Bear River shuts out Johansen in 2nd half

Bear River and Modesto-Johansen were deadlocked at 6-6 entering halftime of Friday night's game in Modesto, but that changed quickly in the second half when Kaden Cavolt returned the second-half kickoff 75 yards for a touchdown. Cavolt's touchdown would prove to be the difference, and he reeled in a 33-yard touchdown pass later in the third quarter for good measure as Bear River improved to 2-0 with a 20-6 victory. "Every time the ball was in Kaden's hands the team had a little bit of energy and spark to it," Bear River coach Tanner Mathias said Saturday morning. "He brings a lot of speed and power when he runs and it was great all night. We just found a way to get him a ball in space and once he has a little bit of space, it's tough bringing him down." Cavolt's three touchdowns were the highlight of Bear River's victory, but Mathias said the defensive performance in the second half was paramount also, as the Bruins kept one of the best rushing attacks, statistically, in the Sac-Joaquin Section off the board. "It was a great second-half effort, and I have to give a lot of the credit to our defense," Mathias said. "Johansen's running backs are pretty impressive, but our defense wanted to earn some respect by slowing them down." Leading the charge for the Bruins was Ian Van Winkle, who had three sacks and six tackles, including two tackles for loss. Van Winkle had a frustrating first half, as he narrowly missed on a few tackles, but made up for it with a big second half. "You could see his frustration in the first half; he was one step away from six or seven tackles," Mathias said, praising Van Winkle for stepping into a starting role this week. "He just kind of focused up and took advantage. We've always known that he could be a threat and be dominant and it really clicked in the second half." Bear River (2-0) will again travel to Modesto to face Grace Davis (0-2) on Friday. The Bruins have an opportunity to start 3-0 for the first time since 2019, the last time they were in the postseason. "It's been an exciting start and like I said, it feels very much like our 2018 section team that made it to the championship against Colfax," Mathias said. "That's the closest comparison I can give this team to my 11 years of coaching. This group feels very similar, and they have what it takes to be special."