STOCKTON – Seth Davis was thrilled to get that first victory as the Weston Ranch head coach.

But more importantly, he was proud of how his Cougars got past highly-respected Bear Creek Friday, 26-18.

“They did it at home in front of their friends and family,” said Davis, who had to sweat it out prior to Quamante Battle’s game-clinching interception in the waning seconds.

Weston Ranch (1-2) had trouble stopping the Bruins early. Bear Creek (1-3) was coming off an impressive victory over Denair.

The Bruins need just five plays, marching 39 yards thanks to quarterback Brice Weber connecting with Devin Wyman on a 27-yard scoring strike.

But the Cougars charged back. Speedster John McDonald ran a counter, going 80 yards up the seam to paydirt. He finished with a game-high 118 yards on 12 carries.

Bear Creek answered that with Joel Chavez’s 32-yard field goal.

Weston Ranch’s defense stiffened led by the likes of Marcus Gammage and Khalil Browder, who pressured the quarterback while registering a pair of sacks.

Gammage had several big hits on defense, but it was his play on special teams that tipped the scale in favor of Weston Ranch. He charged at the line-drive punt and had enough momentum to go 48 yards for the score. The Cougars entered halftime with a 12-10 advantage.

Weston Ranch boosted its advantage early in the third quarter when Erron Duncan, who was running a fade route, beat his defender on a 21-yard TD from quarterback Marcus Moore.

A helmet-to-helmet personal foul infraction also set up the Cougars’ next score.

Weston Ranch further padded its lead thanks to a time-consuming drive in the fourth capped off by Battle powering his way in for a 2-yard score. Moore than connected with Chris Cannaday on the two-point conversion.

Down 26-10, Bear Creek fought back as wide receiver Jason Sigman hauled in a 31-yard TD pass. Weber then found Djibril Sagna on the conversion, keeping the Bruins within striking distance.

Bear Creek had one last chance at a comeback. But those hopes were squashed on Battle’s interception.