NEWBERG, Ore. --- The George Fox football team started its spring 2021 season at home under the lights on Friday, Mar. 26, and fell to the Boxers, 26-3.

How It Happened

The Boxers took the opening kickoff and immediately marched down the field with a 75-yard, seven-minute drive for a 6-0 lead after missing the PAT. The next three drives all ended in punts and pushed the game into the second quarter before the Boxers struck again with a 68-yard drive for a 13-0 lead.

Down by two scores, the Bruins turned to the passing game and moved the ball well on a 70-yard drive highlighted by two grabs from Alex Garrett, but Haiden Schaan's goalline pass attempt was picked off to end the drive with a touchback.

The Bruins put together another 50-yard drive after forcing a Boxer punt with long completions to Garrett and Chad Bletko. The Boxers were able to stop the Bruins short in the red zone, but Nick Charles put one through the uprights for a 13-3 score at the half.

In the third quarter, the Bruins stalled on their first drive and forced a three-and-out to get the ball back in good field position. Schaan went 4-for-4 to Faufano Autele, Jacob DeSmet, and Garrett, but the Boxers punched the ball out at the one on a rushing attempt and the ball trickled out of the endzone for a touchback.

The Boxers took the ball 80 yards and burned seven minutes to take a 20-3 lead on their next drive, and their defense kept the Bruins out of the red zone for the rest of the night. A final Boxer touchdown and missed PAT made it 26-3 with 10 minutes left in the game, and the teams traded punts the rest of the way.

Top Performers

Schaan went 18-for-36 for 196 yards and looked good both on roll-outs and scrambles, finishing as the leading rusher with 40 yards on six carries, including a game-long 24-yard scramble. Garrett led all receivers in the yardage with 103 (14.7/catch) and a team-long reception of 24 yards.

On defense, Justin Montijo racked up a game-high 13 tackles and Kobe Andrews was right behind with 12 of his own - each also had a tackle for loss on the night.

Senior Celebration

The Bruins honored their seven seniors after the game, including Bradley Thurber, Alex Garrett, Keawe Tong, Logan Hanbey, Kawai Pfifer, Jacob DeSmet, and Aiden Rourke.

What It Means

The Bruins start their spring at 0-1 and the Boxers are 1-0.

What Happens Next

The Bruins have two weeks to rest and prep for the rematch on Pacific's home field on Apr. 9 with a 7:00 pm kickoff in Hanson Stadium.