Indians have spoiler role in mind

BRIDGEPORT, W.Va — From the start of the year, the buzz around the Bridgeport football program has been championship or bust. And the No. 2 Indians (12-1) will get their shot at a Class AA state title on Friday night, when they take on the two-time defending champs, the Wayne Pioneers.

“This is a special group, as a coach you try not to look past your first game,” head coach Josh Nicewarner said. “For whatever reason we started talking about anything less than getting to Wheeling, and winning a state championship would be a disappointment, and I don’t know where that came from.”

It may have come from the fact that the Indians returned a veteran squad with 16 seniors that had a sour taste in their mouths after losing 42-14 to Keyser in the 2012 semifinals.

“Anytime you have 16 seniors back and bring back the majority of the offensive line, the buzz starts talking and a state championship starts and rightfully so,” Nicewarner said.

Running back Anthony Bonamico and quarterback A.C. Caldera have been solid overall behind those veterans up-front. Out of the new (this year) power pistol package that the Indians run, Bonamico is the Class AA rushing leader with over 2,000 yards on the ground and 32 touchdowns. Caldera has added over 1,000 yards and nearly 20 touchdowns on the ground as well.

Class AA No. 2 Bridgeport beat third seeded Bluefield, 42-21 in the semifinals.

The Indians are coming into Wheeling on a high note after winning convincingly over No. 3 Bluefield, 42-21.

“Defensively was the story of the game for us,” Nicewarner said. “I hate to use the word dominated, but we somewhat dominated on the defensive side of the ball, and we got back to traditional Bridgeport football.”

Bridgeport faces a different animal, though, in Wayne on Wheeling Island. The Pioneers have reeled off 36 straight wins, hoisting the last two Class AA titles in the process.

“I look at them as the perfect storm, they have a fantastic coach and they’re fundamentally sound,” Nicewarner said. “They force you to make mistakes and they take care of the football. When you do those you’re going to win 36 games in a row.”

When asked about what kind of pregame speech Nicewarner was going to give he said, “Don’t lose.”

This game is a rematch of the 2000 state title game, which saw the Indians prevail, 14-6. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m. on Friday night.





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