Football Game Preview: Big Bear Bears vs. Whittier Christian Heralds

Big Bear is preparing for their first league matchup of the season on Friday. They will host the Whittier Christian Heralds at 7:00 p.m.

Last Friday, Big Bear was within striking distance but couldn't close the gap as they fell 19-14 to Desert Hot Springs.

Although Big Bear took the loss, they still got scores from Wade Addington and Savion Sorapuru.

Big Bear didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Gunnar Gherke and Rigo Guadarrama.

Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Whittier Christian). They claimed a resounding 38-7 victory over Riverside Prep. The matchup was pretty much decided by the half, when the score had already reached 28-0.

Whittier Christian's win came from a few key players Big Bear will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Caden Hogan, who threw for 96 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 75% of his passes, and also punched in one score on the ground. Whittier Christian's leading receiver Josepablo Gutierrez was Hogan's top target yet again, picking up 65 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Special teams was a major factor in the game for Whittier Christian, racking up 14 points in total. The biggest highlight from special teams (and perhaps the team as a whole) came courtesy of Gutierrez, who ran a kickoff back for a touchdown.

Whittier Christian's first win this season bumped their record up to 1-4. As for Big Bear, their loss ended a four-game streak of away wins dating back to last season and brought them to 3-2.

Everything came up roses for Big Bear against Whittier Christian in their previous meeting back in September of 2024, as the squad secured a 76-35 victory. In that contest, the Bears amassed a halftime lead of 49-21, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.