By HUNTER O. LYLE
lyloleanstar@gmail.com
BRADFORD, PA – Taking the stage in front of their home fans for the last time of the season, the Bradford football team saw their early errors open into a full-on collapse as St. Marys marched all over Parkway Field on route to a 68-6 domination.
Ahead of kickoff, the Owls recognized their 12 soon-to-be graduates, a class that has shown persistence and resilience over their time on the gridiron. Representing Bradfords’ battle-tested veterans was Fabian Sherk, Kaden Kicior, Andrew Giordano, Matt DeCasper, Logan Kohler, Blake Callahan, Jacob Abers, Sean Ward, Braden Thompson, Nathaniel Myers, Kody Alcock and Timothy Horrick.
“They’ve shown outstanding character. Every one of them. They’re great kids and they’re great people,” said Bradford head coach Jeff Puglio. “We fall short week after week but they show up every Monday ready to go. It shows a lot about who they are and long after football’s over, they’re going to be really good people. That’s what I’m really proud of.”
The Owls came into this game licking their wounds. A week prior, they had suffered their worst loss of the season in the form of a 86-0 defeat to Central Clarion, and in the opening minutes, it was evident that their hangover still persisted.
Bradford would be forced off the field in three before St. Marys would earn great initial field positioning off a solid punt return. Starting on Bradford’s 26-yard line, the Dutchmen reached the endzone in just six snaps as they marched down the field. Quarterback Brody Wehler connected on a six-yard pass to Frankie Smith for the initial score of the night.
With their offense still sputtering, gaining just a single yard on their second drive, the Owls were again forced off the field in three. In what would be an omen for the remainder of the night, Bradford’s special teams then watched as St. Marys returned their punt 65 yards to the endzone. The trend would continue for the remainder of the half, with the Owls failing on offense before allowing the Dutchmen to start the race to the scoreboard from point blank range.
“We had a lot of roster fluctuation this week… so we’ve been trying to just throw things together at the last minute,” said Puglio. “Special teams takes the blunt of it and it showed tonight.”
Over the Dutchmen’s next six drives, they would start from Bradford’s side of midfield five times, four of which resulted in touchdowns. St. Marys would also come away with two interceptions and another punt return touchdown before the break, entering halftime up 49-0.
Meanwhile, Bradford’s offensive line continuously sprung leaks, allowing for a sudden influx of defenders into the backfield to blow up plays. Trying to compensate with deeper and deeper handoffs while simultaneously unable to find receivers down range, Bradford’s line of scrimmage just moved further and further away from the goal line.
“We were just struggling to get anything going, to get any spark. We missed some holes here and there,” said Puglio. “We were trying to get some chunk plays and just couldn’t get anything going. Nothing could really get started tonight.”
Their offensive woes carried into the second half and, facing a mountainous deficit, Bradford was forced to go all-in on fourth downs, none of which seemed to produce. On the other sideline, St. Marys continued to run up the score. After being forced to punt during their initial drive, only the second time they had had to do so, the Dutchmen tacked on points on their next two possessions, entering the fourth quarter up 62-0.
Seeing a reserves-versus-reserves fourth, Bradford finally found their first first down on a big run from Keenan Miller. Minutes later, their first touchdown followed. Second string quarterback Brady Rosendahl connected with Max Gow for a 22-yard pass into the endzone, breaking the shutout. However, St. Marys retaliated not long after, scoring their tenth and final touchdown of the night.
Having no expectations of playoffs, the Owls move into the final week of the regular season with a sense of finality. They look to close out the campaign on a high note, facing Kane (6-2) on Friday, Oct. 24 on the road.
“We have four more quarters and we want to finish strong,” said Puglio. “We want to win these four quarters. Nothing else really matters that happened before. We just want to play for these four quarters and send our seniors off the right way.”
