BRIDGEPORT, W.Va — Bridgeport’s blueprint for success has seen some minor tweaks over the years but a commitment to churning out yards on the ground and controlling the clock has led the Indians to nine state championships. That offense is now led by Elkins High School graduate Tyler Phares.
Phares has eight years of coaching experience. The West Virginia Wesleyan alumnus has coached at Elkins H.S., William Campbell H.S. in Virginia and Morgantown H.S. At EHS, Phares coached alongside his high school mentor. “We were a wing-T team under Greg Hott,” said Phares. “He was great enough to let me explore and do my own thing when I was offensive coordinator there.”
At MHS, Phares served as the offensive line coach under Matt Lacy. “It was a little different scheme but when it comes down to it, gap blocking is gap blocking,” said Phares. Talking with John Bowers and Glen McNew on the side, I definitely learned a different aspect of football.”
Entering his second season as Bridgeport head coach, John Cole sought out Phares to guide an Indian offense that averaged 32.4 points and 296.5 rushing yards per game in 2017. “Whenever he said I had the chance to come down and run the offense for somebody that believes in blocking the way that I do, it was a no-brainer for me,” said Phares.
“If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it. We have some different wrinkles but we are not steering far away from Bridgeport football.”
After Thursday’s scrimmage against Parkersburg South, Phares says the offense remains a work in progress. “We need another week to prepare for sure. We have some young offensive linemen but they are getting better. You can see improvement everyday.”
“We went up to Morgantown last week. They have a great defensive line. Some young kids stuck their noses in there and we were happy to see that. They’re going to block the way they always do at Bridgeport.”
Senior running back Jake Bowen rushed for 1,916 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2017. He will be joined in the backfield by a new signal caller, junior Devin Vandergrift. “Devin is going to touch the ball,” said Phares. “Whether it is at receiver, quarterback or tailback, he’s a special talent.”
“We’ve got other kids. We’ve got Brian Henderson. We’ve got Trey Pancake. We’ve just got to get to the point where we are understanding our jobs. There will be other names that pop up other than just Jake and D’Andre (Holloway).”