BEAR RIVER FOOTBALL FALLS IN OPENER

The Bear River Bruin football team put up a great fight in the back and forth contest on Friday night at Bear River High School when they hosted the Pacheco Panthers who drove 160 mile for the game. but in the end the bigger, faster and more experienced visiting team won 35-29.

The Bruins had a shot late in the game but quarterback Austin Smith had very little time to find a receiver as the Panthers blitzed. Smith who played clean all game was picked as he attempted to thrown the ball to the lone receiver who was being double teamed as he ran a fly route.

In early action the Bruins jumped out to an early lead on a TD pass from Smith to Travis Whitehead which capped a 97 yard very impressive drive. Then BR added another score by John Voter who punched it in from the 1 to move the score to 14-0. The Panthers top scorer from 2013 Frank Ginda (6'2" 227lbs) caught a pass and and ran 47 yards to put Pacheco on the board. Smith then answered with another TD toss, this time to Dave Mastrella to give the Bruins a 22-8 lead with just over 3 min to play in the half. Pacheco went right back to their big man Ginda who again delivered on a 61 yard score as time ran down going into the half. The halftime score was 22-15 BR.

Coming out of the locker room the Panthers drover down the field on their firth possession to knot the score at 22 all. Pacheco followed up with another score for a 29-22 lead. Smith followed up by firing a strike to Ryan Wagner with 9:04 to play in the game to once again knot the score at 29-29.  The Panthers proceeded to drive the ball down the field and score but was called back from the 50 as there was a holding call. that mishap didn't slow the Panthers down as they ate up the yards, Bear River's timeouts as well as the clock on way to the games final score.

Smith had a very good showing as he was efficient and made good reads in the pocket  in his season debut in his senior season. Kyle Uclaray looked quick out of the back field and at times the defense pressured the the Panthers offense but late in the game they just couldn't get a stop when they needed it.

The Bruins take to the field again on Friday night when they host Union Mine,

JV
Bear River JV team also fell in their season opener 15-0.

NEVADA COUNTY SCOOPER - WHO ARE THEY?

On August 24th I posed a question to the 3,394 members of the Nevada County News and Information Facebook group for-which I'm an administrator. The question asked was, if the The Nevada County Scooper should be allowed to post to the group? The members gave feedback and it was all positive. The reason I was motivated to question the group is due to a few of their post being flagged. Click here to read what they wrote the following day about the event. They were "Swift" in getting the story out.

The idea of the NC Scooper is classic. The writing is fun, funny, smart and the stories seem to be based in and around current Nevada County events, people or news stories. The team of writers have crazy names along with what look to be real Facebook pages.

There are two names that I think are real. The first is Giovanni Paredes who's bio says he lives in Nevada County, and has other magical powers besides weather forecasting. He also hosts the extremely popular Nevada County Weather website. The other is the popular cartoonist RL Crabb whose work can be seen in The Union Newspaper. But I have no idea who these other very creative thinkers are.

Publisher of The Nevada County Scooper is Randall Finkelstein (Fink) of Penn Valley and Louis LaPlante (Lou) of North San Juan is the President.

On the "Companies" Facebook page it gives the history of the Scooper. See Below.

About
Throughout its 92 year history the Scooper, as it is affectionately called by locals, has striven to provide its citizens with the most up to date news.
Mission To provide a news source "for the rest of us."

DescriptionAbout the Nevada County Scooper

The Nevada County Scooper was founded in 1914 by Fred Bloomfield III, esq. and his wife Vinalla A. Bloomfield.

Throughout its 92 year history the Scooper, as its affectionately called by locals, has striven to provide it’s citizens with the most up to date and hard-hitting journalism the area has ever witnessed.

As the recipient of many, many awards, the Scooper recently ran out of wall space in it’s Penn Valley office after receiving a Gold record from long time supporter and Nevada County Scooper reader Alice Cooper.

Early History
In its early days the Nevada County Scooper was published from downtown Grass Valley and was the chief competitor to another, to be unnamed, local newspaper. During this time, the Scooper did not possess a printing press, nor the courage to borrow one. So the Scooper relied solely on shouting at people on the street to circulate the news. Later in the 1930s, the Scooper expanded its shouting service to Nevada City, frequently paying vagrants to assault citizens with news. Mr Bloomfield was a firm believer in enlightened self interest and believed that he was serving both the community and the paper’s interests.

