Paso Robles Bearcats vs Atascadero Greyhounds: Match Report
This past weekend saw one of the oldest rivalries in high school football get reignited again, as the Paso Robles Bearcats faced off against the Atascadero Greyhounds. A showdown between two long-time rivals was the perfect way to wrap up the season.
The rivalry between the two teams spans 101 years, with the first game between the two taking place all the way in 1919. They have played every single year since, except for a couple of games during WW2 and because of the current COVID pandemic last year.
The Bearcats were most certainly coming into the game as favorites. Their last performance was immaculate, beating the Santa Maria Saints 49-7, a more than convincing win. The Bearcats scored 2 touchdowns in the first three quarters, the rest of the game was a simple cakewalk.
On the other hand, the Greyhounds have struggled this season. Their game before the Bearcats was against Pioneer Valley, with the Valley pulling off a very convincing win, with the game ending 47-12.
The Greyhounds got off to a strong start though, recovering an onside kick and driving for the touchdown put them in the lead early. However, the Panthers answered right back, and since the Greyhounds had missed the extra point, the Panthers took the lead.
The Greyhounds would score again to take the lead back, but the Panthers answered again. However, it all fell apart for the Greyhounds in the second half, as the Panthers would score 33 unanswered points to put the game to bed.
On the other hand, the Bearcats game against Santa Maria was one of their best yet, and showed just how dominant they can be. Their offense was on fire, sucking the life out of Santa Maria each and every drive.
The win for the Bearcats took them into their last game of the season with a 4-2 record, and sitting in third in the Mountain League, behind St. Joseph and Righetti, the only two teams that were able to beat them this season.
It is very disappointing that there won’t be any playoffs this season, as well as disappointment that the season is already over. The win over the Greyhounds showed just how dominant the Bearcats could be, and they could have easily gone all the way if they put in more performances like that.
What this win and this season shows is the depth and the strength of the Bearcat team. Next season they will be looking to build on this performance, and with playoffs looking more and more likely, they will be hoping to turn their strength into a championship win.
On the other hand, the Greyhounds will most definitely need to rebuild, the loss to the Bearcats means they finished the season 0-7, clearly not the result they were looking for. However, they have time now, they have time to go back to the drawing board and rebuild.
Either way, it was a great game to end the season on, and we are only hoping that next season will bring the same intensity and excitement that this one hand, even though the current pandemic put a dampener on it.
