MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — Since 2017, the annual matchup between Big 10 Conference rivals and state championship contenders Bridgeport and Fairmont Senior has occupied a mid-September spot on the schedule. This year, the matchup has moved to Week 10, elevating the stakes and the exposure for one of the state’s top rivalries.
East-West Stadium will host the contest between two of the four remaining undefeated Class AAA teams. Friday’s game will be broadcast on the free MetroNews TV app at 7 p.m.
In their 8-0 starts, Bridgeport has outscored their opponents 455-36 while the Polar Bears own a margin of 408-52.
In the penultimate edition of the WVSSAC playoff ratings, Fairmont Senior is tops in Class AAA (16.5) while Bridgeport is third (15.5). 2023 state runner-up Princeton is sandwiched in between (15.875). Regardless of Friday’s result, there is a strong possibility that the Indians and the Polar Bears could square off once again on semifinal weekend as a 1 vs. 4 or 2 vs. 3 matchup.
“The difference in seeding really isn’t that big of a deal,” said Bridgeport head coach Tyler Phares. “Whether we win or lose, we are falling where we fall. We don’t want to overplay anything. But we want to go out and we want to play our best brand of football. It doesn’t matter who is on the field. If you look at the game, this may be the first of two and the second will be a much bigger game than this.”
“We’re going to see them again in the playoffs based on how the points system is working out,” said Bridgeport senior running back/defensive back Josh Love. “This is kind of our preview to show them what we have for the playoffs. And we get to see what they have. It is obviously a historic rivalry. They don’t like us and we don’t like them.”
Polar Bears’ head coach Nick Bartic is well aware Friday’s contest may not be his team’s last time battling Bridgeport this season, but says that doesn’t diminish the importance of the matchup.
“This is an intense rival. There’s a conference championship on the line,” Bartic said. “Now that we have this at the end of the season, it’s shaken out to where that’s also part of the game. On top of the geography we have, we’re competitive in everything we’re doing. Regardless of the build-up, it’s going to be an intense game. It’s one you look at winning now and not necessarily as a series or anything. We’re preparing to win Friday night.”
Bridgeport averages a Class AAA-best 56.9 points per game. Fairmont Senior stands second in scoring average (51 points per game). The Polar Bears are led by senior quarterback Brody Whitehair. He made his first start as a Polar Bear in his freshman season in 2021 against the Indians. Whitehair is the latest in a long line of top-tier signal callers to lead Fairmont Senior. This season, he has tossed 29 touchdown passes with just four interceptions.
“I have had plenty of quarterbacks to look up to during my time as a kid and just being around the program,” Whitehair said. “Right when I got to the program, I was put in that position to learn and I took full advantage of that.”
“They are a complete offense,” Phares said. “They’ve got nice size up front. They are able to run the football. They are able to get the ball out quickly and get it to their playmakers on the edge. They are able to throw the ball down the field. You can’t just hone in on any one weakness because they are sound across the board.”
Chris Wilson (541 yards) and Damani Johnson (387 yards) lead the FSHS rushing attack. Brock Martin (677 yards, 9 TD) and Cannon Dinger (585 yards, 7 TD) are the leading receivers for the Polar Bears.
Bridgeport has five different backs that have rushed for over 200 yards for the season and a dozen Indians have scored at least one rushing touchdown.
“Across the board, there’s no weak spot,” Bartic said of Bridgeport. “They’re always good up front but they’re particularly good up front. They have good size and skill at the skill positions. It’s a true complete package in terms of what they present.”
Senior Josh Love (836 rushing yards, 13 TD) leads the group in the backfield. Jack Spatafore (443 rushing yards, 521 passing yards) has accounted for 19 total touchdowns. Alex Moses has found the end zone eleven times.
“I like the depth of this team. I like that multiple backs are really able to carry the load. Our line is very strong and we are doing a good job of moving bodies,” Phares said.
“They have to make adjustments on the fly, milliseconds before the snap and just know where they are supposed to go no matter what,” Love said of his offensive line. “Definitely, a big trait of offensive linemen is just being smart. Another thing is being mean and having a nasty attitude in the trenches is what makes them so good. Every one of my linemen, they are not very nice when it comes to game day. They’ll be nice throughout the week. But when it comes to Friday, they flip the switch.”
“They’ve got some really good D-linemen,” Whitehair said. “That’s one matchup I am looking forward to seeing this week is our line versus theirs. I am confident. There has been a lot of talk on the net so I guess we will see how that turns out.”
Fairmont Senior has won each of their games by at least 20 points while the Indians have won each contest by at least 35 points. The toughest tests for both teams came against Class AAAA opponents on October 11. Bridgeport defeated Parkersburg South, 56-21 while the Polar Bears knocked off Wheeling Park, 34-14.
“We had turnovers in that game and they were costly,” Whitehair said. “It put us in position where we got to see how we could fight through. I feel like that was the one game we got to show that. I think we needed that, especially headed into a game like this week’s.”
“It just shows that we can battle back,” Love said. “We can fight through adversity even when they gain the momentum. We can punch right back. We went and won that game and I think that was huge for the rest of the season, to battle back after adversity because we didn’t get to see that a lot this year.”
Bartic is hopeful his team soaks in the experience of a Week 10 matchup of unbeaten teams.
“We want our guys to enjoy the atmosphere. We’ve played in a lot of big games and this is going to be right up there,” Bartic said. “East-West Stadium has a lot of character to her. The fire code might be about 5,000, but standing room, you can squeeze about 8,000 in there. Online pre-sale tickets are nearing 2,000 as of today from what I was told. They’ve never given me those numbers before a game. It’s significant that they’re even tracking. Get there early — it’s going to be a big crowd and fun atmosphere.”