Mirror doesn’t lie for Guards in loss

The Bellarmine-Jefferson High football team looked in the mirror

Friday night and almost saw an identical image. The difference was

that image could complete its passes.

Kern Valley High quarterback Kevin Emery completed all five of his

passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns, as visiting Bell-Jeff fell,

28-14, in a nonleague game.

In contrast to Emery, Guard quarterback Ronnie Rohrer was just two

for 10 for 19 yards.

“We do everything to win, to do the right thing and we had the

game plan to beat these guys, But we finished one foot short on four

fourth-down plays,” Bell-Jeff Coach Rolando Aguirre said. “We run all

over [Kern Valley]. We just got to settle down and stop making

mistakes.”

Aguirre said this loss was hard to take, as Bell-Jeff (0-4)

outplayed Kern Valley.

“It’s a heartbreaker,” Aguirre said. “[We] played against a strong

team. I’m a little heartbroken on this one. We had them beat.”

What also made the loss tough, Aguirre said, was that both teams

had eerily alike strategies -- playing ball-control offense and

aggressive defense.

“They’re very similar,” he said. “Their running game, we both run

the ball. We don’t make those mistakes and we just go.”

Bell-Jeff struck first and took its first lead of the year midway

through the first quarter. Xavier Avila returned a Kern Valley punt

57 yards to give the Guards a 6-0 lead.

Kern Valley (4-1) made it 7-6 just before halftime when Emery

scored from one yard out to cap an 11-play, 80-yard drive.

The Broncs made it 14-6 on the opening drive of the second half.

Emery hit wide receiver Joe Stamps for 33 yards to finish a

nine-play, 83-yard drive.

Bell-Jeff came back, however, on its next possession, as it tied

the score at 14. The Guards moved the ball 70 yards in 12 plays,

culminating in a 1-yard touchdown run by Victor Marticorena.