Bridgeport came into this evening’s Class AA opening round playoff game with a No. 1 ranking, a 9-0-1 record and a season history of ball security.

 

That history of ball security would go out the window; or at least onto the ground. After losing just six fumbles all season long, Bridgeport lost five in the first half against No. 16 Independence. Fortunately for the Indians, what the offense gave away in opportunities to the Patriots the defense was more than happy to take away.

 

Thanks to a defense that didn’t allow a single turnover to be turned into points, Bridgeport rolled to a 41-7 win over Independence at Wayne Jamison Field. The Tribe will now host the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 9 Robert C. Byrd and No. 8 Chapmanville.

 

“Fumbles happen, but 90 percent of them are mental,” said BHS Coach Josh Nicewarner. “You get lazy with the football, trying to make a cut and leave the ball out and it gets knocked out. The good news is that we played well enough to win. The bad news is that you repeat that performance we’re going to be done. It’s that simple … You cough the ball up half as many times as we did you’re not going to win a football game at this stage of the (season).”

 

What made it more frustrating is the Indians put the ball back on the turf several more times and recovered it. On top of that, a few other loose balls were ruled down by contact.

 

“Dropping punts, whatever, it was a complete and utter nightmare,” said Nicewarner. “If we had one of those games coming, I’m glad it’s out of our system. You’ve got to forget about it and have a short memory.”

 

The first team defense, before going out of the game late in the third period, yielded just 86 yards of offense in what proved to be yet another memorable night.  That would prove to be more than enough for the BHS offense to use to their advantage in righting themselves and pulling away.

 

“I hate to use the word dominant in this game, but (the defense) came through when we needed it,” said Nicewarner. “Like I’ve said all along, they continue to get better and they’re playing the kind of defense we’re going to need going to down the road.”

 

In particular, it was the Bridgeport front four that shut the door. The group of Noah Markley, Matt Dillon, Hunter Haddix and Chapin Murphy seemed to be involved on just about every play in the first half when needed and in the early parts of the third period when the game was salted away.

 

“I thought the front four was the story line … To me, the story of the night was Chapin Murphy,” said Nicewarner. “This kid is a sophomore and got his first varsity start last week against Preston County and was playing like a veteran out there tonight. That’s the kind of effort we need from guys you may not be expecting to step up.”

 

During the game, Murphy did more than just play solid on defense. He was also solid on special teams where he blocked a field goal and a punt to help BHS to eventually coast to the finish line.

 

Before pulling away in the final two periods, Bridgeport did all it could to make its own fans nervous and the folks from Raleigh County believe they could pull off the upset.

 

In fact, Bridgeport did something on its first drive it hasn’t done much of this year – and that was not only fumble, but fumble in the red zone. Despite the miscue, the Tribe’s defense quickly forced a three-and-out and the Patriots found themselves punting from their own 17.

 

The punt set Bridgeport up in good field position at the IHS 47-yard line. Two plays later, Bridgeport broke onto the score board. Dante Bonamico scored on a 18-yard run to the right after Zack Spurlock carried the ball for 29 yards on the first play. The first of five straight successful Koby Kiefer point-after kicks make it 7-0 with 6:27 in the first period.

 

For those thinking the early fumble would be an anomaly, they would be wrong. They would be dead wrong.

 

Following Independence’s only sustained drive not set up by a Bridgeport turnover, things would end up stalling on downs at the BHS 27-yard line. Unfortunately, four plays later the second fumble gave Independence the ball back at the Tribe 43.

 

The Patriots were unable to do anything with the ball and ended up punting after three plays netted three yards. However, the third Bridgeport miscue – this one more bad luck than failing to secure the ball – put the visitors back in business again.

 

Not only did the Patriots’ punt hit a Bridgeport player in the helmet, but the ball bounced into the hands of J.T. Harris. Unfortunately, the arrival of the ball was greeted by the arrival of an IHS player and the Patriots pounced on the ball for the third time – this time at the Bridgeport 15 as time expired in the first quarter.

 

On this Patriot possession, three plays netted just one yard and resulted in a 32-yard field goal attempt. Murphy, who nearly blocked a pair of punts in the opening half before getting to one in the third, blocked the kick and Bridgeport took over early in the second quarter looking to erase the memory of the three first period fumbles.

