You don’t have to be an NFL guru to know that fumbling the ball away five times in a game is going to hurt your chances to win.
It’s an ignominious feat that the Bradford Owls have now pulled off in back-to-back weeks. It didn’t wind up making a difference in last week’s 43-14 rout of a winless Kane team.
The same can’t be said for Friday’s game against undefeated Ridgway, as the Elkers took advantage of Bradford’s carelessness to win 28-7 and improve to 4-0 on the season. The loss drops the Owls to 2-2.
Against a Ridgway team known for its defense, Bradford coach Jeff Puglio knew that any turnovers by his offense would likely prove costly.
“You’re not going to get away with it against a good team,” he said. “They’re a disciplined team, they’re an aggressive team. You can’t give them the ball: (they had) 14 points off of turnovers.”
The Bradford offense — which came into Friday averaging almost 40 points per game — could muster only 213 total yards and eight first downs. The Owls’ usually dominant running game was also limited to a season-low 131 yards on 25 carries.
Bradford and Ridgway don’t have a lot of history with one another, but last night’s game saw the continuation of the Owls’ struggles on offense against the Elkers: Ridgway topped Bradford 13-0 in 2016 and 21-7 last year.
“We’re still struggling to move the ball against them,” Puglio said. “We’ve only scored 14 points in three games against them. We haven’t cracked that code yet.”
Despite experiencing a lot of turnover on the defense that won back-to-back District 9 titles, Mark Heindl’s unit has continued its dominance through the first month of 2018.
“It’s one of those deals where our kids have bought into it,” he said. “We don’t rebuild, we reload. We don’t have just 11 guys; we rotate in multiple guys throughout the game and we try to keep them as fresh as possible. To hold a very good, senior-laden Bradford squad to seven points says something about our kids.”
Bradford’s first two fumbles both came in the second quarter: the first put an end to what looked to be a promising drive, while the second led to a Ridgway score.
Jake Wickett — who opened the scoring in the first with a two-yard plunge — scored again after the turnover from five yards out to make it 14-0.
The Owls seemed to grab the momentum as the half ended beginning with one of the odder plays you’ll see.
After a Bradford snap went over the head of Nate Blauser, the Owls QB picked up and proceeded to run for his life. Heading towards the sideline, Blauser heaved up a prayer that somehow landed in the arms of Caleb Nuzzo for a 58-yard completion.
Donny Pattison (68 yards rushing) scored from two yards out on the next play to make it 14-7.
An interception by Jaron Ambrose to end the half had the Owls riding high at the game’s midway point.
But Ridgway found a spark of its own in backup quarterback Gabe Watts. The sophomore — who spelled starter Paul Gresco intermittently — had a pair of big runs that kept Ridgway’s opening drive alive, and eventually ran the ball in from 13 yards out to make it 21-7 Elkers.
“We were 2nd and 15 and Gabe hit a big play,” Heindl explained. “In high school football momentum is so big and once we got it here in Bradford, which is a very tough place to play, our kids wouldn’t let it go.”
Indeed, the Elkers made a point of keeping the ball out of Bradford’s hands for as long as possible. That involved getting first downs on the ground and through the air. Watts finished with 63 yards rushing, while Gresco threw for 166 yards, with his favorite target Issac Schloder finishing with five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown.
“Those pop passes from Gresco to Schloder, those plays extend drives and keep the momentum on our side,” Heindl said.
In addition to the fumbles, the Bradford offense simply wasn’t staying on the field long enough to give its defense time to catch its breath: the Owls ran just 33 plays on offense as opposed to the 65 run by Ridgway.
“We’ve got to get to those second level blocks,” Puglio said. “We didn’t get to their linebackers tonight at all. You can see the pursuit and they’ve got six guys on our ball carrier because we’re not getting to the second level.”
For as much time as they spent on the field, Bradford’s defenders allowed only 313 yards of offense for an average of just 4.8 yards per play.
“It’s hard for our defense when we’re giving the ball to them inside the 20 (yard line), and then their backs are against the wall,” Puglio said. “I thought they played hard. Guys stepped up, some people came in playing out of position.”
Another Bradford fumble midway through the fourth led to Gresco’s 10-yard touchdown pass to Schloder, effectively sealing the deal for the Elkers.
Ridgway will be on the road again next week when it visits a Brockway team coming off a 28-6 victory over Kane.
“The kids know what’s at stake,” Heindl said. “They know they have to have a great week of practice because you go in with one missed play against Brockway, they’re going to capitalize.”
Bradford, meanwhile, will be on the road in Moniteau next Friday, which comes off a big 20-14 win over Karns City.
“We’ve got to have a good week in practice and get guys ready to go for next week,” Puglio said.
AT BRADFORD
BY QUARTERS
Ridgway 6 8 7 7—28
Bradford 0 7 0 0—7
TEAM STATISTICS
First Downs: Ridg 13, Brad 8; Rushes/Yards Rushing: Ridg: 38-147, Brad: 25-131; Yards Passing: Ridg: 166, Brad 82; Comp-Att-Int: Ridg: 18-27-1, Brad: 5-8-0; Penalties: Ridg: 4-30, Brad: 3-18; Fumbles-Lost: Ridg: 1-0, Brad: 6-5; Total Yards: Ridg: 313, Brad: 213; Offensive Plays: Ridg: 65, Brad: 33
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
Passing: Ridg: Paul Gresco 18-25-166-1-1, Gabe Watts 0-2-0-0-0; Brad: Nate Blauser 5-8-82-0-0
Rushing: Ridg: Cole Secco 5-46, Evan Furlong 7-24, Jake Wickett 6-12-2, Matt Dush 1-1, Paul Gresco 3-(-7), Gabe Watts 10-63-1, Aaron Pura 2-(-13), Haydn Yeager 2-15, Isaac Sidelinger 2-6; Brad: Derek Sunafrank 3-6, Donny Pattison 9-68-1, Jaron Ambrose 5-20, Nate Blauser 4-1, Kyle Hartman 1-3, Zach Woodel 2-7, Isaac Smith 1-26
Receiving: Ridg: Evan Furlong 5-30, Daunte Allegretto 3-11, Matt Dush 2-12, Austin Green 2-22, Issac Schloder 5-72-1, Cole Secco 1-19; Brad: Caleb Nuzzo 1-58, Jaron Ambrose 2-20, Donny Pattison 2-4
Scoring summary
First quarter
Ridgway: Wickett 2-yard run (PAT blocked), 2:44
Second quarter
Ridgway: Wickett 5-yard run (Wickett 2-pt conversion), 2:28
Bradford: Pattison 2-yard run (Nuzzo PAT), 2:07
Third quarter
Ridgway: Watts 13-yard run (Allegretto PAT), 8:59
Fourth quarter
Ridgway: Schloder 10-yard pass from Gresco (Allegretto PAT), 5:00
