Over Thanksgiving break, the Bearkats lost an emotional game against Hendrickson in the second round of the playoffs, 14-7. The game was close throughout, coming down to the final minute to decide the contest. It was the final game for many important Bearkat players including Greyson Lembcke, Colton Chelootz, Devin Richardson, and more.

“They should be proud of their accomplishments this year and take pride in themselves.  I told the seniors thanks for an awesome four years of dedication and that I would miss them,” said Head Coach Shane Hallmark.

In a game that meant a lot, the reality set in that many players would be playing their last game, which is never easy. However, Coach Hallmark made it clear they will not be forgotten for their contributions. It was a very significant game, especially for the seniors who put their pads on for the last time.

“It meant a lot, they weren’t ready for the season to end and had a strong desire to continue our run. Many of them put on the pads for the last time and that’s tough when that reality sets in,” Hallmark said.

The story of the game was the same as it had been all season. The Bearkats defense continued to be suffocating, but the offense just couldn’t do enough to get it done. Over the final six games of the season, the defense allowed just 7.3 points per game, but the offense faltered at the end of the season.

“We had an experienced defense with a lot of seniors. Some of them will continue on to play college ball so we also had talent there. Our defense did an excellent job of preparing them all year and they played extremely hard. We knew coming in we had a championship caliber defense and the kids didn’t disappoint,” Hallmark said.

Against Hendrickson, the offense was able to move the ball down the field as they got into Hendrickson territory five times during the game, but they weren’t able to finish drives, only coming away with seven points all game, which was a major factor in the outcome of the game.

“We made too many mistakes in the Red Zone. The wind was a factor which forced us to forego a couple of field goal opportunities. We have to move forward to correct this and learn how to finish drives,” Hallmark said.

However, in the end there were many positives to build off of in the season. The team has many young players returning, and this is the third straight season of improvement for the Bearkats, who won their first playoff game in seven seasons.

“We all would have loved to still be playing but overall we are pleased with our season. The future is bright if the players continue to buy in to the process and trust the system. We have a terrific coaching staff that cares about the kids and works hard to prepare them for life. It’s always a Great Day to be a Bearkat,” Hallmark said.