Perhaps it is coach speak. Or perhaps it’s due to the fact that Bridgeport High School football Coach Josh Nicewarner learned a bit of his current trade under former Indian coach and current Robert C. Byrd Coach Bruce Carey that their responses were almost identical when asked about what will make the difference in Saturday’s Class AA quarterfinal playoff game.

 

“It’s always the kids that make the difference, but ultimately it’s going to come down to who makes the fewest mistakes, turnovers and who is able to control the line of scrimmage,” said Nicewarner.

 

Carey’s response was almost the same.

 

“You go into a game like this not hoping to win the turnover battle, but knowing you can’t lose it,” said Carey. “We’ve got to play mistake free and need to establish ourselves along both sides of the line.”

 

What proves to the be the difference will shake out Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The game will be played at Wayne Jamison Field. Tickets at the gate, which opens at 11:45 a.m., are all $7.

 

For Bridgeport this year, they’ve controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage – or at a minimum held its own – in all 11 games. That’s a key reason the Tribe is 10-1 and ranked No. 1 in Class AA.

 

Most notable is the play of the defensive front, which has made running the ball almost impossible against the Indians and passing the ball a dangerous escapade. Those efforts have allowed the Tribe’s linebackers to clean things up and put the defensive backs into position to make plays when needed.

 

Despite the fact the Tribe played perhaps the most difficult schedule in Class AA, the Indians have dominated the opposition in the first half this year. In the first half of their 11 games, Bridgeport holds an incredible 242-21 scoring advantage over its opposition.

 

Bridgeport’s defense is a collection of players that swarm to the ball and cause all kinds of havoc. Linebacker Mitchell Winkie leads the team with 49 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for loss and 3.5 sacks. Right behind him is senior defensive lineman Michael Gray who has disrupted nearly every opponent’s offensive game plan thanks to 48 tackles, which includes 16.5 for loss and a team leading four sacks.

 

BHS also is getting solid production from linebacker Brandon Hartz and lineman Noah Markley. Hartz has 44 tackles, while Markley has 41 stops. John Wilfong with 37 tackles and Justin Massie with 32 also round out a dominant defensive unit that managed to hold Robert C. Byrd to  minus-26 yards rushing in the regular season game won by BHS 31-7. The game was tied at 7-7 at halftime.

 

 

The Indians will also go into the game relatively healthy. In the last outing, the Tribe’s Dante Bonamico played despite a foot and Achilles injury that kept him out for parts of the contest and ended up seeing him miss several games after that.

 

“I wouldn’t say we’re completely healthy, but we’re in pretty good shape for this time of the year,” said Nicewarner.

 

Carey said his team is also in decent shape on the health front. That was something, like the Indians, that wasn’t a positive in the regular season game between the two teams.

 

Bridgeport’s defense, as past opponents will tell you, can make just about anyone feel sick. The good news for Robert C. Byrd is that they have as many weapons offensively as nearly any team the Tribe has faced this season. And according to Carey, the offense has been the unit that has seen the most growth as the season has progressed.

 

“Early in the season we were still trying to catch on to what (offensive coordinator) Bryan (Fisher) was putting in,” said Carey. “At the beginning of the year the kids would come out of the huddle and be asking each other what to do. That’s not a problem anymore and because of the kids being comfortable with Bryan’s offense we’ve got more confidence.”

 

The Eagles are comfortable passing and running the ball, but run more often than pass. Senior Ben D’Annunzio, who was banged up for much of the first game, leads RCB with 1,211 yards on 127 carries with 15 touchdowns. And if he can’t go, the Eagles have the services of Juwan Jones-Wright had has powered his way for 875 yards on 95 carries and has 16 scores. The third option running the ball is senior Elias Grant who has 476 yards on 68 carries and seven TDs.

 

RCB’s passing game is led by Julian Marino. Marino has completed 59-of-113 passes for 1,052 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions. His top target is his first cousin Alex Banko, who has hauled in 24 passes for 269 yards and four touchdowns.

