Class AAA No. 1 Indians to Clash with Linsly at West Liberty; BHS has Outscored First Three Opponents, 176-0
By Chris Johnson on September 20, 2024
Class AAA No. 1 Bridgeport hits the road for the second time this season tonight as the Indians will travel to West Family Stadium at West Liberty University to take on Linsly.
The Indians and Cadets met for the first time last year with BHS picking up a hard-fought 28-21 victory at Wayne Jamison Field.
BHS is not only undefeated at 3-0, but the Indians have notched three consecutive shutouts to start the season and have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 176-0.
The Cadets are 0-3 but that may be a little misleading as they have played three powerhouses in Westinghouse (Pa.), Ashland (Ohio) and St. Francis DeSales (Ohio).
“It’s not fair for them to be considered a winless team,” BHS coach Tyler Phares said. “They have played some fantastic teams. They have played three of the better teams I have seen on film. They’ve got a lot of talent. It’s going to be a battle.”
Linsly runs a spread offense with junior quarterback Braden Wade at the helm. Wade threw for more than 2,000 yards a year ago and has a talented group of receivers at his disposal with the likes of Jaxon Murray and Ramello Derr. Derr is also an option in the run game along with Simon Hamp and Aiden Brooks.
“We expect them to throw the ball like they did last year,” Phares said. “We have to play aggressive. We have to play downhill and we have to play smart.”
On defense, the Cadets return only one starter. Among the players who graduated was linebacker Raymond Kovalesky, who had 22 tackles in last year’s game against the Indians.
Bridgeport’s offense has been dynamic, averaging 58.7 points per game and 423.7 yards of total offense per game.
The Indians currently have nine different players averaging at least 10 yards per carry and the most attempts are the 20 that Josh Love has. Love leads the team with 242 yards and six touchdowns.
Tim Jeffress has 215 yards on 10 carries and two touchdowns.
Half of the rushing attempts for Alex Moses have resulted in touchdowns as he has 200 yards on 12 carries and six TDs.
Jack Spatafore has seven rushing attempts and has 96 yards and four touchdowns. He’s also completed 6-of-8 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown pass to Donovan Williams.
Williams has caught four passes for 103 yards. Last week, Williams surpassed D’Andre Holloway to become the school’s all-time leader in career receiving yards with 555. He’s tied with Sean Marion for the school’s all-time touchdown reception list with seven.
Williams is also tied for the team’s lead with tackles on defense with 13 along with Love, Alex Naternicola, Wes Brown and Colton Miller.
Gabe Martin and Bear Metheney each have 11 tackles and Cam Martin and John Knight each have 10.
Through three games, the Indians have 26.5 tackles for a loss.
Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on the Indians Radio Network (103.3 FM WKMZ) and can also be accessed on the Bridgeport Sports Radio App and the official website for Bridgeport Athletics
Providing play by play for the game will be the “Voice of the Indians” Travis Jones with Chris George serving as color analysist and Brent Kimble reporting from the sideline.
Editor's Note: Top photo shows Love (14) and Moses (12). Middle photo features Jeffress (23) and Cam Martin (8). In the bottom photo are Brown (left) and Spatafore (right). Photos by Tom Mellott
