No. 1 Wayne (13-0) vs. No. 2 Bridgeport (12-1) 7:30, Friday at Wheeling Island Stadium
There is a lot of Class AA football history packed into this match up of perennial powers Wayne and Bridgeport. The Pioneers are after a record 37th consecutive win. One that would not only deliver a third consecutive state championship, but it would also set a state record for consecutive regular season and playoff victories.
Bridgeport graduated to the Class AAA level briefly before returning to AA prior to last season. The Indians won the last of their six state championships back in 2000, beating Wayne in the finals. Wayne has won three state championships since then.
Wayne rolled through most of its regular season schedule averaging 52 points over the first nine games of the season. The closest call for the Pioneers came during the regular season finale when they edged Bluefield 29-27. Wayne then beat Philip Barbour, Sissonville and Robert C. Byrd by an average score of 48-17.
Bridgeport’s lone loss came at the hands of Class-AAA semi-finalist Wheeling Park 17-14 back during week two of the regular season. The Indians have played six Class-AA playoff teams this year and have outscored them by an average of 41-12.
Wayne was aided in the semi-finals by the return of quarterback Grant Ferguson. Ferguson missed the first two rounds of the playoff due to an ankle injury he suffered during the Bluefield game on the final night of the regular season.
Ferguson returned last week in the semifinals as he threw for 251 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-20 win over RCB. Ferguson teams with Mason Hodge, Cody Stiltner and Nathan Spurlock in the Wayne backfield. All of these players were key performers on last year’s state championship team.
“We knew we would have an opportunity to be where we are at simply because of the experience and the expectations of this program,” Wayne coach Tom Harmon said. “That’s what you plan on, playing on the final weekend. But you need some luck. You need to stay healthy and you need to follow through on the things you’ve worked on. We feel fortunate to be here again. We just need to make the most of it.”
As far as the winning streak goes, Harmon chooses to look at the big picture. The coach says it’s all about the dedication the players and coaches have shown in recent years.
“Everyone wants to win on Fridays,” Harmon said. “The players want to win. The fans in the stands want to win. Everybody involved wants to win the games on Fridays. But it’s the months prior that make the difference. You can go home and watch TV or you can get your weight session in or get a little extra running in. Those are the times that matter.
“It takes a little bit of maturity to understand that,” said Harmon. “If you have enough kids that understand the work that needs to be put in during the winter months and during March and April, you can put a pretty good string together.”
At Bridgeport, those same expectations apply.
“The buzz is about a state championship any time you can bring 16 seniors back,” said Bridgeport coach Josh Nicewarner. “We knew all along this team had the workings of something special as our line was back and we had a very solid defensive core back.
“This is a special group,” Nicewarner said. “We starting talking about getting to Wheeling and winning a state championship and about how anything short of that would be a disappointment.”
The Bridgeport family extends down to the feeder school level.
“It’s a total program well beyond the high school level,” Nicewarner said. “Our freshman team and our middle school teams all run the same offense. And now we’ve got a lot of former players running and coaching those teams all the way through the youth leagues.”
These two programs with rock solid foundations have risen to the top once again.
“Everything I know about Wayne can be said about Bridgeport,” Nicewarner said. “They are fundamentally sound. The players and coaches are prepared and the expectations are to win.”