For those questioning how Bridgeport’s football team would score this year after losing more than 90 percent of their offense from last year, Lewis County probably didn’t like the answer.  The Indians scored nearly every way possible in a season-opening 44-20 win against the Minutemen at a humid, muggy and occasionally rainy Wayne Jamison Field.

 

How did BHS score?

 

The Indians scored by way of the rushing game, the passing game, on special teams and on defense. For good measure, Koby Kiefer added a 35-yard field goal in the final period for the Indians.

 

“When you score on every side of the ball then good things will happen,” said BHS Coach Josh Nicewarner, who moved to 5-0 against Lewis County. “Some of the things we did were unpredictable, and maybe that’s the way we’re going to have to be … When I watch the film maybe I’ll see some things I didn’t like, but beyond what everyone saw in the stands what I saw was our offensive line getting the job done. That was as big as anything.”

 

The group of Noah Drummond at center, guards Cole Amos and Michael Minor along with tackles Jimmy Allison and Jacob Goldizen set the stage for Bridgeport’s ground game to keep control of the contest. By night’s end, the team carried the ball 44 times for 295 yards. Considering only Allison saw starts last year, and that was late in the season, the effort by the group was indeed critical.

 

“There was nothing glaring with that line tonight, at least compared to our last scrimmage (against Parkersburg South),” said Nicewarner. “That could be huge.”

 

Offensively, J.T. Harris proved to be huge as well. Getting his first start at tailback and continuing his torrid pace from last year on special teams, Harris tore things up. He finished the game with 129 yards on 14 carries – all in the first half – with two touchdowns and for good measure added a 92-yard kickoff return for a score.

 

“J.T. was as good as advertised,” said Nicewarner. “It’s one thing to think someone is going to do well and it’s another to see them go out and do it. J.T., Gordon (Swiger), Mackenzie (Holmes) and Seth (Friel) all delivered like we hoped. They did what we needed to do.”

 

Swiger, the understudy to Zack Spurlock the past two seasons, showed he was ready to assume control in his senior campaign at quarterback. He finished with 11 carries for 97 yards and a touchdown rushing and passing. For good measure, he added a touchdown pass.

 

Despite the 24-point margin of victory, finding a way to the winner’s circle seemed uncertain after a disastrous final two minutes of the first half for the Tribe. In fact, it erased what appeared to be an opening two periods of play that would have left the Indians in complete control.

 

After a somewhat uneventful first period of play that saw Bridgeport holding a 7-0 lead following a Harris 3-yard run and Kiefer point-after with 2:58 showing, things got interesting in the second quarter. In fact, things turned from average to unbelievable in the second 12 minutes of play.

 

The Indians seemed ready to put the game away as they struck and struck in old-school fashion to go up two scores. On its first drive of the second period, BHS would use 12 plays to go 82 yards and move ahead 14-0.

Bridgeport was 3-for-3 on third down conversions during the surge. It was capped by a Harris run up the middle where he not only avoided Lewis defenders, but managed to shake off the umpire that he ran into going at full throttle. Thirty-three yards later, BHS was up by two scores when Kiefer hit his second straight point-after kick.

 

BHS wasted little time adding to its advantage and scoring what appeared to be a devastating score after forcing Lewis into a quick three-and-out thanks to completely shutting down the Minutemen’s wing-T offense on the ground. 

 

Starting at their own 46, the hosts wasted little time to cover the 54 yards. Harris had runs of 18 and 8 yards and Swiger ran once for 19 to put the Tribe on the doorstep. On a second-and-two from the 8-yard-line, Swiger threw his first pass of the game and hit a wide open Friel on a fullback pass play from the flat and Friel went in untouched.

 

When Kiefer hit the point-after with 1:39 to go, it was all Indians. The next 1:39 would prove to be a bit crazy, and for the time being a salvation for the visitors.

 

After forcing a first-and-10 at the 20, LCHS quarterback Thomas Hogan threw a receiver screen to Jacob White. White managed to break a few tackles past the line of scrimmage and then raced 80 yards for the score that made it 21-7  following Jared Griffith’s point-after kick.

 

The momentum for LCHS would be short lived. On the ensuing kickoff, Harris hauled it in at the 8-yard-line and went 92 yards for the score. The return team opened up a huge hole and the only one with a shot at Harris was the kicker and one move turned him around and Harris was in for six.

 

After a missed point-after, it was 27-7 Bridgeport with 1:12. As it turned out, that was still plenty of time for LCHS.

After a pair of short passes put the ball to Lewis’ 34-yard line, Hogan went back to work. This time, he found Karl Mungsbuhr over the middle and he went in a straight line 66-yards for the score. The point-after made it 27-14 with 18 seconds left.

 

“The one thing that couldn’t happen did happen at the end of the half,” Nicewarner said. “We got beat like that coming out of timeout or on change of possessions. We either got too relaxed or too nervous and regardless you can’t let that happen or it will cost you. We were fortunate it didn’t hurt us in the end and the better news is that those are things we can fix.”

 

Bridgeport actually got the ball to the Lewis 36 as time was winding out. However, a 53-yard field goal attempt by Kiefer was well off to the left even though it had nearly enough distance

The two pass plays provided Lewis County with 144 of its 178 yards of offense. The visitors managed just 18 yards on 15 rushes.

 

BHS finished with 205 yards of offense on 28 plays. Of that total, 197 yards came on 27 rushing plays. 

 

The second half started with Lewis County getting a good return and had a BHS personal foul penalty on top of it to start at the Tribe 43-yard line. Whatever momentum was gained would be lost in a flurry of turnovers that eventually resulted in the game-turning play for the Tribe.

 

Swiger appeared to be the man in the black hat for the LCHS faithful when he snared a Hogan pass and returned it 70 yards for what appeared to be a pick-six. However, offsetting penalties on the play put BHS at the Lewis 35 and a fumble by the Indians on the first play from scrimmage gave the Minutemen the ball back once again.

 

Three plays later, Holmes made a play Lewis County never recovered from. The senior linebacker stepped in front of a Hogan pass and returned it 41 yards for a score. The point-after made it 34-14 with 9:17 to play.

 

“We knew at the half me made it a closer game than it should have been. I think we were somewhat eager to go out there and take control,” said Nicewarner.

 

Bridgeport upped the advantage to 44-14 before Lewis County responded too little and too late with a fourth period touchdown. Swiger scored on a 46-yard quarterback keeper midway through the third period and Kiefer hit a 35-yard field goal early in the fourth for the Tribe’s final points.

 

“We’ve got the guys. It’s just a matter of putting it all together,” Nicewarner said. “Hopefully, we grew up a little bit tonight because the road doesn’t get any easier.”

 

Hogan finished 5-of-12 for 165 yards and a pair of scoring passes. The team carried the ball 32 times for just 61 yards and finished the game with 256 yards of offense.

 

Bridgeport will resume play next Friday against defending Class AAA state champion Wheeling Park. Game time from the panhandle is set for 7 p.m.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows J.T. Harris breaking off one of several big runs, while Zach Osborn comes up big on defense in the second photo. Third picture is of Gordon Swiger breaking off on his touchdown run and that's followed by Coach Josh Nicewarner having a discussion with the officials. In the fifth picture, Seth Friel hits Lewis' quarterback and Koby Kiefer watches his 35-yard field goal go through the uprights. In the bottom picture, Mackenzie Holmes comes out of the end zone after his pick six in the third period. Photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.