Bend High Head Coach Matt Craven (3rd Year) lead his Lava Bears (4-1/1-0) to a last second 21-20 Intermountain Conference victory Friday night at Redmond High School over the previously undefeated Panthers (4-1, 0-1), overcoming an early 20-6 deficit by scoring two late touchdowns.
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Bend started the nightâs proceedings off early, taking over at their own 42 after forcing a Redmond punt and subsequently driving 42 yards to pay dirt in 8 plays, scoring off RB Hunter McDonaldâs (Sr. 6-1/200) 2 yard run.
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Redmond finally responded in the second quarter after a few stop-and-start drives, with QB Bunker Parrish (So. 5-11/200) throwing his sole touchdown pass to WR Hayden Smith on a 28 yard grab.
RB Derek Brown (So. 5-10/170) got into the festivities as well, delivering a 67-yard strike to Smith to help build the 20-6 advantage.
The next score would also come courtesy of the Panthers, with Darren Ross (Jr. 6-2/185) Â scoring on a 3 yard run with 4:21 remaining in the third period. Â What would prove to be the turning point of the game would be the attempted point-after, which was blocked.
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Bend demonstrated the ability throughout the game to control the clock, force Redmond into third and long situations and create turnovers, as Redmond fumbled the ball five times, losing it twice to the Lava Bears.
Bend would retaliate late in the fourth quarter as QB Creighton Simmonds (Sr. 6-0/175)Â orchestrated an 11 play, 61 yard drive that set up Jordan Gentner (So. 5-11/205) for a 1 yard plunge to make it 20-13, as the game clock read 6:37.
After a drive that saw Redmond call 15 plays and come up with nothing, Bend took the ball at their own 19 with 1:12 remaining.
Simmonds & the Bears drove 81 yards in 8 plays, being helped along by a facemask penalty that proved to be costly for the Panthers, as Simmonds hit WR Elliot Willy (Jr. 6-2/190) on a slant route at the goal line to score what would be the game-winning touchdown, with WR Christian Johnson (Sr. 5-9 165) sealing the deal on a successful two point try run around the right side with 12 seconds remaining.
Willy would be named the âSun Mountain Fun Center Player Of The Gameâ.
âCreighton and I are friends, we work on that play all the time in practice, and it just worked for us tonight,â said Willy after the game.
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Redmondâs previously unblemished 2014 record is no more, as they drop to 4-1, 0-1 in the IMC.
Coming up next Friday, the Panthers will welcome Joe Padilla and his Summit Storm to Redmond High, who dropped their IMC opener at home to #4 Mountain View Friday, 27-20.
Bend High now goes to 4-1 on the season, 1-0 in the IMC and will  visit the Ridgeview Ravens next Friday , who steamrolled The Dalles Friday 47-8.
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I love all your support of our local teams and the video coverage is fantastic! Thank you! I only ask that if you choose to post any thing with my son Christian Johnson, #8 for Bend Lava Bears that you use his correct name which is Christian not Chris, his only nickname is CJ and we both really like his name! Thanks again, keep up the great work