 

Things started off strongly on this series. Bridgeport would need just four plays to take advantage of the defensive stand. After BHS moved the ball to its own 44, Elijah Drummond made the most of a quick hitter by busting loose for a 56-yard score. Kiefer’s second point-after made it 14-0 with 7:59 left.

 

The good news for the Indians’ faithful was that the defense continued to play strong in the second frame. The bad news was that the offense continued to turn it over.

 

After Drummond’s score, the Indians forced yet another three-down series for the Patriots. And once BHS got the ball back, it took just two plays before the Patriots forced another turnover.

 

Independence couldn’t take advantage of the ball near midfield, but it didn’t matter. Following another three-and-out and a punt, Bridgeport fumbled the punt return and the guests had the ball at the Indians’ 28-yard line.

 

Independence appeared ready to take advantage of the miscue when it drove the ball inside the Indians’ 10-yard line. However, a turnover finally went the way of the Indians and Dylan Tonkery – who only played defense as he rested his healing ankle – pounced on the loose ball with 3:27 left.

 

It appeared the Indians wouldn’t have enough time to go 92 yards and get the score. Although the Tribe moved the ball to the Independence 40, they were out of timeouts with less than 30 seconds to go when they delivered a first half backbreaker.

 

Spurlock sprinted out to pass to the left and the entire defense followed. The BHS quarterback then planted his foot and threw the ball back across the field to a wide open Bonamico who picked up a wall of blockers and raced untouched 40 yards for the score.

 

Kiefer’s final point-after of the half made it 21-0. The score came with 15.3 seconds to play and finally gave the Indians a bit of breathing room and their fans a reason to exhale.

 

“After the half that we had, it was nice to end on a good note,” said Nicewarner.

 

Bridgeport finished the first half with 265 yards of offense on 27 plays. Of that total, BHS carried the ball 25 times for 225 yards with Spurlock’s touchdown pass accounting for the other yardage.

 

Spurlock was also effective with his feet as he led the team with 83 yards on eight rushes, while Drummond added 72 yards on just five carries. Bonamico finished the half with 70 yards on 12 carries.

 

While the BHS offense was sputtering, the defense was on point. Along with bailing out the offense more times in the first two periods than it likely had to the entire season, the Tribe’s defense yielded just 89 yards of offense on 27 plays. All of the yardage came on 24 rushes with Chris Mills leading the way with 49 yards on eight carries.

 

Oddly, the second half began with Bridgeport recovering a fumble on the first offensive play from scrimmage when the Patriots came out in a muddle huddle and the snap was botched and the Tribe’s Matt Dillon recovered. From that point forward, it was all Indians.

 

The Indians scored three touchdowns in the third period on three possession – none of which included a turnover by Bridgeport. The first two scores came courtesy of Spurlock as he scored the first time on a quarterback counter from 13 out and then scored on the next series from three yards out by running to the left on a read option. Kiefer’s two point-after kicks made it 35-0 with 5:09 in the third.

 

Bridgeport’s final score came when Spurlock looked to set up a bubble screen and instead threw a lateral back to Seth Friel. Friel found plenty of space along the right sideline, broke a tackle and scored from 40 yards out. After a missed point-after kick, it was 41-0 Tribe with 2:09 to play in the third.

 

While the game was all but officially over at that point, the contest was over for the Indians’ starters on offense and defense. The rest of the third period and fourth saw reserves for Bridgeport handling duties on both sides of the ball.

 

Independence would score with just over a minute to go in the game. However, the score came against BHS second and third team defenders.

 

Bonamico led the Tribe with 121 yards on 17 carries. Spurlock had a monster game with 112 yards on just 11 carries as he ran the offense once it got going to near perfection.

 

“Zack had a great game … At one point I didn’t know who to give the ball to because he was the only one that wasn’t coughing the ball up,” said Nicewarner. “He was making the right decisions.”

 

Drummond again showed he’s just as good running as he is blocking. Moving to Bonamico’s position – who moved to tailback as Tonkery didn’t play on offense – Drummond finished with 87 yards on six carries.

 

BHS is now 10-0-1. Independence finishes the year at 7-4.

 

Editor's Note: Photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.