Sylvan Hills scored the first time it had the ball Friday night, but ran only 11 plays during the rest of the first half.
In the second half it was all Bears as they registered a 37-12 victory over Jacksonville at Bill Blackwood Field in Sherwood.
The Bears (3-4, 2-2 6A-East) used an opportunistic defense that recorded three sacks and two interceptions in the second half to rally from a 12-7 halftime deficit to claim the victory over the Titans (2-5, 1-3).
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Junior running back DeAngelo Smith carried the offense for Sylvan Hills, running the ball 13 times for 120 yards and 2 touchdowns.
"We changed the way we blocked in the second half," Sylvan Hills Coach Jim Withrow said. "It made a world of difference."
The Bears also received special teams help by blocking Jacksonville's first punt and taking advantage of some sloppy play by the Titans' return team on a kickoff to pin them deep on their end of the field.
In the opening quarter, Sylvan Hills needed six plays to score after Emil McCoy blocked the Jacksonville punt. The touchdown came on a 2-yard run by quarterback Corey Washington with 8:42 left in the first quarter.
The Titans responded on their next possession, scoring after eight plays on a 46-yard pass from Deorius Cobbs to Jason Bobo with 4:39 remaining in the first quarter.
The Titans drove down the field on their next possesion, with Cobbs scoring from the 1 with four seconds left in the half, giving Jacksonville a 12-7 halftime edge.
The Bears kept the ball for the first 5:10 of the third quarter, ending the drive with a 22-yard field goal by Matthew Riley.
Sylvan Hills needed only three plays in the third quarter to score on a 50-yard run by Smith to take the lead for good at 16-12.
After a sack and a penalty for having too many men on the field, Jacksonville was forced to punt from its 1. Sylvan Hills' Taevion Cunningham picked up the 14-yard kick and returned it to the Jacksonville 9.
Two plays later, Smith scored his second touchdown on a 5-yard run with 1:47 left in the third quarter.
The Bears put the game away when Cole Bland intercepted another Cobbs pass and returned it 90 yards for the score and a 30-12 lead with 6:50 left in the game.
Joey Jones scored the Bears' last touchdown on a 30-yard run with 59 seconds remaining.
Sports on 10/19/2019