Orrick’s attempt to stage a Week 2 comeback victory in varsity 8-man football came up short.

Trailing Polo 28-12 after three quarters, the Bearcats outscored the Panthers 2612 the fourth quarter. The 40-38 Sept. 4 home defeat dropped Orrick to 1-1.

Defense helped the Bearcats make their comeback attempt, according to Orrick coach Aaron Rodenberg.

“We started to get more pressure up the middle on Polo to disrupt their ability to pull their linemen and wash us down the middle,” Rodenberg stated Tuesday via email. “We also started to spread them out a little more and use some of our speed to our advantage.”

The Bearcats tallied 324 yards of total offense during their near-comeback – 190 rushing, 134 passing. Quarterback Trenton Mahurin paced Orrick’s running game with 101 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Other contributors included Levi Fielder, who tallied 74 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Mahurin also completed 11 of 23 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns.

Fielder and Carson…