Polar Bears push Gibsonburg before wearing down late

CASTALIA — One stop might have done it.Margaretta had its offense clicking and had nearly erased a three-touchdown deficit, but Gibsonburg continued to run effectively, pulling away for a 62-34 Sandusky Bay Conference River Division win Friday night."We were getting ours and they were getting theirs," Margaretta coach Todd Pooch said. "We started trading scores and we needed that one stop. We would play good defense for three downs and they would squirt one free. Our effort was there."Margaretta (4-4, 3-2 SBC River) trailed 29-8 at one point, but the Polar Bears stopped Gibsonburg on downs, drove 73 yards in 90 seconds and got a 20-yard touchdown pass from Spencer Michel to Tallen Kennedy to get within 29-14 at halftime.The Polar Bears recovered an onside pooch kick to start the second half. A personal foul penalty on Gibsonburg gave Margaretta a first down and Michel hit Kennedy again — this time for 15 yards for the score. The connection came through on the 2-point conversion as well, and suddenly the Polar Bears were within 29-22 just 50 seconds into the third quarter."We swung," Pooch said. "We were hitting with everything and Gibsonburg kept responding and we kept responding."But the defense for Margaretta could not get a timely stop in the second half. The Golden Bears marched 60 yards in nine plays and scored on a 1-yard quarterback keeper by Mitchell Tille.Margaretta responded when Bryceten Hedden scored from 2 yards out with 5:33 left in the third quarter. Hedden also had the second-biggest play on the drive when he scampered 31 yards on fourth-and-2 near midfield."We are resilient," Pooch said. "We know we have a nice football team. Gibsonburg has a nice football team and we were playing in Week 8 for a conference title."The Golden Bears continued to use a balance of Hunter Smith, Theo Hernandez and Jon Auld to wear down Margaretta. Gibsonburg picked up four first downs before Hernandez scored from 12 yards out with 1:35 left in the third quarter.Michel hit Kennedy for 11 yards to open the next Margaretta possession. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Clay Teschner hailed in a 45-yard pass as he tip-toed down the Polar Bears sideline. He was pushed out at the 1-yard line, but Hedden covered that distance on the next play as Margaretta clawed to within 42-34."Defensively, I am proud of our kids," Gibsonburg coach Mike Lee said. "Margaretta just has so many freaking weapons. They were without their best player (Mitch Raifsnider) and that is unbelievable."Gibsonburg answered with a 7-yard scoring run by Smith. The drive was kept alive when Hernandez broke to the outside and picked up 14 yards on 4th-and-5.Rather than kick the ball long, the Golden Bears recovered an onside pooch kick. A holding penalty pushed Gibsonburg back 10 yards, but it did not matter as Auld exploded up the middle for a 57-yard touchdown and a 55-34 lead."The rushing was unbelievable," Lee said. "We have so many weapons on offense and I don't know where to begin."Gibsonburg ran the ball 67 times for 539 yards. Smith led the way with 37 rushes for 276 yards.Michel completed 17 of 34 passes for 238 yards. Kennedy had eight receptions for 86 yards while Hedden tallied 23 carries for 83 yards.For Margaretta, the feeling of back-to-back losses at home will sting for a while as the Polar Bears have an open week next Friday after not being able to find a replacement for St. Mary Central Catholic."We are still holding out hope that maybe somebody cannot field a team next week," Pooch said. "I know it is bad to say, but we want 10 games. These kids deserve 10 games. It is a shame that we cannot get this bad taste out of our mouths next week."Gibsonburg 15 14 13 20 -- 62Margaretta 8 6 14 6 -- 34M - Clay Teschner 22 pass from Spencer Michel (Teschner pass from Michel)G - Jon Auld 5 run (Theo Hernandez kick)G - Hunter Smith 7 run (Jesse Arriaga kick)G - Auld 8 run (Arriaga kick)G - Smith 1 run (Arriaga kick)M - Tallen Kennedy 20 pass from Michel (pass failed)M - Kennedy 15 pass from Michel (Kennedy pass from Michel)G - Mitchell Tille 1 run (Arriaga kick)M - Bryceten Hedden 2 run (run failed)G - Hernandez 12 run (run failed)M - Hedden 1 run (run failed)G - Smith 7 run (pass failed)G - Auld 57 run (Arriaga kick)G - Smith 4 run (Arriaga kick)Margaretta coach Todd Pooch (center) talks to his players following the Polar Bears' 62-34 SBC River Division setback Friday night to Gibsonburg.