St. Joseph’s milestone 1,000th football game turned into a night of resilience and late-game fireworks, even if the comeback fell just short in a 42-36 loss at No. 8 Portage Northern. The Bears fell behind 26-0 midway through the third quarter as the Huskies’ powerful ground game — led by Keniel Ortiz and Aireus Jackson — controlled the early tempo. St. Joe’s offense sputtered through two and a half quarters with turnovers and stalled drives, but the Bears’ faithful saw history being written in determination as senior Ish Dixon finally broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run late in the third to spark life.

From there, the Bears nearly pulled off one of their most dramatic rallies in recent memory. Dixon added a 14-yard scoring run early in the fourth, then powered a 16-play, 72-yard march

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