Middle History
In 1949, after 17 long years of World War II, the Scooper finally purchased a printing press. However due the untimely death of Mr. Bloomfield’s wife in a bizarre gardening accident, he decided to sell his holdings in the newspaper to the Hearst Corporation for an undisclosed sum. The monies from this transaction were used for various failed housing developments around Nevada County including the infamous “homes over Wolf Creek” project.

Fresh History
After over 94 years of Hearst Corporation operation, the company sold the Scooper and its assets to former kid genius Randall “Fink” Finkelstein. Fink immediately set out to build a World Class local newspaper, as he put it, “for the rest of us, in Nevada County. Maybe Sierra County too if I get up there.” His goal of bringing worldly worldliness and his insightful blog commentary to Nevada County is first and foremost. Unless there’s money to be made in Sierra City. Then he will include them as well.

The Future
Fink hopes one day to put everyone in a flying car. Lou is hoping to retire to Cedar Ridge.

Thank you Fink and Lou for your contributions to this place we call home. You have shed a different light on the community.

BEAR RIVER JUNIOR BRUINS FOOTBALL OFF TO SLOW START

The Bear River Junior Bruins have started the 2014 season a bit slow as they have collectively (Junior Peewee, Peewee, Junior Midget and Midget) fallen to a 0-8 after two games. Next weekend (8/6) the BRJB program will look to rebound as they host their first home games of the season versus the Yuba City Junior Honkers.

The BRJB's teams have scored at total of 33 points while giving up 200. While this is a very large gap most of the points were given up in week one when they traveled to San Joaquin. SJ currently holds an overall record of 8-0 while posting 279 total points by their four teams. The SJ organization leads both the North and South divisions of the Sierra Valley Football in scoring.

In Week two BR traveled to Antelope who holds a 7-1 overall record as well as the top spot in all four levels of play in the Southern division.  Marysville who has a 1-7 record was the only team to defeat Antelope. Which was in the Midget division by a score of 22-19 in week one.

The BRJB's coaches will look to make the best of their week three bye to prepare for their next opponent Yuba City. YC holds a win loss record of 4-4  and has split contests with Nevada Union as well as perennial power Elk Grove.

SOUTH COUNTY FLORIST OPENS - COMBIE RD.

If you venture to Holiday Market on Combie Rd in the South county area of Nevada County you will notice a new tenant. Forever Yours Florist and Gifts is located at 10934 Combie Rd. Suite #116 Auburn, CA 95602 Local: (530) 268-7673. They had their Grand Opening this past weekend and it sounded like a great sucess. They are new to the area but they have gained a lot of traction as they have 306 Likes on their Facebook page.

From their FB buniness page.
We had 157 customers walk through our doors on Saturday. I know this count should be higher because not everyone filled out a raffle ticket. We are truly amazed by how many people from this community and beyond came by to show their support! We had customers ,friends and family show up from elk grove,roseville,sacramento,west sacramento,lincoln,newcastle,auburn,grass valley,nevada city,rough and ready,penn valley,alta sierra, and lake of the pines! Special thanks to The Gristmill Bakery & Deli & Cafe,The Red Chair,Auburn Journal,The Union,Roseville Overhead Door,Flora Fresh Inc.,South Nevada County Chamber.These businesses helped us in one way or another to prepare for our big event. It was a very successful day for us as we made many business contacts,opened several new business accounts and overall gained a lot of new customers.

We gave away some serious prizes too! There were 13 overall winners. Prizes ranged from a $50 gift certificate to plants,to our custom gift baskets. Everyone who attended also got a free $5 bar of our own freshly poured soap to take home with them.We also had a simple but nice spread of refreshments for folks to enjoy while they shopped too.

So once again THANK YOU to everyone who came by,called,sent cards,shopped,browsed,opened accounts,and helped us out!

Oh one more thing, don't feel bad if you didn't make it.You will have another chance at free raffles and a real nice food spread. We are having our annual holiday open house in November!
If you like Christmas you are in for a serious surprise! You have not seen anything yet. Stay tuned for exact dates and times coming soon.

This new florist is not to be confused with the Auburn Country Florist (Like I did) which has been operating in the area for over a year via their website as well as at their home studio after the fire. Sherry and Henry Fiser lost their store front when it burned to the ground in 2012. You can find the full story here.

