Too often, media pundits like to use the phrase the game was over by halftime. And too often, it’s more a case of hyperbole than fact.

 

Tonight, it would have been wrong to make that statement, but not because it would have been hyperbole. The reality of Bridgeport’s Class AA opening round playoff game with Liberty Raleigh was that the contest was over by the end of the first period.

 

In a game where the top-ranked Indians scored nearly every way possible and didn’t play a starter for more than two periods, it was all Tribe to the tune of a 50-14 score over the No. 16 Raiders at Wayne Jamison Field.

 

Bridgeport was up 33-0 after one period of play. By halftime, it was 50-0.

 

“That was exactly what we needed to do to tonight and that was to come out quick. We wanted to be crisp and we wanted to play hungry and I thought that’s what happened,” said BHS Coach Josh Nicewarner. “You worry about a game like this, and I don’t think our kids will allow it to happen, but you don’t want to be overconfident moving forward.”

 

BHS will move forward next week against a familiar foe in Robert C. Byrd. The No. 8 Eagles dispatched No. 9 Keyser by a 38-14 score at Lincoln’s Stydahar Field tonight to set up a quarterfinal battle and a rematch from the regular season.

 

“The silver lining about playing a team like Byrd is that these kids know that it won’t even remotely be a walk in the park,” said Nicewarner.

 

Tonight’s game could have been described as a walk in the park, a tiptoe through the daisies or – if you were on the Liberty side – a jog through a minefield.  And by the time halftime arrived the Raiders were covered with shrapnel.

 

While the game’s final stats were relatively close due to Liberty playing against Bridgeport’s second and third units for the second half, the halftime numbers told the story

 

The Raiders had 53 yards of offense. Bridgeport had 50 points.

The visitors couldn’t even claim the coin flip as a victory. And it went downhill fast from there – real fast.

 

To get an idea of just how bad things were for the guests from Raleigh County, by the time the Raiders had managed to run six plays from scrimmage, Bridgeport had managed to score five touchdowns and was cruising 33-0.

 

Ironically, it was the first score of the game by Bridgeport that proved to be among the most difficult. BHS would need five plays to go up 7-0 after Dante Bonamico rambled in from 18 yards out and Nick Strogen made his return back from what was thought to be a season-ending knee injury with a successful point-after kick.

 

Fifteen seconds later, it would be 14-0. Luke Southern pounced on a fumble by the Raiders on the ensuing kickoff and set up the hosts at the LHS 37. On the very next play, with Liberty having all 11 players in the defensive box, Zack Spurlock ran a perfect play-action fake and hit Zach Bombardiere for a 37-yard touchdown pass. Strogen’s second PAT made it 14-0 with 9:17 in the first.

 

“We were expecting (11 in the box). Not necessarily the defensive look with a six front, but we thought they would have 10 or 11 in the box,” said Nicewarner. “We were able to run it inside and we were able to run it outside … You pay in a price when you play a defense like that. I’m definitely not afraid to throw it. We saw the opportunity and it was there and those two executed it well.”

 

After BHS forced a three-and-out on the Raiders’ next possession, the Tribe used a seven play drive that began at midfield following a short punt. Bonamico ended another quick drive with a 5-yard scoring run that left it 20-0 following the first of two missed point-after kicks – of which Strogen would make up for in a big way – with 3:39 showing.

 

On Liberty’s next play on offense, John Wilfong picked off quarterback Hunter Wright and returned it 22 yards to the Raiders’ 18. Two plays later, Bonamico got his touchdown hat trick by busting in from four yards out for a 26-0 lead with 2:39 showing.

 

The defense then got into the scoring act. Two plays later, Mackenzie Holmes picked off a Wright pace and raced in for a pick six and a 33-0 lead with 1:52 to play in the first period.

 

While the game was for all intents and purposes over, the Tribe’s onslaught was not. On Bridgeport’s first possession of the second half, Dylan Tonkery ended a five-play, 72 yard drive with a 53-yard burst on a sweep to the left that helped make the score 40-0.

