It was the last day for a handful of seniors practicing at Memorial Stadium. As the Bears got back from their two day holiday hiatus (Trevon Clark was the sole Bear with travel issues, making his way over the Grapevine on I-5), they had one final practice at home before heading to San Francisco. That meant that the seniors got carried off of the field, including senior running back Alex Netherda.
"They did a terrible job of it," Netherda deadpanned, "no technique, but it's cool to succinctly wrap up the long journey that I've been here (for). Finishing it off in a bowl game is huge, that's a major victory before the game is even played. That feels really good and I'm excited to go after it."
The Bears aren't exactly pulling a Clark Griswold and heading cross-country in their journey over the Bay Bridge, but it's an opportunity for guys to get to know a city that they may not have explored before, despite San Francisco being as close as it is.
"You know from living here, sometimes when you live some place and there are tourist attractions," Justin Wilcox noted, "sometimes you don't participate because you live there, you find reasons not to go. I think one of the best things about being here for a bowl game is that we get to experience some of those things we don't traditionally do, whether it's Alcatraz or a Warriors game or something like that."
Ben Hawk Schrider, a long time Warriors fan and Bay Area native, is excited to take in the Warriors (against the Phoenix Suns Friday night).
"Warriors game, I'm excited about that, I'm a die-hard Warriors fan," Schrider said, "I'm all in for the Warriors no matter what. I think the Warriors make the playoffs, they're 6.5 games back with 50 to go, we'll see what happens with it."
Bold proclamations aside, Schrider will likely be getting a start against Illinois in place of Tevin Paul, and he's looking forward to it in what could be his final football game.
"It's definitely a good opportunity for me, whatever opportunities show up," Schrider noted,"I want to take them, make the most of my opportunities. It's my last football game, but I wouldn't want it to be anywhere else with any other team, any other guys."
Both Schrider and Netherda get to finish their careers at Cal in front of their families down in Santa Clara, as the Bears take on Illinois Monday at 1 PM.
"Me and my mom were talking, adding up who's coming," Schrider said, "I'll have about 50 or 60 there."
"I have a lot of family that'll be able to come, a lot of the hometown group who are really excited about it. It's nice to know that once the game ends," Netherda said, "I don't have to get on a 6-hour flight. My brother, who goes to UCLA now, hasn't been able to see me play, except against UCLA, he'll be able to come to the bowl game, which is really cool, it'll be my last football game for at least a while, it's gonna be cool to have a big group there."
Other Notes:
- Tomorrow marks the Redbox Bowl media session in San Francsico, but it'll also be an open practice (at 3:30) for the Bears at City College of San Francisco. RB Deshawn Collins and K Greg Thomas both came from City College.
- Wilcox noted that no other players, aside from the nine previously mentioned (Ashtyn Davis due to injury, Trey Turner, Jordan Duncan, Tevin Paul, Myles Jernigan, Miles Williams, Isaiah Humphries, Curley Young, and Jaylen Martin for other reasons), will be out for the bowl game.
