Summerville Vs. Hughson Recap: Bears Fall 14-13
Written by: Mike Woicicki
Stockton, CA — The outstanding season for the Summerville Bears came to a halt one play short of a storybook ending when the Hughson Huskies topped the Bears 14 to 13 to win the Sac-Joaquin Section D-6 championship.
As the score indicates, this was a real battle in the trenches. On their first drive the Bears could gain no traction and had to punt. The Huskies then drove the ball 90 yards for their first touchdown of the game and used eight minutes in the process. The Bears began their second drive from their own 38 following the subsequent kick off. They seemed to be in the zone as they moved the ball down to the one-yard line, but were stopped short of the goal line by the strong push of the Hughson defense and two miscues. After a few more plays, the first half ended with the Huskies up 7 to 0.
The second half was a hang-on-to-the-ball back-and-forth affair, until the Huskies ran one in at the beginning of the fourth quarter to go up 14 to 0. With just minutes left in the game it looked bleak for the Bears, but they were not about to give up. The Huskies ran a jet sweep that was blown apart by three Bears, causing a fumble on the 25 that was picked up by Kai Elkins on the 16 and run in for the touchdown. The Trimalone extra point made it a one-score game.
After a touchback on the kickoff, Hughson started what looked like the final drive with only four minutes left in the game. They worked it down to the Bears’ 42 and quick-kicked a punt, leaving Summerville deep in their own territory, but that is when the Bear offense came alive. With a combination of runs and passes, including a 33-yarder from Braylon Leveroos to Trimaloni, the Bears scored their second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard pass from Leveroos to his brother Bryce with 10 seconds left on the clock. Coach Leveroos made the choice to go for the win with a 2-point conversion, but a short pass went wide and left the Bears one point down, 14 to 13.
With one last gasp the Bears tried an onside kick. Trimaloni’s beautiful bouncer was snagged by Logan Slater on the 42 and the Bears had one last chance to score from their own 42-yard line. So, with 5 seconds left, Leveroos dropped back and threw a Hail Mary into the end zone. The ball appeared to bounce off a few hands but fell incomplete and ended the Bears’ season.
Logan Slater was the Bears’ player of the game for his outstanding defensive play, leadership, and recovering the final onside kick.