 

Then, the special teams got into the scoring mix in record-setting fashion.

 

For the first time in the game, Liberty forced BHS into a fourth down situation. With the Indians facing a fourth-and-one from the Liberty 30, Nicewarner opted to allow Strogen to kick a 48-yard field goal and the senior was up to the task. His line drive kick was true and broke a state preliminary round playoff record of 40 yards set back in 1982 by a kicker from the now defunct Central Preston High School. The boot made it 43-0 with 3:20 to go before halftime.

 

“Getting Nick back was huge. I’ve said anytime you get within the 30 yard line you’ve got a shot at getting points with Nick and that’s a good feeling to have in these playoffs,” said Nicewarner. “I thought (the distance) was out of his wheelhouse, but he was able to squeeze it in there.”

 

Despite Nicewarner beginning wholesale substitutions, the Indians got another score before halftime. This time, Elijah Drummond set things up with an interception of a Wright pass. It was Wright’s third pick of the game, which appears astonishing considering he came into the contest with nearly 2,000 yards passing and just two interceptions in his team’s first 10 contests. BHS would get a fourth interception in the second half courtesy of Jared Ebright who caught a ball tipped by Drummond.

 

“I thought we got decent pressure up front with our front four and then we were able to jump in front of some passes,” said Nicewarner. “When you can do that and also get some points on the board from your defense you’re usually in a good position.”

 

Sophomore backup quarterback Gordon Swiger took advantage of Drummond setting up the Indians in good field position after his second period pickoff. On a third-and-nine play, Swiger kept the ball for an 18-yard touchdown run. The touchdown would be Bridgeport’s last and the point-after kick by Koby Kiefer would prove to be the Indians’ final points of the game with 1:05 showing in the first half.

 

Liberty Raleigh finished the game with 45 plays for 274 yards, but had just 53 yards on 22 plays in the first half. Of those 53 yards, 39 yards came after Swiger’s late second period score when Nicewarner’s defense consisted of backups.

 

Bridgeport had 317 yards of offense on 45 plays. Of that total, the hosts had 250 yards on 26 plays in the first half. Tonkery led the Indians in rushing with 82 yards on just four carries, while Bonamico had 79 yards on eight rushes.  Neither player carried the ball in the second half.

 

Spurlock went 2-for2 passing with the touchdown pass to Bombardiere. He finished with 52 yards passing.

 

As has been the case in every big win, the Raiders couldn’t run the ball against Bridgeport’s first team defense. Liberty finished with 12 carries for a negative seven yards rushing in the decisive first half. By game’s end, Christian Whittaker – who managed two second half touchdown runs – had 15 carries for 157 yards. He had 11 yards rushing in the first half.

 

Wright finished 10-of-16 passing for 120 yards with four interceptions.

 

BHS is now 10-1 on the year. The Eagles will come into Jamison Field next week with a 9-2 mark. Although the official game time and date will be announced Sunday in Parkersburg, RCB Coach Bruce Carey typically plays postseason games on Friday evenings. BHS won the regular season game 31-7, but the game was knotted up at 7-7 at the intermission.

 

Click HERE for a photo gallery from Bridgeport's first round playoff game.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo shows Dante Bonamico celebrating one of his three touchdowns with his teammates, while lineman Michael Gray moves in for the tackle in the second photo. In the third picture, Dylan Tonkery battles for some of his 82 yards, while Mackenzie Holmes is shown after his 37-yard interception return for a score in the fourth photo. In the fifth picture, Coach Josh Nicewarner observes the action and Nick Strogen is shown getting his record-setting field goal in the picture below that. In the seventh photo, defensive end Connor Nelson puts pressure on QB Hunter Wright, while the BHS fans endured the cold temperatures and were treated to a big win in the last photo. All pictures by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.