Starting the football season off with two losses built up some frustration for the Rams. They entered last Friday’s game with Bear River dying for a win to get them moving in the right direction before school began.

This frustration coupled with it being their first home game created a perfect storm as the Rams offense came to life in a 46-35 victory of Bear River.

But even though it was the offense that stole the show, it was the defense that set the tone just moments into the game. Linebacker Max Erickson took an interception back for a touchdown only one minute into the game, setting the tone for a team desperate for a win.

“It was everything,” Erickson said about the interception. “Then we started putting points on the board.”

Following the big play, the Rams defense was able to hold Bear River to a three-and-out drive which helped them score once again on a pass to receiver Zedrick Fifita, putting the Rams up by 13 in the first quarter.

Bear River attempted to answer back with an interception of their deep in Highland territory. However, cornerback Darwin Keyes was able to make an interception in the endzone, quickly stopping the hopes of Bear River’s answer to the Ram’s hot start.

For Keyes, that was the just the beginning of a big day for the senior. Late in the first half, Highland quarterback Peizge Mailei hit Keyes for a 30-yard score, but the highlight of the night came in the third quarter when Keyes beat his defender with pure speed, hauling in an 81-yard touchdown pass.

It was a needed confidence boost for Keyes, who struggled in the team’s loss a week early at Cyprus.

“Coming back from a game where I dropped two balls, I felt as if they didn’t have any confidence in me, but they trusted in me,” Keyes said.

The Rams would consistently put points on the board even as Bear River made a run of its own in the 4^th quarter, scoring 21 points. But what seemed like a possible comeback was stopped by consecutive interceptions on defense, the first by Grant Starks and the second by outside linebacker Jay Tupua.

“We needed that, the momentum was kind of swung their way a little bit,” Highland coach Kautai Olevao said. “We played well tonight…Kind of floated a little at the end but they came around.”