By RICH STEVENS

For Connect-Bridgeport

 

The seemingly indomitable Bridgeport High football team rolled up the yards again, but in a rare occurrence, couldn’t pin down enough points.

 

Despite rushing for 347 yards, the No. 1 Indians played catch up for most of the second half in dropping a 33-27 stunner to No. 9 Chapmanville in the West Virginia Class AAA quarterfinals on Saturday night at Wayne Jamison Field.

 

“That was something, I’m telling you,” Chapmanville coach Zach Belcher said. “I’m a little emotional.”

 

The Tigers will take their program’s first 12-0 record to Nitro next weekend to face the Wildcats, who reached the semifinals with a 57-38 shootout win over North Marion.

Bridgeport scored at least 48 points against every West Virginia opponent, being held to 33 by Virginia-based Heritage in a weather-shortened game back on Sept. 5.

 

On Saturday night against the feisty Tigers, the Indians labored far and beyond trying to stop the Chapmanville passing attack. Sophomore Dakota Dalton completed 12-of-24 passes for 247 yards and touchdowns to Trey Ward and Benji Adkins.

 

“Our offensive line made that pocket clean and he made good decisions,” Belcher said.

 

Bridgeport played keep away with the Tigers in the first 24 minutes despite a wide disparity in time of possession before Chapmanville took the second half kickoff and went 60 yards in 3:49 aided by an unsportsmanlike penalty that converted a second-and-long into a first down.

 

The Tigers converted an onside kick Dalton capped the drive with a 5-yard TD run and Adkins, a 6-5, 235-pound tight end, caught the conversion. Dalton added another touchdown to give the visitors a two-score lead with 9:09 remaining.

 

Keeping the ball on the ground – Bridgeport has attempted only 16 passes entering the game – the Indians went 53 yards in six plays, finished by a six-yard TD by Gavin Williams. Williams had a 68-yard scoring run in the first half and finished with 227 yards on 26 carries after missing last week’s first round win against PikeView with a groin injury.

 

Bridgeport’s last chance came with 3:47 and two timeouts. A 14-play drive starting at its own 1 produced 78 yards to the Chapmanville 21-yard line but Ward intercepted a Graham Vincent pass at the 6 to end it.

 

The final play completed a tough night for the Indians, who lost a fumble, failed to recover an onside kick, and saw Preston Kovach burst through the line on the final play of the second quarter to block a field goal attempt.

 

Chapmanville rushed for just 62 yards on 25 carries.

 

Editor's Note: Photos by Joe LaRocca.