Tribe Swiss Army Knife Graham Vincent Motivated by 2025 Ending, Eager for 2026 Opportunities
By Michael Minnich on August 13, 2026
When Graham Vincent was the guy carrying, throwing or intercepting the ball last year, chances are big things happened.
Vincent’s passing was efficient and deadly: 5 of his 11 completions went for touchdowns and the average gain was 23.67 yards.
On the ground, he scored 2 touchdowns on 19 carries, finishing with 201 yards or an average of 10.6 per tote.
Add into that a 53-yard punt return TD against PikeView.
Defensively, he led Bridgeport with three interceptions, including one he ran back 97 yards for a touchdown against Robert C. Byrd, and 10 pass breakups.
That’s the side of the ball that Vincent was especially excited about on Media Day.
“Our defense has really shaped up since June because of all of the older guys and our 7-on-7 tournaments. But the young group has been growing exponentially over the last few weeks,” Vincent said. “(The 7-on-7s) teach you a lot about ball skills, what to do while the ball is in the air and what type of routes we’re going to be facing in games this fall.”
Individually, Vincent has been working on his speed, using last year’s quarterfinal loss to Chapmanville as fuel.
“I want to get better out of my breaks on defense because in that last game, I feel like I let down a lot of my teammates by letting up big passes. I want to make sure that doesn’t happen again,” Vincent said. “It was definitely a learning experience for us and it gives us motivation in the weight room and out here at practice. We use it when it’s getting hot or we’re getting tired.”
Speaking of the weight room, Vincent was pleased with the team’s efforts and sees the results on the field.
“It’s super important, especially in our offense where we’re staying low. We can hit hard whenever we tackle. We always want to strike fear into our opponents whenever we hit. All of the power cleans and squats translate,” Vincent said.
Tristin Noble is one of the players who has taken that to heart.
“He’s definitely stepped up as a leader and as a player. He’s been earning (college) offers over this offseason. He’s been leading the linemen especially because that’s what we need down there,” Vincent said.
Bridgeport will face teams that have won state titles in recent memory like Martinsburg, Fort Hill and Fairmont Senior.
“We’re looking forward to it, big time. They’re considered among the best teams in their states, if not the best. We’re going to prove our point playing them and we’re excited,” Vincent said. “We played (Martinsburg) my freshman year and it was one of the most exciting games we’ve every played, so I’m looking forward to that again.”
Bridgeport opens on August 28 at home against Buckhannon-Upshur at 7 p.m.
“My goals are to improve on defense, not let up any big passes and then also lead my teammates so that everyone can be as confident as they can be out here on the field,” Vincent said.
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