WILDCATS 34
BEARS 26
The 29 Palms Wildcats staged one of their biggest comebacks in recent history with a stunning 34 - 26 victory over the Big Bear Bears. Down 26 points in the first quarter, the Cats roared back with 34 unanswered points to knock the Bears out of a first place tie with Beaumont in the De Anza league. The Wildcats moved the ball early, but two costly turnovers gave the Bears prime real estate deep in Wildcat territory. The Bears scored easily on their first three drives from the home team’s own 3, 20, and 40-yard line respectfully. The Bears fourth score came just moments into the second quarter following a 54-yard drive. On the next possession by the Wildcats, an attempted on-side kick by the Bears signaled a wake up call. Momentum would quickly swing back to the home team as the Cats raced 65 yards down the field for their first score. Antonio Oquendo lifted the Wildcats spirits by slamming it in from the 2 yard line. Peter Babauta made his first of four straight P.A.T’s to bring the score to 7 – 26. Following a tough defensive stand, Senior running back Nick Young outraced Big Bear defenders for nearly 40 yards on two plays. Senior Captain Bernie Ayon finished off the drive with a 5 yard plunge to make it 14 – 26. Late in the second quarter the Wildcat defense rose to the occasion, and made a gallant goal line stand. The Cats stopped the Bears after four attempts from the 5-yard line. With just 4 seconds remaining in the half lightning would once again strike for the Wildcats. Sophomore running back Jerry Moscato would follow incredible blocking by the Wildcat front line made up of Matt Benson, Ben Rapp, Randal Tolosa, Justin Weeks, Billy Atkinson, and Lance Bednorski. Moscato raced 95 yards weaving through the Bear defensive secondary to pay dirt, making the score 21 –26 at the half.
“That run was a great momentum builder for the team,” stated Coach Martinez. The kids played with great emotion in the last 3 quarters of the game, and I can’t say enough about their efforts. It was tremendous to watch them play with such enthusiasm. Nick Young played an outstanding game and gave the Cats their first lead early in the third quarter with a 12 yard scoring run. The final score of the game came after Qb T.J Stanford connected with Nick Young on a beautiful 34 yard pass play down to the Bear 1 yard line. Jerry Moscato capped off the scoring with his second rushing touchdown
The Wildcats accumulated nearly 500 yards of offense on the night, and held the Bears to just 24 rushing yards in the second half. Jerry Moscato and Nick Young combined for 258 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns to lead the Cats. Bernie Ayon and Antonio Oquendo chipped in with 95 yards and two touchdowns. Qb T.J. Stanford threw for 120 yards and connecting with several different Wildcat receivers. On the defensive side of the ball, Nick Young, Bernie Ayon, and Lance Bednorski teamed up for 30 tackles and 3 sacks in a tremendous team defensive effort. The Wildcats will take on Yucca Valley for the annual Battle of the Bell game on Friday night. The Wildcats are now in 2nd place in De Anza league play with a 3 - 1 record followed closely by the Trojans with a 2 -2 league record.