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Bears, not Racers, start fast opening night

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BEARS, NOT RACERS, START FAST OPENING NIGHT

The moment Noble must battle somebody its own size, it can’t be committing more than 100 yards of penalties or blitzing out to a huge start only to slow down almost as quickly. And, really, it might want to convert an extra point before it scores its seventh touchdown. Yes sir, the Bears have things to work on. “We’ve just got a lot of stuff to clean up,” coach Greg George said. Also? Noble may never be out of a game as long as it has quarterback Baehler Buol and receiver/defensive back Christian Robinson-Moore sharing the field. On a night the Bears prevailed 47-10, racked up 422 yards of total offense and 334 through the air, the Buol to Robinson-Moore connection was responsible for four of the touchdowns and 209 of the passing yards. Good athletes, they’re bound to make something happen, yet there seemed to be more at hand. “There’s definitely a connection between us,” said Buol, who finished with an amazing six touchdown passes and all the passing yards, completing 12 of 22 attempts without an interception. “I’ve played with him since I was 5 years old. We’ve always had a connection.” Having Danny Arebalo around didn’t hurt either. Of the 188 yards the Bears picked up on the ground, he accounted for 111 on just six carries and 83 on just one third-quarter blast up the middle. The night was almost even better than the offensive numbers for Robinson-Moore. After hooking up with Buol for an 80-yard touchdown pass on the season’s first offensive play from scrimmage — yeah, that happened — he very nearly turned in a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown on the season’s fifth defensive play from scrimmage. A holding call did not nullify his pick, but it brought the ball almost the whole way back. Not that Robinson-Moore even needed the hold to go the distance. “When I saw that flag, I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me,’” he said. “But it all worked out.” That it did. What wasn't so good can be worked on and George pledged to to work on it. “We’ve got to get better, just keep working every day,” he said, speaking of a kicking game that missed three extra points before Cooper Barnes finally booted one through in the fourth quarter. “That’s a third of the game and a play like that can hurt you in the district when you’re trying to get into the playoffs.” But he could hardly be too upset. “There was a lot I was happy about,” he said. Beyond Buol and his favorite target, he also hit Ethan Sweezy for a 51-yard score and Zach Coffey for a 67-yard strike. All that and Tyler Santiago ran the ball well, too, turning five carries into 27 yards. Newcastle wasn’t helpless. The Racers picked up 260 yards of total offense and running back Trenton Laudenslager ran for 143 on 25 carries. Still, that and more than 100 yards passing added up to very little as the Bears gathered three interceptions and allowed just three carries of 10 yards or more. Their name aside, the Racers went nowhere fast. Friday, only the Bears did that.

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