Twelve Bridges pulls away from Roseville in FVL showdown

Twelve Bridges found another gear when it mattered most last Friday night. Trailing entering the fourth quarter, the Raging Rhinos erupted for 23 points to surge past Roseville 44-34 in a Foothill Valley League shootout that featured two of the most explosive offenses in the Sac-Joaquin Section. Senior running back Chase Wyhlidko led the way for Twelve Bridges with 162 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries, helping the Rhinos control the ground game with 299 yards rushing as a team. Quarterback Conner Frontiera passed for 214 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score to pace the balanced attack. Will Gant also had a big night for Twelve Bridges with 96 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns while Dylan Amos caught five passes for 94 yards and a score. On defense, Davin Markle and Wyhlidko led the charge with 13 and 12 tackles, while Cordae Johnson recorded a sack. After a slow start that saw Roseville take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, Twelve Bridges responded in the second with two touchdowns to tie it 14-14 at halftime. The Tigers struck quickly after the break, as quarterback Mason Susnara led them the length of the field and scrambled in for a go-ahead touchdown. Twelve Bridges responded with a 20-yard rushing touchdown and two-point conversion to put the Rhinos on top, but Susnara struck again late in the third with a 10-yard touchdown pass to JJ Young in the final seconds. Susnara tallied 269 yards through the air and threw three touchdown passes. Young finished with 106 yards and two touchdowns on six catches. "We had our chances," Roseville coach Adam Reinking said. "They're a really good team and you just can't make mistakes against them. They made some adjustments at halftime that we didn't adjust to. We made some mistakes on offense and had some big penalties in the third quarter. The mistakes we made are things that we can control. They weren't physical mistakes, they were mental mistakes. They made a lot of big plays on third and fourth down." Reinking said the performance left him optimistic for the postseason and noted he believes the Tigers can get another shot at Twelve Bridges. "We showed we belong," said Reinking. "We showed we could compete. I hope to play them again the day after Thanksgiving." Twelve Bridges improved to 8-0 overall and gave itself a comfortable cushion on top of the FVL. The Rhinos will look to complete a third consecutive undefeated regular season and secure the top seed in Division IV over the next two weeks. Roseville dropped to 6-2 overall and 2-1 in FVL play, but Reinking says while there is room to grow, he's happy with what he saw from his team. Said Reinking, "I'm extremely proud of our guys. Our kids don't quit and that's great to see. Could we be better, absolutely. Do we feel like we can beat them? Yes. It sucks to lose, but we'll learn from this."