The Miners and the Bearcats face off in the final game of the Central Junior High League football championship. Photo by Nathaniel Lopez
What a game!
Amazing performances from both teams!
Last Wednesday, Oct. 15, the Central Junior High League held their 8-man football championship. Meeting up in the final game of the season were the Ray Bearcats and the San Manuel Miners. Since the Bearcats held the top-seed position, the game was held at their field.
The first quarter of the game saw a lot of turnovers. The ball went back and fourth between the Miners and the Bearcats, ending with a 0-0 score.
Quickly in the second quarter, the first points were scored by Ray, making it 6-0. San Manuel struggled to progress with the ball, so it ended up back in the Bearcats’ possession, where they scored another touchdown, bringing the score to 12-0. Finally breaking through, the Miners were able to score a touchdown and two-point conversion before the end of the second quarter.
At halftime the score of the game sat at 14-8, with Ray in the lead.
The third quarter saw a repeat of the first quarter, with both teams struggling to find their way into the end zone.
The fourth quarter of the game is what it came down to.
The Miners were able to score a touchdown, making it 14-14. Scoring the two-point conversion, the Miners went up 14-16. Striking back, the Bearcats scored a touchdown and two-point conversion, bringing the game to 22-16.
With 35 seconds left on the clock, the Miners were able to pull out a touchdown and two-point conversion, bringing the score to Ray 22, San Manuel 24. The Bearcats pushed forward for the remaining seconds of the game, but were unable to get any more points.
The Miners claimed the victory, making them the 2025 CJHL 8-man football champions, and back-to-back victors. The Bearcats are the 2025 CJHL 8-man runner-ups.
Good job, boys! We’ll see you on the field next season!