 

Banko, however, isn’t the only receiver. Devonti Birch is the team’s deep threat and has 10 catches for 288 yards and four scores, while D’Annunzio will also catch passes as he has four scores among his eight catches and 269 yards receiving. Tight end Justin Noble may get more into the mix as he has 10 receptions for 158 yards and one score.

 

Although the Bridgeport offense is almost exclusively run-oriented, the 39.2 yards per game passing that is primarily the result of junior quarterback Zack Spurlock is the most during Nicewarner’s tenure with the Tribe. Spurlock has completed 20-of-30 passes for 397 yards with five touchdowns and just one interception.

 

Zack Bombardiere and Dylan Tonkery both lead the way with four receptions each. Bombardiere, however, leads the team with 121 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

 

While the passing numbers are gravy, the Indians’ bread and butter is still the rushing attack. Dante Bonamico leads the team with 906 yards rushing on 129 carries (7.0 ypc) with 15 scores, while Tonkery has 791 yards on 116 rushes (6.8 ypc) with seven touchdowns.

 

Spurlock has also developed into a threat with 583 yards rushing on 85 carries (6.9 ypc) and has nine touchdowns. Elijah Drummond (51 carries for 262 yards and two scores) and Mitchell Winkie (30 carries for 189 yards and six touchdowns) round out the top rushers for the Tribe.

 

Bridgeport also has the services of Nick Strogen who last week set a Class AA preliminary round playoff record with a 48-yard field goal. Strogen has hit on 6-of-7 field goals and 26-of-28 extra points this season.

 

The Tribe has also shored up its punting game. Freshman Koby Kiefer has just five punts in three varsity games, but is averaging 39.8 yards per punt and has pinned two kicks inside the 20-yard line.

 

“I’ve had people tell me that because we’ve played a tough schedule that it puts us in a better position. I think Byrd would tell you that after their Fairmont Senior and Frankfort games that they had a pretty easy go of it and then they’d tell you the same thing I’ll tell you about our schedules and that it won’t make a difference in the outcome,” Nicewarner said. “Whoever takes care of business will win and in order for us to do that we’ll stay true to what we do. It’s what we always do.

 

“If there’s someone on this team that thinks because of who we played we have an advantage, they better look across the field,” Nicewarner continued. “This is going to take our best effort because that’s a good football team. Quite frankly it’s going to stack up to be a good one.”

 

Carey agreed.

 

“I think this should be a whale of a game. When you play Bridgeport, if you’re going to beat them you’re not going to do it with some gimmick defense or by scrapping what you do offensively,” said Carey. “I’ve see a lot of teams do that and I don’t think I’ve seen anyone be successful doing it that way. You’ve just got to be better than the guy across from you and if you don’t and start making mistakes you’ll look at the scoreboard and realize you’re down two or three touchdowns. That’s not a position we want to be in against them.”

 

You can follow in-game updates on Twitter by going to @connectBP. You can also listen to live coverage of the game on 103.3 WAJR FM. Listen to the play by play call of Travis Jones with plenty of analysis from Tim Brady and Ryan Nicewarner.

 

Click HERE to read a story on how injuries to Bonamico and Tonkery have, surprisingly, proved beneficial to the Indians in the long run.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Bridgeport's defense swarming on a Liberty Raleigh player last week, while Dylan Tonkery looks for yardage in the previous game this year between BHS and RCB. In the third photo, John Wilfong gets the hand on a pass to Devonti Birch, which should be pivotal Saturday. In the next photo, receiver Alex Banko takes instructions from Coach Bruce Carey and offensive coordinator Bryan Fisher, while that is followed by Connor Nelson putting pressure on RCB quarterback Julian Marino. BHS quarterback Zack Spurlock will likely figure into the outcome with his feet or arm, while Coach Josh Nicewarner, bottom photo, is anticipating a battle Saturday. All photos by www.benqueenphotography.com.