Mistakes that followed Bruins football all season long came to haunt them one final time as they lost to the Jefferson City Jays 31-14 in the first round of the Class 6 District 3 playoffs. The loss was the final game of the Bruins’ football season.
Though many factors contributed to the loss, the biggest was the inability to come back from penalties in crucial situations. This was a problem senior linebacker Garrett Barnette recognized, looking back on the game.
“We were the better team,” Barnette said. “But penalties ended up costing us when it came to field position.”
This wasn’t the first time that RBHS fell to the Jays this season though. On Sept. 18 they lost 31-21 in Jefferson City. The coaching staff used this as a learning tool. Defensive line coach Donnell Smith saw it as a way to learn about both Jeff City and themselves.
“We learned our strengths and weaknesses against Jeff City [from the previous game],” Smith said. “Anytime you play a team more than once, you just try to adjust to what beat you the first time.”
The team made good adjustments for the rematch, such as better play calling and a tight first quarter, and kept things very competitive. This all changed, though, as a kick off returned for a touchdown in the second quarter began to sway the momentum in Jeff City’s favor.
“They had long drives that were hard to stop and on the offensive side we weren’t doing much,” sophomore quarterback Trevor Twehous said. ”The defense was on the field a lot.”
Senior running back and team catalyst Nick Collins was in his usual form, notching a 63-yard touchdown in the third quarter, igniting the Bruins squad. On the defensive end, Rock Bridge performed, shutting down the Jays’ run game and forcing key mistakes like an interception caught by junior Luke Bley.
It was a tough loss for the seniors in their final game wearing the Bruin uniform but nonetheless served as a team experience Barnette says he will never forget.
“The seniors just talked about how it was really fun to be together,” Barnette said. “We just wanted to leave it all out on the field for each other.”