The Bridgeport High School football team will make its longest road trip since a 2018 Class AA semifinal game at Bluefield today when the Class AAA No. 7 Indians (6-0) head to Hunnicutt Stadium in Princeton for a showdown with the Class AAA No. 4 Tigers (5-0).

 

It will mark the first-ever meeting between Bridgeport and Princeton and as far as regular-season matchups go, the stakes couldn’t be any higher.

 

The winner could likely solidify a spot in the Top 4 when then final WVSSAC playoff ratings come out, which would mean at least two home playoff games.

 

“There are a lot of (playoff bonus) points up for grabs for both teams,” Bridgeport coach Tyler Phares said. “We have a big challenge on our hands. This is a good team that can do a lot of things.”

 

The Tigers are also a team that will have the luxury of being at home and not having to take a three-hour bus ride to play.

 

The Indians plan to leave Bridgeport at 1 p.m. and will make a couple of stops along the way in order for the players to stretch their legs and get in a couple of walk-throughs before arriving in Princeton.

 

As far as on-the-field concerns from the Princeton offense, it all starts with 6-foot-4, 220-pound quarterback Grant Cochran, a junior who is considered one of the best in the state at his position.

 

In five games, Cochran has completed 51-of-76 passes for 874 yards and eight touchdowns without an interception. He spreads the ball around well as 11 different players have caught at least one pass and six different players have caught a touchdown.

 

The Tigers are hardly just a passing team though as Brodie Rice has 573 rushing yards with six touchdowns and Jacob Young adds 257 rushing yards and four TDs.

 

“They make you play sideline to sideline,” Phares said. “They throw a lot of screens, make you defende the intermediate pass as well as the long pass.

 

“(Cochran) throws the ball well and he gets rid of the ball quick. He doesn’t make a lot of mistakes and they have an experienced offensive line.”

 

Defensively, the Tribe is allowing just 13 points per game and just a shade over 200 yards of total offense per contest.

 

The Indians have playmakers at every level on defense and feature seven players who have posted at least 20 tackles this year. Safety Charlie Brazier leads the way with 43, while linebackers Phil Reed and Landyn Reppert have 36 and 33, respectively.

 

Defensive backs Aidan Paulsen and Derek Starkey have 31 and 21, stops respectively. The team’s third linebacker, Ryan Hall, also has 21 tackles and defensive tackle Tate Jordan has 20 including a team-best seven for a loss with three sacks.

 

“Our kids love to run to the football and they love to hit you,” Phares said.

 

Linebacker Reece Burton leads Princeton in tackles with 49. Defensive tackle Tyler Dye adds 27 tackles, including six for a loss.

The Tigers’ will be forced to try and slow down a BHS offense that is averaging more than 400 rushing yards per game.

 

Cam Cole leads the single-wing attack with 755 rushing yards on 66 attempts (an average of 11.4 per carry) and 13 touchdowns.

 

Reppert adds 424 rushing yards and four TDs, while six other players have more than 100 yards this year and 10 other players have at least one rushing touchdown.

 

The Indians are coming off a scheduled bye week and Phares said his team has had two great weeks of practice since the 72-0 victory against Preston two Fridays ago and are now as healthy as they have been all season.

 

“If we can emulate what we’ve done in practice the past two weeks, we’re excited to see the results,” Phares said.

 

Tonight’s game will be broadcast live on the Indians Radio Network with the Voice of the Indians Travis Jones on play-by-play, Chris George on commentary and Brent Kimble providing sideline reporting. The game will air at 7 p.m. on WKMZ 103.3 as well as the Bridgeport Sports Radio App and www.bridgeportindiansfootball.com

 

Editor's Note: File photos by www.benqueenphotography.com Top photo features a group of BHS defenders, second photo is Hall and Ty Martin celebrating and bottom shot is of Cole.