NEWBERG --- The Bruins were able to come away with a win despite losing the time of possession battle after strong performances on defense and special teams.

Recap

After winning the toss and deferring, the Bruins quickly snuffed the Boxers' opening drive with an interception by Austin Shadbolt in the Bruins' red zone. Two plays and 81 yards later, the Bruins led 7-0 after a 71-yard bomb from Jaden Sheffey to Kenny May.

The Boxers put two more long drives together after the Bruins' scoring strike but the Bruins picked off two more passes to stall the Boxers' offense. Lucas Schwin put a stop to one drive at the Bruins' 22 yard line, and Brandon Piete snuffed another at the goal line and brought the ball back for a 27-yard return on the Boxers' next try.

With the first half winding down, the Boxers made one last drive that ate nearly seven minutes of game clock. The Bruin defense held firm at the goal line and forced a field goal to give George Fox a 7-3 lead at the break.

After trading punts for the first four possession of the second half, the Bruins mounted another scoring drive with 3:44 left in the third quarter. A slashing 20-yard catch from Anthony Garcia was quickly followed by a 38-yard scamper from Sheffey to give the Bruins a 14-3 lead with 1:43 left in the third.

The Boxers found traction with their run game and put an 11-play, 65-yard drive together to answer the Bruins. After converting on the two-point attempt to make it 11-14, the Boxers kicked off to Garcia in the right corner and then watched as the senior turned on the jets for a 93-yard touchdown return and a 21-11 lead.

The Boxers put one more scoring drive together to make it a three-point game with just under five minutes left in the game, but the Bruins were able to hold firm on defense one more time to preserve the 21-18 victory.

Top Performers

Garcia racked up 143 yards of returns, including his runback for a touchdown, and added 29 yards as a receiver, while May led the Bruins with 75 yards receiving and a score. On defense, Daniel Campos led all players with 18 tackles, including one for loss. Shadbolt added 12 tackles and a pick, Caleb Dalzell tallied two sacks and Piete led the team with a 27-yard return on his interception.

What It Means

The Bruins improve to 3-4 overall and are 2-2 against Northwest Conference foes this season.

What Happens Next

The Bruins travel to face the Bearcats of Willamette on Nov. 2 at 4:00 pm in Salem, Ore.