ARBUCKLE, CA (MPG) – Over the previous five years, Pierce and East Nicolaus have developed a healthy rivalry given that they have squared off against each other eight times, three of which were in the playoffs. 

However, on Oct. 4 at LeMaster Field, Pierce avenged last season’s 13-20 loss to the Spartans, as they contained the Spartan offense that has thus far has averaged 279.5 yards and 27.5 points per game, to send the homecoming crowd home happy after a 21-15 Bears’ victory.

The Pierce offense did its part early, putting up 13 points in the first half, it was an even better performance by the Bear defense that held off the Spartan’s impressive junior quarterback Mason Taylor, to earn the win and keep Pierce tied with Winters atop the Sacramento Valley League standings.

Although the Spartans outgained Pierce 262 to 248 in total yards, the Bear defense forced four punts in addition to stopping East Nicolaus three times on fourth down including twice in the final period.

The Spartans’ second half comeback attempt was largely foiled on a second down with just over three minutes remaining in the game, when Rodrigo Velazquez and Nathan Gomez combined to sack Taylor, resulting in a 12-yard loss for the Spartans and ultimately forcing them to punt two plays later.

Gomez, in particular, was a presence on defense all night long, finishing with a team-high 10 tackles for the Bears, including four for losses.

Overall, it was a performance that Bears’ Coach Anthony Tapia found to his liking saying, “Our defense played hard. Their quarterback keeps the play going so we were preaching to our guys to make the sure tackle and not give up additional yardage. That sack was a perfect example. We had just subbed in Rodrigo and he wrapped up the quarterback down low, while Gomez finished him off up high.”

The Bear offense needed to put together sustained drives to keep the powerful Spartan offense off the field, and to put points on the board to stay ahead of the Spartans.

Starting on its own 21, Pierce proceeded to march 79 yards, converting on fourth down along the way to keep the drive alive, before Gomez powered his way into the end zone from a yard out.

Pierce quarterback Drew Burnum, who completed five passes for 88 yards on the night, also played a big role in producing the Bears’ first touchdown, picking his way through the line on the fourth-down play and then five plays later hitting Gavin Guynn with a pass that took the ball to the one.

It was another good outing for Burnum, who is showing the maturity and decision-making that has given Pierce the edge as Guynn explained, “It feels like the way Drew is playing has added another element to our offense. We have been practicing together for four years, so this is awesome. I’m excited to keep it going.

Now in the second quarter, the Spartans were forced to go three and out, the Bears then embarked on an eight-play drive that culminated with Burnum running to the outside, untouched into the end zone to give Pierce a 13-0 lead that it would take into halftime.

With the Bears set to receive the second half kick, East Nicolaus opted for an ambitious onside-kick attempt, which played into Pierce’s hand after Guynn recovered it at the Bear 45.  

From there, Pierce turned to running back Nate McIntosh, who took the ball to the Spartan 31 after carrying four straight times.

At that juncture, the East Nicolaus defense lost its focus and committed two penalties on the same play resulting in 20 additional yards and the ball being placed inside the red zone at the 11.

Following an incomplete pass, McIntosh took the ensuing handoff and weaved his way through would-be tacklers for the touchdown and then tacked on the two-point conversion for what proved to be the game-winner.

To their credit, East Nicolaus did not go down without a fight and scored on back-to-back drives to make it a one possession game, but ultimately, despite coming away empty with the ball at the one-yard line, Pierce was able to withstand a desperate attempt by the Spartans to rally and secure the win.

For the Spartan offense, junior quarterback Mason Taylor stood out with 148 yards passing with one touchdown and 55 yards rushing. That brings Taylor’s season totals to nine touchdowns through the air and seven rushing touchdowns according to MaxPreps.

The Bears’ defensive backfield had a big night turning in a season’s best 13 defended passes with Guynn, Saavedra, Austin Jorge and Jonathan Vazquez each accounting for two.

Offensively, the Bear running game was led by McIntosh, who carried 12 times for 50 yards, Burnum with 11 rushes for 42 yards and Gomez, who finished with 36 yards on 15 carries.

On the whole, while the contest was perhaps a bit nerve-racking for Pierce, it wasn’t entirely surprising according to Tapia, who said, “I was worried about the distractions that go along with Homecoming, but honestly it was exactly what I expected. They’re a good team, although I think we’re better. There was a moment of unease when we didn’t finish that last drive, but with the way our defense was playing I was comfortable with them having to go 90 yards to beat us.”

The Spartans with a record of three wins and three losses thus far this season, will be looking to get back into the win column when they host Paradise on Oct. 11, after press time.