Twelve Bridges outlasts Bear River in Pioneer Valley League nail-biter

Homecoming festivities weren't the only ceremonies in place Friday night in Lake of the Pines. A new tradition started at Bear River High School called Men of Honor, where players were joined by father figures in their lives through pregame activities. The father figures accompanied their players through the team meal, walk-through, pregame speech and walk to the field. "It was a great experience and memory for the players and their men of honor that they will share for a very long time," Bear River coach Tanner Mathias said. "It helped our players focus and play with some energy and excitement." It wasn't just homecoming for Bear River's students, but for Twelve Bridges head coach Chris Bean, who was the JV coach for the Bruins from 2006-13. Bean and the Raging Rhinos won a 25-23 Pioneer Valley League nail-biter. Twelve Bridges (5-1, 2-0 PVL) delivered the decisive strike on a 15-play, 73-yard drive, capped by Eli Wade's one-yard touchdown run. Bear River (1-4, 0-1 PVL) had a chance to strike back, but a big passing play was negated by a holding penalty. The Bruins went three-and-out and never saw the ball again as Twelve Bridges ran out the clock. Despite the loss, Mathias was pleased with his team's improvement, especially after a tough three-game stretch where the Bruins were outscored 115-7. "Our defense held a really good offense to 178 total yards and only 35 passing yards," Mathias said. "Hats off to Coach Bean and the Twelve Bridges team. They are a classy program, and I see them doing really well in our league." The Bruins led 16-13 at halftime, but Nathan Crawford returned the second-half kickoff 90 yards to the end zone to put Twelve Bridges back on top. Crawford also rumbled for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries. Wade had 77 yards on nine carries. For Bear River, Cole Stowers passed for 137 yards and two touchdowns, one each to Blake Simning and Caden Cavolt. Simning and Joey Knox split the carries for the Bruins. Knox led the team with 51 yards rushing and Simning had 48. Knox blocked an extra-point attempt and Bruins sophomore Luke Jeffers blocked a field goal. Jeffers had a strong night on defense with two tackles for loss and a pick six. Bear River on Thursday night will host league newcomer Sutter (6-0, 2-0 PVL), which is coming off a dominant 42-6 victory over defending-champion Colfax. Twelve Bridges has its own tough test this week against visiting Center (4-1, 1-1 PVL).