OROVILLE – The stakes weren’t as high, but the result was the same.
Oroville’s football team suffered a 21-6 loss in its opening contest of the season Friday, Aug. 31, managing just 140 yards of offense and committing a pair of costly second half turnovers.
The past two years, losses to Brewster proved costly in the Central Washington League North Division title chase. With the Bears moving up to the Caribou Trail League this year, the season-opening contest was merely a non-league tune-up, theHornets had been seeking some payback for those previous losses.
Trailing 7-0, the Hornets stopped the Bears on their initial possession of the second half. A muffed punt, however, set Brewster up with field position at the Hornets’ 33, and Jesse Pamatz finished off a quick four-play drive with a 4-yard run to give Brewster a two score lead.
Another fumble, this one in the Hornets’ own end zone, was recovered by Brewster’s Pamatz for a touchdown late in the third quarter.
Oroville finally got on the scoreboard with 7:03 left in the fourth as Dustin Nigg capped a 13-play, 84-yard drive with an 18-yard scoring run. Brewster fumbled the ball away on its next possession, but the Hornets were unable take advantage of the chance to get back in the game.
The Bears took just two offensive plays to open the scoring with a 40-yard drive on their first offensive possession of the season. Parker Landeck hit Mitch Boesel with a 12-yard pass for the score with 9:30 left in the first quarter.
The Hornets were solid defensively, though Brewster converted several third downs with quick screen passes up the middle that went for big yardage.
Connelly Quick led the Hornets with 56 yards rushing on 13 carries, with Tanner Smith adding 36 yards on 12 carries and Luke Kindred rushing for 22 yards on 13 carries. Kindred also completed 2-of-4 passes, but they only went for minus-1 yard.
Defensively, Smith and Kindred were each in on eight total tackles, while Angel Camacho, Lukas Mieirs Jacob Fleming and Sean DeWitte each had six.
The Hornets (0-1) travel to Springdale for another non-conference game against Mary Walker on Friday, Sept. 7.
