Bears fall to 2nd ranked DeWitt 39-10

(St. Joseph) - After recording three straight wins to put themselves on the verge of clinching a playoff berth. St. Joe faced the monumental task of trying to clinch that berth against the 2nd ranked team in the state. St. Joe facing 7-0 DeWitt for the first time.

DeWitt was just too much for St. Joe as the Panthers improved to 8-0 with a 39-10 win over St. Joe.

The visitors got on the scoreboard first, after a 54 punt from Antonio Buhrfiend that pinned them at the 2. DeWitt drove 98 yards in 11 plays and scored on a 5-yard touchdown run from quarterback Blake Gatfield for a 7-0 lead.

The Panthers would expand their lead to 15-0 midway through the 2nd quarter when Gatfield threw a 11-yard touchdown pass to Derek Hamp, a penalty on the point after gave DeWitt a closer attempt and got the two point conversion and a 15-0 lead.

St. Joe would get on the board late in the 2nd quarter, as late as you can get. St. Joe after getting a first down with under 10 seconds to play at the DeWitt 17-yard line, quickly ran the field goal unit onto the field and Buhrfiend hit a 34-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to cut the lead to 15-3. Buhrfiend's field goal was his 9th of the season, tying him with former Bear/Michigan great Mike Gillette, and Cullen Hoffman for the most field goals in a single season with 9.

St. Joe would start the 2nd half with the ball. But a turnover at the Bear 9 yard line was too easy for the guests to take advantage of. Thaddeus Anwar scored on a 4-yard run two plays later to give DeWitt a 22-3 lead.

After punting on the next possession, DeWitt started another drive inside Bears territory, the Panthers drove 43 yards in 3 plays capped off by a 29-yard run from Tyler Warren to put DeWitt up 29-3.

The Bears quickly responded on the next play after the PAT, Devon Frenchko returned the kickoff 90 yards up the sideline for the touchdown and it cut the lead to 29-10.

In the final quarter, DeWitt found the endzone again on a 72-yard drive in 10 plays with 7:55 left in the game on a 24 yard Gatfield run.

DeWitt would close out the scoring on a 27-yard field goal with 3:07 left from Carson Hayes.

Anwar led DeWitt with 143 yards rushing and a touchdown, in all the Panthers had an overwhelming yardage advantage, outgaining St. Joe by the total of 422-77, 315-35 on the ground.

With the loss St. Joe falls to 5-3 and stays at home this week to face 6-2 Portage Northern for a share of the SMAC West Division crown. St. Joe, Portage Northern and Portage Central are all 3-1 in the Division. If Portage Central defeats Niles, then the winner of the Bears and Huskies will share the division title with the Mustangs.