John Bowers’ first game as head coach of the Ballard Beavers ended in a stinging defeat this Friday night. Renton’s Liberty High beat the Beavers decisively in the season opener at Memorial Stadium, 43-7.

Now, I’m not a sports writer, but I’m a football fan, and the game was painful to watch. Turnover after turnover plagued the Beavers on offense.

Here, a Liberty player returns an interception for a touchdown. “It looked like we weren’t coached well, and we weren’t,” Bowers told reporters after the game. “I’ll take total responsibility for this one.”

But it’s not all about winning, right? (And it was a non-league game.) The cheerleaders kept the crowd in the game, and everyone seemed to have a good time. Here’s a video clip of a few highlights, and click below for more photos…