BRAHAM- A strong second quarter sent the North Woods Grizzlies into the half leading 16-14 at Braham, but the Bombers went back on top early in the third and held on for a 22-16 win in the first game of the season on Friday for both teams.
Turnovers deep in their own territory were deadly for the Grizzlies. A fumble at their own 5 yard-line was scooped up by the Bombers for a touchdown, and a second-half lost fumble at the Grizzlies 11 resulted in a 2-play Braham scoring drive.
Outside of giving up a game-opening 61-yard scoring drive to the Bombers, the North Woods defense held up well against Braham's rushing attack until late in the fourth quarter. The Bombers picked up a couple of key running first downs to then run out the clock for the win.
TJ Chiabotti scored two second-quarter touchdowns for North Woods on runs of 14 and 7 yards, and overall the Grizzlies outgained the Bombers in offensive yards.

Look for a complete game story in the next print edition of the Timberjay.