Tigers and Bears- Oh My!

The Willow Springs Bears took on the Houston Tigers for one of the closest and hardest-fought games of the season Friday night. Houston’s narrow lead hovered at 8-6 until the Bears tied it up to 14-14. Houston came out on top with a touchdown in the last seventeen seconds of the game.

The first quarter started strong for Willow. The Bears elected to receive the ball, and Gavin Ferguson took it from the Bear 10 to the 20 before he was sacked. That possession ended in a turnover.

On the defense from the Bear 30, Ferguson smacked down the quarterback's pass to a running Tiger before it could reach him.

Warren Ennis, on the Tigers’ fourth down, breached their defenses and sacked the quarterback before he could get the ball off, causing a loss of four yards and returning the ball back to Willow.

Taylor Rothermich then forced through a first down on Willow's opening offensive play, but was injured and taken off the field with a knee injury. Rothermich was back in the game soon after and darted downfield for a Willow 40-yard first down.

The second quarter saw little movement from either team until Willow scored its first touchdown on Houston. With the ball in Tiger territory and a turnover imminent, Ferguson snapped a 20-yard pass to Gennadiy Dudko, who caught it and collided with a Houston player t still made the touchdown. The PAT by Thomas Sidorovich was blocked and incomplete.  

The score would sit at 8-6 for the rest of the quarter and through the third.

On defense, Ryan Friga was a menace to the Houston offensive line, causing a loss of four yards in one play and swatting down a ball for a player close to a touchdown. 

The third quarter started aggressively, with the Bears kicking the ball short. Gavin Ferguson recovered it and managed to make a first down on the Tiger 45. Ryan Koehler, hanging back on defense, sacked a Tiger mere feet from a touchdown, pulling him back before he could make contact.

From here, defense and offense on both teams were equally matched. A veritable barrage of 25-plis flags shared equally between the teams put a stop to any progress by either side.

In the game's final minutes, Houston managed to get a touchdown on Willow, with Ennis stopping their PAT, making the score 14-8. 

Koehler was thrown the ball and made a 50-yard touchdown that brought the crowd to their feet. Friga ran in a two-point conversion and tied it up 14-14 with seventeen seconds left in the quarter.

Unfortunately for Bears fans, the Tigers eked out one more touchdown and remained undefeated.

Willow is now 2-3 in the district, and 3-4 overall and will take on the Thayer Bobcats Friday.