Ridgway used the right formula to slow down Christian Coudriet and St. Marys’ offense last week.
Now, it’s Bradford’s turn, as the Owl football team hosts the Flying Dutchmen in its home opener at Parkway Field.
St. Marys was picked in the preseason by area coaches to win the District 9 Large School division, but suffered a 24-7 defeat to Ridgway to start the season. Team speed, Bradford head coach Jeff Puglio said, will be key in slowing down a St. Marys attack that averaged over 41 points per game last year.
“The thing that jumps off the tape is how fast Ridgway played,” Puglio said. “I said that to the guys this week. Ridgway just came out and got after them. They weren’t afraid of anything, they just played so fast that it disrupted a lot of the things that St. Marys was trying to do.”
Team speed, he said, was lacking in the Owls’ 36-6 loss at Brookville last Friday.
“We’ve got to play more downhill,” Puglio said. “We were on our heels most of the game. We’re turning around looking for calls, we’re holding, and those are excuses. We’ve got to play downhill and bring the action to them. If we can’t do that, we’re going to see a lot of the same.”
Coudriet, the reigning Big 30 PA Large School Player of the Year, managed just four first downs against Ridgway. He’s not alone among the Dutch’s returners, either, as St. Marys returned 20 letter winners from a team that went 5-0 in the regular season before falling to Clearfield in the first round of the playoffs.
Confidence, Puglio said, will be key in his team’s ability to replicate Ridgway’s Week 0 success.
“Playing fast comes with confidence,” Puglio said. “If you have confidence in what you’re doing and what you need to do, and you’re not worried about making mistakes every play, you can play faster. That’s the plan, is to play fast.”
Bradford senior Elijah Fitton will make his second start at quarterback after transitioning to the position in the offseason. Fitton completed 11-of-23 passes for 166 yards and three interceptions against Brookville while adding 61 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
“A lot was going on in his head last week,” Puglio said of Fitton. “What I really want to see is for him to run the offense. He made some things happen, and it’s really good and exciting for us to see him do that, but we want him to settle into the offense this week.”
Fitton spent the summer learning Bradford’s air-raid offense, which relies on high completion percentage from short passes. He showed his escapability against Brookville, repeatedly making plays with his feet, but will look to improve his passing game in his second start.
“If we’re getting up into the 70s (completion percentage), and 80s at times, we’re going to score points,” Puglio said. “If we’re hanging around the 50s like we were last week, it’s going to be a struggle.”
Another bright spot for Bradford last week came from senior wide receiver Dalton Dixon, who had 102 receiving yards on six catches, including a 33-yard strike from Fitton.
The Owls will feature several new faces in their starting lineup this week, as Puglio and staff provide opportunities to players that caught their attention last week. They’ll also need to replace senior Mike Gow, who was injured in Week 0.
“I think our line has progressed this week,” Puglio said. “You lose a kid like (Gow), that’s just really hard for us to replace, but I think some guys are going to step up tomorrow and we think they’re excited for the opportunity.”
Chris Rodriguez, a senior transfer formerly from Louisiana, will see increased playing time on Bradford’s offensive and defensive line units. Senior Harrison Morrisroe will be back on the line, as well, after returning to 100% health this week.
Puglio would like to get junior receiver Lucas Laktash more involved offensively after he caught just one pass for seven yards against Brookville.
“He can do some pretty special things with the ball, we’ve just got to find him and get the ball to him in space,” Puglio said.
The Owls and Dutch are scheduled for a 7 p.m. kick-off.
