, and then galloping through the Wolves defense on a great running effort. Special teams players Tyler Waltrip, Liam Murphy, Graden Payne, Treshon Hayes, and Michael Montello got into the action by keeping the Wolves deep in their own territory.  Kicker Elijah Hill recovered his own short kick off across the middle, by coming up from the bottom of the pile with the ball after his kick had pinballed off of 3 Wolves. The Bears defense, anchored by William Montello, Joel Jones, Liam Shincke, and Daeshawn Scott, rallied for several timely defensive gems.  In the 3rd quarter, Joe Ashby swatted down a Wolves pass on a crucial 3rd down play, which would have resulted in a Wolves first down, and maybe more, to shut down the Wolves drive.  In the 4th quarter, a couple of Bears penalties helped the Wolves move the ball into scoring position.  After a Wolves touchdown, Tyler Hong came up with the game saving goal line tackle on the PAT to stop the Wolves for good. The game ended as the Bears ran out the last seconds of the clock for the win.  Overall it was a great way to start the season! "Nobody who ever gave his best regretted it." George Halas