It's true that every game counts with the Power Ranking system in place, but that doesn't mean you don't want to make a statement when region time comes around.
 
That's exactly what the Golden Bear football team did Friday night at home in a more than convincing 44-0 win over Therrell to run their record to 4-1, 1-0 in the conference.
 
"We put in a lot of work over the off week, and we didn't waste the opportunity," Coach Nick Perrotta said. "When things got chippy, we kept our composure. We've got to practice, prepare, and play like a potential region champ team and that's what we did."
 
All the scoring was in the first two quarters as the second half was all running clock. The Bears put up two touchdowns in the opening period and four in the second. 
 
HI got on the board on its second possession, set up by a Ryan Woods to Hunter Laughlin pass that got the Bears to the 14. A few plays later, Denim Stevens ran it in from the 1.
 
The Bears took over after a short Panther punt and needed only one play to score on that possession, as Woods hit Kai Worthy for a 22-yard strike that featured a good run-after-catch by Worthy to make it 15-0, as Woods hit Alex Coley for the 2-point conversion.
 
Stevens set up the first touchdown of the second period with a 44-yard run to the Therrell 2-yard line – Woods then took it in two plays later from the 1 and Miller Wimberly ran in for the 2-point try to make it 23-0. 
 
The next two Golden Bear scores came from the defense – Carson James picked off a pass at the Panther 21 and ran it in, before Brayden Bailey intercepted a pass at his own 30 and used his track speed in taking it 70 yards for the score. 
 
The final score of the game came on a Woods to Sam Chasteen TD pass, good for 41 yards.
 
There weren't many possessions in the second half, though Quinn Best had a good interception on the defensive end.
 
Speaking of defense, Wimberly and Lucas Tiliakos both had sacks, Jordan Mays, Finn Ferrero, Bailey, and Preston Massie also had big contributions, and the Bears also partially blocked a punt in the effort.
 
Looking ahead, Coach Perrotta & Company are hoping to revenge a Homecoming loss to Lovett a year ago and have their sights on returning the favor this time around.