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Bruin Turnovers Spell Trouble Against Denair
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Three stalls within the five-yard line and six total turnovers proved too much to overcome in a 50-6 Riverbank High loss to visiting Denair on Friday.

The Bruins saw sparks of offensive success, but costly fumbles and mishaps in the red zone allowed the Coyotes to snare momentum and hold it in Riverbank's second consecutive loss to start the season.

"We just have to learn to play a full game and fight through adversity," Riverbank football coach Aaron Thurman said. "Football is not an easy game, and if we think we are going to get anything handed to us, we are wrong."

Denair found success with their fly offense and attacked the perimeter for big gains along the sideline. The Coyotes led 27-0 at the half, surrendering a third quarter score when Alex Reynaga scampered into the end zone on a quarterback keeper.

Reynaga passed, ran and returned kicks for a total of 189 yards in the defeat, showcasing his athleticism despite early game woes and a one-sided scoreboard.

"Alex had a Herculean effort in that game," Thurman said. "He was by far our best guy on the field, and he made some great game decisions."

The Riverbank defense switched from a three-down front in the trenches to four D-lineman at the point of attack. Thurman said the move allowed Riverbank to put more pressure on the quarterback, but noted his team must contain the edges to prevent big plays.

Riverbank competed without two-way standout Eddie Sanchez, who was unable to practice all week with a concussion.

Sanchez will be back in action this week as Riverbank travels to take on another power running program, Delhi. The Hawks fell in 42-0 fashion to McLance last week, but have a history of power runs from a double wing formation.

"We are not making many changes, scheme-wise," Thurman said. "We are going to continue to work on fundamentals, tackling and containment."

Riverbank's junior varsity program came through with a 14-7 win over Denair after a successful rushing attack and big defensive plays from Luis Solario.