STRATTANVILLE – It was the classic case of meeting the enemy and
they were us as Bradford fumbled away a 27-16 non-conference
decision at Clarion-Limestone on Friday.

The Owls lost three fumbles, one of which was a
momentum-changing miscue to start the third quarter.

“The first play of the second half we dropped the snap,” said
Steve Ackerman, BHS head coach. “What are you going to do? We also
gave up 16 points on fourth-down touchdown passes.”

Bradford fumbled on its first possession of the game and the
unbeaten Lions (4-0) took over at the Owls’ 31.

A 19-yard pass from Scott Davis to David Brooks placed the ball
at the 12 and five plays later from the 2, Davis slipped through a
hole over the right side for the TD. The run for two failed, and it
was 6-0 with 5:41 left in the opening quarter.

The Owls failed to advance the sticks on their next try as C-L
regained possession at its 39.

Davis then hit Brooks for 17 yards and Justin Murray for 12 more
as the Lions were ready to pounce at the Bradford 13.

A pair of sacks by the Owls’ Nick Johnson forced a
fourth-and-10, but Davis fired a perfect strike to a wide-open
Brooks in the middle of the end zone and it was 12-0 C-L five
seconds into the second period.

The Owls then struck quickly from their own 39 on a 52-yard run
by Taylor O’Brien and a nine-yard touchdown dash around right end
by Johnson. Steve Butler drilled the extra point halfway to
downtown Strattanville and it was 12-7 with 11:16 remaining in the
half.

“We ran a trap and Taylor (O’Brien) broke it,” Ackerman
declared. “We were getting all kinds of yardage in our Jet
series.”

Davis had the Lions on the prowl once again with a 13-yarder to
Brooks, an 11-yard toss to Matt Hetrick and another 11-yarder to
Brooks, but Ben Walter stopped the drive with an interception at
the Bradford 17 with 8:30 left.

The Owls then chewed up all but three seconds of the
second-quarter clock with a 20-play march to the C-L four. The Owls
were facing a third-and-14 from the 17, but split end Tommy Morris
made a spectacular behind-the-back catch at the 4.

On a fourth-and-1, Ackerman decided to go for the field goal and
Butler’s 20-yarder was right down the middle and it was 12-10 at
the half.

“I thought they (officials) gave us a bad spot on the Morris
catch and moved it back two yards,” Ackerman confessed. “But that
was a great catch by Morris behind his back.”

The momentum was clearly in the Owls’ corner to start the third
stanza, but a botched snap presented the Lions with a gift at the
Bradford 35.

Seven plays later from the 22, Kaleb Klosky made a knee-high
grab of a Davis aerial at the 5 and carried it to paydirt. Hetrick
ran in the two-pointer as C-L enjoyed a 20-10 margin with 8:48
showing in the third.

Following another Bradford punt, C-L began from its own 25 and
used a 54-yard hookup from Davis to Brooks for a first down at the
Owls’ 21.

Then on a third-and-8, from just outside the 8, Brooks made a
leaping catch in the back of the end zone. Davis booted the PAT and
it was 27-10 with 26 seconds remaining in the third.

“Was it our pass coverage or our pass rush?” Ackerman pondered.
“The kid (Davis) was running around for eight or nine seconds. Our
pass coverage was fine for three or four seconds and that’s what
you’re supposed to give them. You give the quarterback five or six
seconds and of course the pass coverage is going to break
down.”

Any chances of a Bradford comeback were dashed on its next
possession when another fumble ended a drive at the C-L 40.

The Owls did score with eight seconds left in the game on an
11-yard scamper around left end by sophomore Dan McMurtrie.

The Owls (1-3) will try to regroup when St. Marys comes to town
next Friday.