ABOVE: Running back Chandler Dodd runs for yardage during Friday night’s 29-42 loss to the Trojans of Douglas High School. BELOW: Quarterback Jr. Helme runs for a 40-yard touchdown to bring the Bruins within two of the Trojans on Friday night. The Pilot/Jef Hatch

The Brookings-Harbor High School football team lost their Far West League season opener to Douglas with a score of 29-42.

The Bruins opened the game by giving up two unanswered touchdowns to quickly fall behind 0-14.

“We tried to out-quick them in the gaps and make their big boys run a little bit,” assistant football coach Chris Schofield said on the Bruins’ defense. “We got some big guys in there to fill the gaps in the second half and I thought they did a great job.”

 The Bruin offensive line had little problem handling the Trojan front five, creating holes for the running backs, quarterback and tight end to score through.

The Bruins’ first score came on a nine-yard run by Chandler Dodd, and the PAT was kicked by Chandler Gotfried to halve the Trojan’s 14, 7-14.

“My touchdown felt great,” Dodd said. “My blockers did every perfectly and all I had to do was take the ball and dive in.”

Dodd started Friday night in place of Dubby McKinney who was not on the field.

The touchdown was initially set up  by a Tyler Lueckfeld 60-yard run that was called by on a block to the back penalty.

The Bruins weren’t phased by the penalty though as quarterback Jr. Helme broke out two long runs to set up the touchdown for Dodd.

Douglas scored on the ensuing set of downs with 1:05 left in the first quarter, but failed to convert their two point attempt.

On the opening drive of the second quarter, Helme threw an interception and a personal foul penalty on the Bruins gave the Trojans a strong enough position to score with 8:15 remaining in the second quarter.

Lueckfeld put six points on the board for the Bruins from 27 yards out, with 6:25 remaining in the second quarter. Chandler Gotfried missed his only kick of the night strand the Bruins at 13-28.

The Bruin defense was able to get their first stop of the night and forced a Trojan turnover on downs with a minute remaining in the half. 

The offense was not able to score and the Bruins were forced to punt the ball away as the second quarter drew to a close.

The Bruins opened the second half by receiving the kickoff and Lueckfeld was able to add points to the Bruins’ total with a 55-yard touchdown run.

Lueckfeld’s touchdown was made possible, in part, by the block that fellow senior Tim Drafahl put on a Trojan defender.

“I wanted to win,” Drafahl said of the ferociousness of the block. “So I played as hard as I could.”

Late in the third quarter the Bruin defense forced another turnover on downs to get the ball back in the hands of Helme and the offense.

Helme would take that ball 40 yards to open the fourth quarter with a touchdown and put the Bruins within striking distance of the Trojans. The two point conversion would not be successful though and the Bruins remained down by two, 26-28.

The Bruin defense came up with a big stop as the Trojans tried to go for it on fourth down and 15 yards to go, to give the offense excellent field position on the Trojans’ 35-yard line.

With 7:00 remaining in the fourth quarter the Bruins would fumble to the ball and, after the subsequent touchdown by Douglas at the 4:39 mark, not be able to regain the momentum.

Gotfried kicked a 37-yard field goal to bring the Bruins within tying distance, but the Bruin special teams failed to recover the onside kick and the Trojans put one more touchdown on the board with 51.9 seconds remaining.

Douglas is ranked fifth in the state among 4A schools and the Bruins came close to beating them.

“I don’t think our kids realize how close they are,” Schofield said. “I don’t think they recognize how big that can be.”

“I think we’re a good team,” Dodd said. “We need to just fight a little harder. Work a little harder.”

Drafahl shared Dodd’s sentiment about working harder, but added that, the team doesn’t always believe in themselves, doesn’t believe they’re that good.

“We’ve got to get pumped up for practice, work harder and don’t be satisfied,” Drafahl said. 

The Bruins travel to North Bend High School on Friday to take on the Bulldogs at 7 p.m.