Crawford shines as Twelve Bridges tops Nevada Union

Few teams had more hype around them entering the 2023 prep football season than Twelve Bridges. With all 22 starters from a year ago returning and fielding their first senior class, the Raging Rhinos wasted no time getting out to a winning start, defeating future Foothill Valley League foe Nevada Union 41-20 Friday night in Grass Valley. Nevada Union struck early in the first quarter when Theron Foster connected with Dustin Philpot on a 25-yard touchdown pass to put the Miners up 7-0. That would be their only lead of the night. Late in the first quarter, the Rhinos tied the score on a 36-yard touchdown run by Nathan Crawford, his first of six scoring runs on the night. Twelve Bridges took control in the second quarter, outscoring the Miners 28-6 to take a 35-13 halftime lead. Crawford was the star of the show for the Rhinos with 22 carries for 236 yards to complement his six touchdowns. Crawford carried the majority of the load but was far from the only running back that contributed, as 11 players had at least one carry while the Rhinos tallied 343 yards on the ground. Twelve Bridges coach Chris Bean said showcasing Crawford wasn't the game plan, but once he saw it was going to be a special night, he made sure to keep feeding Crawford the ball. "We were really trying to go in and stay balanced with our running and passing," Bean said. "Nevada Union did a great job defending the passing game and we didn't really execute the way we wanted to so when all else fails, you go to your best player and that's exactly what we did." Defensively, Eli Wade led the Rhinos with seven tackles while Ryan Wanger and Zeke Wood had six and five. Wanger also had an interception. "After Wanger's interception, we went down and scored, and that's when the floodgates opened," Bean said. "Obviously, it started with strong running, but really, it was that play that turned the game into what it turned into." Twelve Bridges rushed the passer well with six quarterback hurries and two sacks. Mason Starbuck and Nate Sheiring each had a sack. The Rhinos (1-0) will have their home opener Friday night as they welcome Pioneer (1-0). The teams met in Woodland last season with the Patriots winning 41-17. Pioneer is coming off of a 22-6 victory over River Valley. Bean said Twelve Bridges is excited to face Pioneer again, as it provides a tough test for the Rhinos where they can see where they stand against a strong, physical team. "The way that Pioneer beat us up last year was probably a little foreshadowing of what was going to happen to us against those bigger, stronger, more physical teams where we really got exposed," Bean said. "Friday's really a test of how far have we really come? We are playing a good, strong, physical, well-coached, football team, and it's a great early test in terms of how far have we come from last year."