BRIDGEPORT, W.Va. — As Bridgeport wrapped up a 28-20 victory last Friday at previously unbeaten Parkersburg South, second-year Tribe head coach Tyler Phares rejoiced with fellow staff members and players on the sideline — and for good reason.
It marked the Indians’ fourth straight win since they suffered their only regular season loss in Phares’ two seasons back on September 2 at Morgantown, 10-6.
More importantly, BHS jumped from No. 8 to No. 5 in the latest West Virginia Secondary School Activities Commission Playoff Ratings and has itself in position to host at least two playoff games should those winning ways continue down the stretch.
Perhaps what most pleased Phares about the marquee win over the Patriots was the manner in which Bridgeport pulled it off. Sixty-five of the team’s 66 offensive snaps were rushing plays as the Indians gained 355 yards on the ground in a contest that did not feature a punt. After facing its only deficit of the matchup at 20-14 early in the second half, the Tribe never allowed an explosive PSHS squad to score again, instead rattling off 14 unanswered points to prevail.
“I learn more about our kids’ heart all the time,” Phares said. “Our kids get better as the game goes on and a lot of it has to do with drive and conditioning, but it’s really what’s in their chest. Our kids want to win. When we had the ball and it was our opportunity to finish that game off, the huddle was electric and that’s great to see.”
The Week 2 loss to the Mohigans snapped a 13-game regular season win streak for Bridgeport, which sputtered offensively that night at Pony Lewis Field.
That hasn’t been the case for the Tribe (5-1) in any other game this season, with BHS averaging better than 41 points in its five victories.
The single-wing offense Phares installed at a program known for utilizing both the Stick-I and Power Pistol formations over the previous decade keeps defenses guessing as to who has the ball, though the backfield is spearheaded by Zach Rohrig and Phil Reed.
Rohrig rushed for better than 200 yards and scored half of the Tribe’s four touchdowns to lead the way against the Patriots, while Reed finished with 107 yards and one TD. The duo combined for 57 carries and 335 yards while running behind an offensive line that was able to control the line of scrimmage for much of the matchup.
Charlie Brazier, a third reliable ball carrier, finished with seven rushes for 37 yards and scored Bridgeport’s first touchdown.
“Having Rohrig in the backfield is a big thing to help us out. He gets some tough yardage even for a smaller guy and he’s quick to both edges,” Phares said. “But we’ve gotten better throughout the season and that’s what the goal was. We went to Morgantown as a young team, got punched in the mouth and we learned from it. We’re very happy the kids are getting better every week and that’s our main goal.”
Perhaps even more pleasing to Phares was that his team did not commit a penalty in the victory at Erickson All-Sports Facility. By consistently avoiding undesirable down and distance situations, the Indians attempted seven fourth-down conversions and converted six, which played a major role in the outcome.
The Patriots, meanwhile, had 85 yards in penalties and failed on both of their fourth down attempts, though they were 6-for-7 on third down.
“Their game plan coming in was to milk the clock, keep it out of our hands and every time you have the ball, you have to capitalize,” PSHS coach Nathan Tanner said. “We came up short on a few possessions and didn’t get points on the board, but that’s a tough ball club. Kudos to their team and staff. They did a great job and executed a great game plan.”
The Tribe travels to Preston for a matchup Friday, before an open week in Week 8. Bridgeport then steps out of Big 10 Conference play in consecutive weeks when it welcomes Princeton and plays at Musselman, before concluding the regular season against Lincoln.
The goal is, as Phares noted, is to continue displaying improvement each week, and with an opportunity to add more marquee wins to its resume, Bridgeport hopes to stay in the top 5 and continue rising in Class AAA.
Should that be the case, last Friday’s victory will likely be viewed as a turning point as the Indians proved they can measure up to one of Class AAA’s contenders.
“Our kids were winning at the point of attack and doing a lot of good things,” Phares said. “Both teams were getting a little frustrated, but our kids played extremely hard in the second half and came up with a nice win.”