NU MINER FOOTBALL ADDS COVERAGE

Nevada Union Football has more coverage than a top high school wide receiver as the Miners add an App to their secondary which will allow you to follow the game in real time.

This Friday night a rivalry returns. Nevada Union's Varsity football team will travel to Placer High School to take on the Hillman. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:30. If you can not make it to the game but would like to follow the the game's action as it happens then follow the directions located in the photo below. There is a catch though, see the last line. NU is looking for a little help and so are those who can not attend.

If NU doesn't have anyone at the game who is making updates then try following Walter Ford (on Twitter) who is the sports editor of the Union Newspaper in Grass Valley. I'm sure he will be on the sidelines keeping you up to date as to how the game is progressing. For those of you that have an online subscription to The Union Ford posts his game story on the paper's website about 2 hours after is post game interviews. 

I'm sure you could catch the radio broadcast on KNCO or KaHi. As this is a storied event.

If high quality video with commentary which is produced by Touchdown Productions is your medium of choice then be sure to tune into NCTV on Saturday night at 8pm for a replay of the full game as well as 10pm Sunday. The game will also be available for viewing on Touchdown Production's Game of the Week YouTube channel mid-day Saturday.

Let's hope the Miner's secondary can cover the Hillman receivers the way the local media covers NU's team.

BEAR RIVER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL - PACHECO

The Bruins will deploy athleticism on Friday night (8/29 at 7:30) at Bear River High School when they play host to the Pacheco Panthers who are returning all of their key players for their senior season.

The Bruins did not make the 2013 playoffs in spite to starting the season 5-0. Pacheco did make the playoffs going  7-4 in 2013 but they were sent home in the first round falling to Christian Brothers by a score of 54-20. BR has 34 players on their roster while Pacheco High School has 44. The host team is a lot like the visitors of last season, as they will have a lot of juniors playing key roles on both offense and defense.

As we taking a closer look at the PHS Panthers's returning players it is clear that the team from Los Banos will bring a lot more varsity experience to the field for Friday night's game at Bear River High School.  First let's look at the quarterbacks from both teams. Bear River will call upon Austin Smith, a senior signal caller who was Braden Duncan's backup in 2013. Smith threw the ball 19 times (167 yards) in his junior season while PHS's quarterback Juwan Epperson threw the ball 131 times (1,275 yards) which resulted in 11 scoring strikes. Both QBs have a quarterback rating higher than 100 which is very good. In addition to Epperson's passing game he can also run the ball. He ran the ball 61 times for 505 yards which resulted in seven scores. Smith ran the ball 6 times which resulted in 4 yards and no scores. Epperson's total yards in his junior season was 1,806. 

At the running back position it is very clear who will get most of the touches for the Panthers while the Bruins will have a host of options. PHS will lean heavy on Frank Ginda (6'2, 220 LBS) who rushed for over 1,000 yards as a junior including a 300 yard night. He also scored 17 rushing TDs and two through the air. The Bruins have a host of juniors who will look to get into the mix. The only returning tailback for BR will be John Voter who ran the ball 51 times for 239 yards with no scores. What should also be noted is the Panthers also have an additional returning back Moffet Teneng (5'7", 175 lbs) who is their quick back. He tallied 579 yards rushing on 83 carries and five TDs in eight games. 

For a quarterback to have a great season they must have a sure handed receiving core. Bear River's leading returning receiver is Ryan Wagner who caught 10 passes for 101 yards and a score. While Pacheco will look to Maurice Harden as he is their leading returning pass catcher. Harden caught 22 balls for 397 yards and five scores.

While it is very clear the Panthers have a lot more experience at the varsity level on the offensive side of the ball the Bruins do return a few of their defensive standouts which include Voter (80 tackles), Kyle Krogman (51 tackles) and Cannon Fetter who stands 6-foot-6 300 lbs (39 tackles). Pacheco only returns Ginda who had as many tackles (81) as BR's top three. 

This year the Bruins are a young athletic group of young men who will get better each and every week. By the time the Pioneer Valley League kicks-off they should be ready for a playoff push. 

BURNING MAN 2014 SLOWED BY RAIN

More than 70,000 Burners were due to travel to the Playa in the Black Rock, Nevada today. Police are turning guests away and instructing them to return to Reno and other area cities as the Playa dust has turned to mud.

