GREENFIELD — With only three games remaining in the regular season, the Greenfield Bruins football team is so close to doing something that hasn’t been done in their school history — winning a title in football — but they would have to get past a team they haven’t beaten since 2011.
These past couple of years it’s always felt that the Bruins were so close to taking that next step, whether it be injuries to key players or not being able to beat some of the top teams in the division that set them back.
Entering last Friday, Robert Louis Stevenson has repeatedly got the better of Greenfield by winning their match-ups over the past 11 years. Last season the Bruins almost beat them but came up short, 21-13.
The last time the Bruins beat Stevenson was back in 2011, when they won 31-0.
For Greenfield, the path to a title is simple — win out, and they will be champions of the Santa Lucia Division. And in their final home game of the season, the Bruins had extra motivation for this game. This past year they had only dropped one game at home and that was to Pacific Grove.
At 6-1, the Bruins are off to one of the best years in the school’s history.
In the first half of the Oct. 20 game, Stevenson was in total control as they led 12-7. The main reason for Stevenson leading was that the Bruins played their worst half of football of the season, committing a season-high three turnovers.
The good news for the Bruins: their defense was able to come up with some big stops that prevented Stevenson from scoring more, and lead running back AJ Martinez found the endzone for at the time was his fifth touchdown of the season.
During the Bruins’ game-winning streak, the last time they trailed was against Pacific Grove on Sept. 14.
In the second half, the Bruins went on a 28-0 scoring run, which secured their first victory over Stevenson since the 2011 season, with a final score of 35-12.
Greenfield’s defense was amazing in the second half as they got key turnovers to set up the offense, which was led by a strong offensive line that helped the team rush for over 200 yards.
Now, the Bruins are on pace to have their best season in school history as they move to a 7-1 overall record.
Going into the final two games of the season, the Bruins have Pajaro Valley on Saturday, Oct. 28, and their South Monterey County rival, the Gonzales Spartans, on Friday, Nov. 3.
They should be able to take care of business against Pajaro Valley with not much of a struggle. For the majority of us in South County, we want to see Bruins vs. Spartans for the league title and a spot in the postseason on the line.
