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The Bruins defeated the Omaha Chiefs by a score of 19-13 to become champions of the Papio Football Tournament. The game was an extraordinarily hardfought victory. The Chiefs had a 13-0 advantage at half. Their defensive tackle, Daniel Blake (#50), disrupted the Bruins offense the entire first half and big plays by #46 and #25 took the wind out of Bruins' sails. Fortunately, the Bruins made some adjustments at half time and were able to claw their way back into the game in the third and fourth quarters. Hunter Gage scored his second touchdown on the day in the fourth quarter to tie the game and give the Bruins a chance at victory. A costly personal foul on the extra point allowed the Bruins to kick from the Chiefs' 45 yard line. An excellent kick by Chad Clutterbuck pinned the Chiefs inside the 5 yard line. The Bruins defense, rejuvinated by the tie score, stepped up and forced the Chiefs to punt deep in their end of the field which Ricky Grybko returned to the 5 yard line. Unfortunately, a block in the back during the return forced the Bruins to start from the 40. With 4 minutes remaining, the Bruins offense worked hard to move the ball against a very strong and fast Chiefs defense. With just over 2 minutes to go, the Bruins had a 4th and goal from the 8 yard line. Kyle Haskell got a toss-sweep and got key blocks from Chad Clatterbuck, Ricky Grybko and Logan Cunningham to score the winning Touchdown. With just 2 minutes remaining, the Chiefs attempted to rally back to tie the game and while they did drive the ball down to the Bruin's 25 yard line, their last play, a successful pass to #25, ended up 20 yard short of the goal line thanks to the tackling of Connor Strait, Ricky Grybko and Micah Murphy. The Bruins' offensive line did an amazing job during the second half of the game. Double teams by Sam Sobczyk, Logan Cunningham and Justin Fuller, were key in stopping the Chiefs #50. Runs by Chad Clatterbuck, RJ Kleckner and Ricky Grybko were essential to the Bruins victory in sustaining their amazing comeback. Critical to that comeback were two forced fumbles in the second half, one by Jordan Cott and the other by John Renshaw. This was an incredible win and an incredible season for the Bruins. Every Bruin should be proud of how they've played throughout this season. We finished the season on a 6-0 winning streak, the best of any of the 11-12 BJSA teams. The entire coaching staff are extremely proud of this team. We've had a fantastic time coaching and working with these boys and could not be more pleased with the outcome. |
The Bombers finished the 2008 season with an 8-4 record, 6-2 in conference play. The six league wins were good enough to capture second place in the always difficult Heartland Conference. Congratulations to all players on an excellent season. Also, a huge thanks to the parents and 2008 Bombers coaches.
