On Thursday, October 29th, the Bears played for a district championship at home on very muddy Palenski Field. This was also the location of Willow Springs 2009 Senior Night.

The game would get off to a slow start due to lightning, just as the seniors were making their way off the field.  Rain came with the lightning and left knee-high mud on the sidelines.

The game finally went underway after a delay that seemed to be around an hour. The Bears won the toss and would receive the ball first. The Bears came out fired up but were forced to punt on their first possession. The Bears’ defense also forced a punt, and the Bears would have the ball again. Unfortunately, they did not go far and were forced to punt.  Joe O’Conner would punt this one for 65 yards down to the two-yard line. The Eagles would not go far. With a fumble and a recovery by Garret Engh, the Bears would have the ball with great field position. With a few good plays, Dalton Woodley was able to put it in from seven yards out.  O’Conner, with a successful extra point field goal, put the Bears up by seven going into the second quarter!

Bears’ defense held up during the second quarter, and there were no points scored.  In the second half, the Eagles seemed to figure out the holes in the Bears defense and were able to move the ball. Early in the third quarter, the Eagles were able to score off a two-yard run by Daniel Porter. Then with a successful two extra point conversion, the Bears were down by one. The Bears wanted to move the ball and retake the lead but were shut out by the Eagles’ defense. At the end of the third quarter, the score was Bears-7, Eagles-8.

In the fourth quarter,  the pressure was on. The Bears’ defense needed some key stops but just couldn’t do it.  The Eagles scored when Kole Gastineau ran it in from five yards. The Bears, unable to answer this touchdown, were forced to give up the ball once again. The Eagles capitalized on this and scored two more unanswered touchdowns. The time on the clock expired quickly, and that was the game. The final score was Eagles-26, Bears-7.

The dream of a district title may be over for this year, but the Bears will definitely have their eyes on it next year.

Senior players escort their parents down the field