Prep football: In a stunning debut, Twelve Bridges takes dramatic win over McClatchy

In its first-ever varsity football game, Twelve Bridges High School rode an emotional roller-coaster Friday night.

The Raging Rhinos held a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter but found themselves trailing visiting McClatchy 35-28 with 3:40 remaining in the game.

Like a bunch of guys that have been doing this for years, Twelve Bridges coolly collected itself and marched 72 yards in 13 plays to make it 35-34 with 18 seconds left. On a two-point conversion try, running back Nathan Crawford crashed through the middle of the line to give the Rhinos a victory.

Then, bedlam.

Crawford sprinted off to the home sideline with his teammates chasing him to celebrate. The coaching staff erupted. The giant student section bounced up and down in the bleachers. It was the kind of party that only happens once in a lifetime, and Twelve Bridges coach Chris Bean was still smiling 20 minutes after the game ended.

“You know this from being around coaches, the highs aren’t as high anymore. And the lows are super low. This one was different. You know what I mean? It was a relief, because gosh dammit, we let that game get away from us. But that release of emotion because of the kids that made the plays when it mattered.

“Man just watching that enthusiasm I wish I could, could relive it a little more because it was still like, ‘Oh my God, thank God.’”

In the first half, it looked like the Rhinos might be celebrating a victory with a running-clock, blowout win. They marched into the stadium to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.” The cheerleaders, some with dyed-green hair, performed in front of a little inflatable rhinoceros named “Crash.” The student section was already jammed full in the second half of the JV game before the varsity team ever hit the field.

After the opening kickoff, the Rhinos held McClatchy to a pair of three-and-out possessions while reeling off three straight touchdowns to go up 21-0. Crawford scored the first touchdown in school history, running untouched on a seven-yard scamper to the left corner of the end zone.

“You know, it’s cool to say,” Crawford said. “It’s cool to say I’m the first one, but you know, in the end it’s not that important. That doesn’t contribute to our success.”

Plenty of Twelve Bridges players contributed to their success. Crawford ran for 104 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Quarterback Whit Kruse completed 13 of 20 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Gallagher was a favorite target, with six receptions, a receiving touchdown and a rushing score. Running back Eli Wade earned a chant from the student section for his tough running and added a rushing touchdown.

Kruse said the Rhinos expected success. This might have been their first varsity game, but they played a full JV schedule in their home stadium last year, the school’s first year in existence. With no upperclassmen ahead of them, Kruse and Co. have become a tight-knit bunch. Kruse initially said he was “so happy for them” when talking about his teammates celebrating the win, but quickly corrected himself to say “I’m so happy WITH them.”

“The first JV year we ended up kind of spoiled because we won almost every game by a super high score, like 46 to 6,” Kruse said. “That made us kind of spoiled when we get adversity.”

Thanks to some savvy coaching from McClatchy’s Zach Cuda and gritty play from his Lions, there was definitely adversity for Twelve Bridges.

Cuda made adjustments on defense to close gaps and bring in more run game support to slow Twelve Bridges’ attack. On offense, McClatchy got good field position, a steady run game and a series of facemasking penalties to keep drives alive. Kazi Lewis ran for three touchdowns and doled out punishing hits on defense that left Twelve Bridges players and coaches impressed.

In the second quarter, Lewis had a pair of touchdown runs to help McClatchy storm back, trailing 28-21 at halftime.

In the fourth quarter, with the game tied at 28, a blown coverage by Twelve Bridges left McClatchy’s Jack Smith wide open and streaking toward the end zone. Quarterback Frank Espinoza hit him in stride – though there was probably enough time for the pass to have been 5 yards shorter – as McClatchy took a 35-28 lead with 3:40 to go.

Cuda, the coach, praised his players for keeping their heads in the game when they were down big.

“I said, you know, this one’s on me, 100%,” Cuda said. “I said, you guys walk off the field with your heads held high. I didn’t do a good job getting us prepared. Not to make excuses, but it’s difficult with a brand-new football team that you don’t have a lot of film on and the shifting formations and stuff like that. We didn’t have a good plan for that early on. I think we solidified it.”

Did they ever. Espinoza stayed collected while leading the offense, throwing for a pair of touchdowns. Receiver Irving Cook III, a basketball player recruited to join the football team, showed quickness and speed, galloping for a 23-yard run on a reverse and hauling in a touchdown pass.

Linebacker Teddy Morton was a rock in the middle of the field for McClatchy and defensive back Matisse Funches gave the Rhinos problems all night.

But Twelve Bridges showed its own kind of perseverance to make it a special win. Everything off the field ran like a Swiss watch, with little outward sign it was a first game. Traffic control was smooth. All the gates to the field were patrolled to keep unwanted guests away. A portable bathroom next to the grandstand was the only sign that there’s room to improve at the new school.

On the field, there’s work to do. Twelve Bridges snapped the ball over and through the quarterback’s hands. There were way too many penalties for Bean’s taste.

None of that really mattered. After McClatchy’s last-gasp drive ended at the Twelve Bridges 20-yard line, players shook hands at midfield. The cheerleaders formed an avenue toward the home grandstand. The Rhinos gathered in a huddle, counted out, “One, two, three, race!” and charged down the avenue toward their cheering fans. The players bounced around in a huddle on the track for a few seconds, yelling back at the fans who spent all night shouting at them. It wasn’t the most coordinated celebration, said the Rhinos’ Crawford, but cut them some slack. They’ll get more practice.

“It’s just you get so much excitement,” he said. “You just gotta run around you know, you got to do something.”

This story was originally published August 20, 2022 at 9:22 AM.