Garden City Bearkats fall in first game of the season to Sterling City Eagles
The Garden City Bearkats opened the season as they faced off against the Sterling City Eagles. This game was a back and forth, very high-scoring affair. In the end, the Eagles outlasted the Bearkats by a final score of 56-42.
This game started fast and furious. Sterling City scored first when they had a long 38-yard run for a TD, the point after was no good, leaving the score at 6-0 for Sterling City. It didn't take long for the Bearkats to answer back. QB Seidenberger connected with John Lopez for a 57-yard pass for a touchdown. The extra point was good for the Bearkats, making this is 7 to 6. The Eagles drove down the field and answered back with an 11-yard touchdown of their own.
The point-after attempt for the Eagles was good, giving them a 14-8 lead. Sterling City was able to get the ball right back and put up another touchdown when they had a 48-yard touchdown pass, making this a 20-8 lead for the Eagles. With 3:09 left in the first quarter, the Garden City Bearkats answered back when Mason Walker scored on a 30-yard TD run. After the long run for a touchdown, the Bearkats were trailing 20-16. The scoring in the first quarter would not be done as in the final minute of the Eagles once again scored with a 25-yard TD pass in the first quarter. This score ended the scoring in the first, giving Sterling City a 28-16 lead over the Bearkats after the first quarter of play.
The second quarter of play started well for Garden City as they score on a 1-yard TD run by Balcazar. This made the score 28-22, with Sterling City still in the lead. Garden City scored a quick second touchdown when Lopez ran for nine yards to score a TD giving the Bearkats their first lead of the game by 30-28. That would be the only scoring in the second quarter of play. So, as we entered halftime, the Garden City Bearkats enjoyed a slight two-point
After halftime, both teams continued to play tough defense as both teams would only score once in the third quarter.
When they had a nine-yard TD run, Sterling City got on the board first in the third quarter, taking back their lead at 34 to 30. However, Garden City answered right back when Seidenberger hooked up with Jordan Jones for a 46-yard TD pass, giving the Bearkats the information once again at 34-36.
As we headed into the final quarter of play, the Bearkats were clinging to a two-point lead. That lead would not last long, though, as The Eagles drove down the field and eventually scored on a one-yard TD run. It was giving them the lead right back 42-36.
Garden City answered right back to tie this game up after a 16-yard pass from Seidenberger to Mason Walker 42-42. With a tie score, the Sterling City Eagles scored with 6:30 left in the game, giving the Eagles a 50-42. Sterling City went on to tack on an insurance TD, giving them a 56-42 lead. That is how this game would end up.
While this was not how the Bearkats wanted to start the season, this team played hard all game long and went punch for punch with the Lions.
The Bearkats will learn from this game in the future and will only use this as a building block for the upcoming season.