Brody Jeran Makes Waves With His Blocking, Gets Rewarded with TD in Bridgeport Opener
By Michael Minnich on August 29, 2026
Brody Jeran got his moment in the spotlight on Friday thanks to a 38-yard touchdown reception from Graham Vincent to double the Bridgeport Indians’ lead over the Buckhannon-Upshur Buccaneers to 14-0 in a game that eventually finished in a 68-0 rout.’
“I saw the ball and it kind of ended up in my hands,” Jeran siad. “I ran in for the touchdown. First touchdown was good. I’m just happy to be here and part of this team.”
But it was his blocking that put him in coach Tyler Phares’ spotlight post-game.
“It was noticeable with his down blocks,” Phares said. ‘We didn’t have those in our scrimmage. We definitely saw some bodies being moved on some down blocks today, which was huge.”
But the scoring play was nice, too.
“It was great to see him get rewarded with a touchdown catch because of his blocking,” Phares said.
That blocking set the table for Bridgeport to rush for 428 yards in the first half with the starters on the field and 571 for the game.
“We’ve got Gabe (Martin) and Gavin (Williams) and Eli (Knight) and (Aiden) Gorby and the rest of the boys. They all run hard and we block hard,” Jeran said. “We work towards that in practice and that’s ultimately what we look forward to.”
Bridgeport also gained yards on the other side of the ball, forcing Buckhannon-Upshur in the wrong direction for -8 yards on 15 carries.
“Absolutely proud of this defense,” Jeran said. “We battled and fought, got an interception and some turnovers as part of the game.”
Being “part of the game” is a victory in itself for Jeran, who has been limited in past seasons by injuries.
“That’s been tough, but adversity comes with it,” Jeran. “Here we are, playing senior year, and let’s go.”
It’s a fun opener for Jeran, who grew up in Upshur County.
“Playing youth ball with them is awesome, but I eventually moved here and am part of this team now. We’re excited to win and keep going,” Jeran said.
That next step is a meeting with last year’s Class AAAA runner-up Martinsburg next Friday at 7 p.m.
“We’re excited. Week 2, big one against Martinsburg. A lot of projections out there, but we don’t listen to them. We’re going to come out here and practice this week and work hard,” Jeran said.
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