Despite cold temperatures and windy conditions, the Bears football team finish the season off on a good note, as they top rivals Jefferson High School in the Battle of the Southside by a score of 63-15 and take the helmet back home.

“With the up and down season that we had, this win was a must and I think our kids this whole last month we were playing about as good as we can play, we were very close in the last 3 games and we came up short and just couldn’t pull it out so I’m glad we did this time and it feels fantastic”, head coach Robert Padilla said.

Early in the 4th quarter, John Moran ran it into the end zone from 3-yards out to extend Bowie’s lead to 56-3, before Jefferson would respond with a touchdown of their own to cut Bowie’s lead to 56-9. A punt block touchdown would slightly pull Jefferson closer, until John Murillo took it to the house on a 40-yard touchdown run to extend Bowie’s lead to 63-15 and give the Bears the victory against the Silver Foxes.

“This win was for them. All of our supporters and fans that have stuck with us every game. It’s cold, and they’re still supporting. This win feels great for us, and all of them too. We’re all happy, and to beat Jeff by a blowout, it feels great”, linebacker Sergio Reyes said.

The second half was not much different from the first, as Bowie’s offense kept proving to be too much for Jefferson to handle, with William Carrasco running into the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown, followed by a Justin Diaz 32-yard touchdown pass to Julian Hernandez to extend Bowie’s lead to 49-3 with 2:45 remaining in the 3rd quarter.

“I saw a lot of space on most of my throws, and I already knew my players were better than theirs, so I just trusted them and we did what we do best. Last year sticks to my mind and we just wanted to get back at them for it”, quarterback Justin Diaz said.

Diaz had an outstanding performance, showing patience inside and outside the pocket while throwing for 3 touchdowns, all of which were from 30 or more yards out.

The Bears came out strong from the start, scoring 5 touchdowns, both on the ground and through the air, on their 6 drives in the first half. A Jefferson field goal attempt as time expired was good to cut Bowie’s halftime lead to 35-3.

“Tonight we played excellent, easily the best we’ve played all year. This game meant so much to all of us, and we all pulled through”, running back Nathan Felix said.

Felix finished the game with 18 carries for 129 yards, which puts him over the 1,000 yard rushing mark for this season, the first time he has accomplished this feat.

“It’s crazy honestly, I don’t know how to feel. It’s crazy how many yards I’ve rushed for this season, and I have to give credit to my offensive line too. I just know that later on in life I’m going to remember this day, and doing it against my ex-school makes it all a whole lot better. I’m just happy we got the win too”, Felix said.

The Bears finish the season with a record of 3-7 overall and 1-5 in district play. Although the goal of making a playoff appearance came short, the goal of taking the helmet back was nothing short of success.