Bearcats Dakota Willis (45) and Romeo Williams-Varley (15) work to move the ball down field. Photo by Phalicitee ‘Pinky’ Thomas
The No. 10 Ray football team suffered two losses last Friday night and now must hope a third can be averted.
The Bearcats, who were handicapped from the start, were defeated by second-ranked Superior in their regular-season finale last Friday night, 56 – 14. As a result, the Copper Helmet will not return to Kearny for at least another year.
“I think our boys stepped up big as far as intensity,” said Ray assistant coach Jimmy Fessenden. “The score might not reflect it, but we played hard and aggressive.
“It’s hard enough to beat a team like Superior, but it’s even harder when you only have 12 kids dressed out.”
As if the first two results aren’t bad enough, the 4 – 4 Bearcats must wait and hope that they don’t fall out of the top 12 when the final rankings are released on Oct. 16. Only the top 12 teams earn berths in the 1A playoffs, which begin on Friday, Oct. 19.
“Come playoffs, assuming we get in, we should be healthy and ready to roll,” Fessenden said. “Our younger kids have gotten a lot of playing time these last few weeks and that should make us a deeper team.”
Johnavon Pace appears to direct. Photo by Phalicitee ‘Pinky’ Thomas