Last week’s homecoming and District 9 League loss to Brookville
was all the fright Bradford wanted in the month of October.
But the Owls’ lack of urgency came back to haunt them again on
Friday the 13th as BHS (5-2) came up short in a 29-27 loss to
Central Mountain.
“We have to play with a sense of urgency all the time and we
don’t,” stated Steve Ackerman, BHS coach. “We don’t play with that
urgency the whole game and that’s what’s missing right now.”
Things started out well enough for the hosts as Bradford scored
on its first two possessions.
Central Mountain’s Ryan Maggs, who finished with 201 rushing
yards, carried the ball on five of the Wildcats’ first six plays
before coughing up an option pitch. Alex Faucher was all over the
recovery and gave his Owls the ball back at the Wildcat 29.
E.J. Moore then promptly took the next snap 29 yards around the
left end to pay dirt for a 6-0 lead. An exceptionally rare missed
extra point by kicking ace Steve Butler left it 6-0 Owls.
CM’s Maggs and Dustin Hawkins would then power an 80-yard,
14-play touchdown drive that chewed up 5:40. The Wildcats tried
some trickeration on the PAT, faking the kick and connecting on the
two-point conversion pass for an 8-6 edge.
However, the Owls scored again less than one minute later.
Quarterback Ben Walter saw a hole on third and 8 and took it 15
yards for the first down. A facemask penalty on the play put
Bradford at the CM 46.
On the next play, E.J. Moore used a nice stiff-arm to escape for
the touchdown. Walter snuck into the right corner of the end zone
for the conversion and it was 14-8 Owls.
“Moore ran the ball well,” Ackerman commented. “He’s a big,
powerful kid and he’s got some speed and some finesse.”
In the second, Britt Bookhamer made a tackle on Maggs in the
backfield to allow the Owls to take over on downs. The Owls
couldn’t get anything going and were forced to punt.
The teams traded possessions from there until CM put together an
eight-play, 52-yard scoring drive.
Wildcat offensive lineman Ty Traister recovered a fumble in the
end zone to regain the lead. The PAT by Nathan Conway made it 15-14
at the half.
The visitors scored first after the break on a one-yard dive.
Conway’s kick gave CM a 22-14 lead.
Bradford’s Tom Morris set up the Owls’ next drive with a 16-yard
kick return.
After Moore picked up a key first down at the CM 37, O’Brien
would take the next play 63 yards for the score. Number 41 broke
free down the sideline and made a crucial cut back to the inside,
splitting four Wildcat defenders to find the end zone.
The conversion attempt failed and the Owls trailed 22-20 with
three minutes left in the third.
Bradford’s defense couldn’t stop the next Wildcat drive as CM QB
Kyle Turchetta rolled right and connected with Vinnie Mauck for the
score in a 4th and 12 situation.
Conway’s kick was true for a 29-20 margin.
The Owls’ Morris patiently waited for his blockers on the
ensuing kickoff and ripped off a 63-yard reurn.
On first and 10 from the CM 30, Walter hooked up with Morris
over the middle for a seven yard gain to the 23.
Moore then cut upfield for 14 yards and the first down at the 9
yard line.
While the Owls would be backed up with penalties on the next two
snaps, Moore was able to step off a 24-yard touchdown run with 7:10
showing in the game.
Butler’s boot made it a two-point game at 29-27.
Bradford’s defense would stymie not one but two Wildcat drives
in the final minutes.
The first big stop came with 5 1/2 minutes remaining as Chris
Johnston got in Turchetta’s face and Bookhamer wrapped up Maggs to
force a CM punt.
But later at fourth and 25, the Owls would have to punt and hand
over the ball with 1:31 showing.
Central Mountain would go three-and-out on a backfield gang
tackle by Dan McMurtrie, Bookhamer and Cody Godding. CM’s punt gave
the Owls the ball at their own 42 with 1:07 to go.
Walter found Nick Foster on second and 10 for a 16-yard gain to
the Wildcat 42, but time ran out on the Owls and Central Mountain
escaped with the 29-27 non-league victory.
“In the second and third quarter we didn’t play with any urgency
whatsoever,” Ackerman emphasized.
“We did play with urgency in the last 7 1/2 minutes and it
showed, but we were making mistakes and putting ourselves in
second-and-15s and third-and-17s and we can’t deal with those
situations.
“We stuffed them and got the ball back,” the Owls’ coach
recalled. “We took it down and made a couple mistakes or we
would’ve been in position to win the game with a field goal.”
Still, Ackerman would not pin the loss on any single play.
“The game didn’t hinge on one play. The bottom line is we have
to play with urgency from 7 o’clock to 9:30 instead of 8:30 to
9:30. We just have to get that sense of urgency back.”
Bradford urgently needs to regroup in a return to District 9
League play against DuBois next Friday. The Owls and Beavers will
kick off on Senior Recognition Night at Parkway Field at 7 p.m.
“We’ve got a big game (next week),” Ackerman said. “I guarantee
DuBois is going to come in here and try to run it down our throats
just like the last two teams have.
“We just have to step up and play. We can’t continue to let
teams push us around. Right now the problem is we don’t hate losing
more than we like winning.”
