The Wind-Up Staff | SJHS
October 25th, 2002

Long season ends tonight

By Scott Mahler

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Tonight, the gridiron Bears (1-7) will take on the Benton Harbor Tigers (0-8) in the last game for both struggling teams this year.

The Bears are optimistic about the game and will be looking for their second victory of the season. The game will be held at Filstrup Field in Benton Harbor at 7:30.

The Bears have suffered some close losses this year against Loy Norrix, Coldwater and Niles, but they have not given up. "We've been working hard all year," said senior fullback Dan Coultes, "but we have only one win to show for it." Coultes was the leading rusher for the Bears last week as they were defeated by the Dowagiac Chieftains, 33-6.

The week before, the Bears were beaten by the Lakeshore Lancers by a score of 38-14, that did not show how close the game actually was. The first half was a battle back and forth, between the two teams. St. Joe, unable to convert on a long third down, punted with little over a minute left in the half. The Lancers then marched

down the field and scored, giving them a 15-point lead at halftime. The Bears never recovered.

The players are not satisfied with their performance this season. "Our senior year wasn't supposed to be like this," said senior Josh Trinidad, who is the team's leading kick returner along with junior Anthony Dunning.

Dunning, also the starting tailback, is on the verge of breaking the school's rushing record of 1170 yards set in 1992 by Jason Sandusky. He needs 117 yards tonight to run past the mark. "Without good offensive linemen, running backs would be nothing. And without mine, I would be nowhere close to this record," said Dunning. "We're going to get Dunning that record," said Coach John Van Wagoner.

The career rushing record is held by Mike Ryan at 2366 yards set in 1972-74; Dunning needs 1079 yards to reach this mark. He has one more year for this one since he is only a junior.

The Bears' high hopes and expectations were not met this season. This is not because they lacked hard work and dedica

tion. Senior defensive lineman, Matt Neuenschwander said, "We have lost some close games this year, but that happens sometimes. We still work really hard." Pat Wallace, senior defensive tackle, agrees: "Our record doesn't depict how good our team is. I feel the future is promising for our program."