Click here for a webcam from Black Rock Nevada which shows current conditions.

The LA. Weekly headline stated Burning Man Closed. The article went on to say...

The annual Burning Man festival in Black Rock, Nevada was shut down today after light overnight rains left the area known as the Playa flooded and muddy, officials said.

Organizers advised festival-goers heading to the annual event to postpone their arrival until at least midday tomorrow. Burning Man was providing updates on Twitter.

Zach Tolby, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Reno, Nevada told us that the rains were very light—only two-tenths of an inch worth at the most—but that ...

" ... they're out on a dry lakebed and it gets really greasy out there."

In a statement sent to the Weekly, organizers said:

Black Rock City has shut down following rainstorms that left standing water on the playa, leaving it un-drivable.

Rudy Evenson of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, which runs the property where Burning Man is held each year, said the main gate to the party was closed down this morning "because there was too much rain. When it dries out they'll let people in again."

According to the Burning Man statement:

ASPOA LAUNCHES SECOND YARD SALE WEEKEND

This weekend, the Alta Sierra Property Owners Association (ASPOA) will be promoting its second yard sale weekend, so you can sell your treasures, or discover new treasures at someone else’s sale. Based on its members feedback, they have added Friday to the sale. The sales are scheduled Friday through Sunday (8/22-8/24) from 8am – 3pm.

The event was a big success in the spring. My family purchased two great kayaks as well as sold a bunch of stuff that was just lying around.

 The event has been advertised in the ASPOA monthly e-newsletter, the Union, on KNCO, Yubanet, Craigslist, Facebook, community signs, and flyers.

A FREE LIST/MAP of the registered yard sales will be available the morning of August 22 at aspoa.org, which you can download and print to help you navigate the winding (and often confusing) roads in our community. Yard sales will take place Friday, Saturday, and/or Sunday. We’ll include that information in our list, as well.

Happy hunting.

NEVADA UNION VS BEAR RIVER - FOOTBALL SCRIMMAGE - 8/23/2014

Are you a local high school football fan? Have you wondered why Bear River and Nevada Union don't play each other? Well this Saturday night (8/23) they will match up in a scrimmage at Bear River High School along with Mesa Verde.

This sets up an interesting conversation for the future. NU is currently playing the in ultra loaded Sierra Foothill league which could be the toughest league in the state. The SFL schools have student populations near 2,000. While Bear River plays in the Pioneer Valley League which has teams that have from 650 students to 1,700. The Bruins are one of the smaller teams in the league with about 800 students. The two largest schools in the PVL are Lincoln and Placer high schools which are in the 1,700 range. Both of which the Miners have on their 2014 schedule. While this is only a scrimmage Nevada County bragging rights may be on the line.

Schedule

The Freshman and JV teams will be on the field for about 40 min. commencing at 6pm. The Frosh teams will be on one end of the field while the JV teams will be at the other end.

The three varsity teams will go at it at 7pm utilizing the entire field. 

$2 for students and $4 for adults.

PACIFIC MOUNTAIN BIKE WORKS - ALTA SIERRA COFFEE SHOP

On Wednesday I went to the garage and noticed my bike tire was flat. Ugh I said to myself as I had planned to take my morning ride. So I loaded the bike into my car and planned to drive to Nevada City to get a new tube. On my way I recalled a new bike shop in Alta Sierra which is very close to my home. The location of the new shop is perfect for South county residents as it is at the corner of Alta Sierra drive and Highway 49, next to Alta Sierra Pizza and Grill.

The business model seemed a bit odd to me as it is a coffee shop as well as bike sales, repair and accessories shop. As I entered I was greeted by the owner Kyle Thompson who can be reached at 530-263-5245. He is a very knowledgeable man. We talked coffee and bike trails as I sipped the Chronic blend while he put a new tube in my tire. The Chronic is a very full flavored strong brew which comes from a Colombian bean that is roasted in Idaho.

The bikes in his inventory span a wide range of prices and styles including custom one of a kind models. Kyle also carries clothing and accessories for beginners to the advanced rider. The shop is clean. I would recommend the coffee as well as anything cycling related. While I did not understand the combination of coffee and bikes at first, it now makes perfect sense. I enjoyed my time with the new shop keep.