The lively crowd that filled the Parkway Field stands Friday night saw it first-hand.
The Bradford football team, in its 30-19 loss to St. Marys, showed energy and big-play ability that it had lacked in its loss to Brookville the week before. Now, the Owls will travel to Kane tonight in search of their first victory of the young season.
“We started really poorly this week,” Bradford coach Jeff Puglio said. “I don’t know what it was: Long weekend made us sluggish, but we had no intensity in the early part of the week, which is concerning. You come off a better effort and then you can’t duplicate it in practice; we want to see them making strides.”
The energy picked up in Wednesday and Thursday’s practices, Puglio said, but concerns still exist over the Owls’ ability to sustain a sufficient level of intensity across four quarters of football.
“We were encouraged but not satisfied,” Puglio said of his team’s effort against St. Marys. “We played better, but we want to bust through and get that win. It’s been awhile, and these kids have worked really hard and earned it, but just because you’ve earned something doesn’t mean you’ll get it.”
The Owls will make the 28-mile trip down Route 219 and Route 6 to meet the Wolves, who suffered a lopsided defeat to Ridgway last week after a season-opening win over Moniteau.
Senior quarterback Harley Morris has settled into his new position after playing running back for the Wolves a year ago, a situation similar to that of Bradford QB Elijah Fitton.
Morris has completed 17-of-35 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns through two games, while also rushing for 62 yards on 17 attempts. Like Fitton, his greatest asset may be his athleticism.
“They’re both athletes,” Puglio said. “What we’ve seen from (Morris) on film is that he can make plays in the open field. Whether it’s stretching us out with his feet and then using his arm or just tucking and running, it’s one of those things we need to keep an eye on.”
Bradford’s physicality at the line of scrimmage matched that of St. Marys, as the Owls slowed the Dutch rushing attack despite being out-matched in size. The Owls will need to match that level of physicality, Puglio said, to have similar success against Kane at the line of scrimmage.
“It’s Coach (Todd) Silfies’ team, so you know it’s going to be physical,” Puglio said. “They’re going to be well-coached, disciplined and come after you. We’ve got to make sure we’re paying attention to detail and doing the little things.”
Offensively, senior wide receiver Dalton Dixon has become the focal point of the Owls passing game, providing a deep-ball threat from the outside. Dixon has hauled in 14 catches for 273 yards through the Owls’ first two games, and has consistently shown the ability to make contested catches while facing single coverage.
“He’s a leader,” Puglio said of Dixon. “He leads by example. Every rep he runs in practice is at game speed. You want that to be a contagious thing. He’s starting to see the best effort from everyone’s defense, and two weeks in a row he’s come through for us. We’re expecting similar production.”
Elsewhere in McKean County, Smethport and Port Allegany will meet in what has become a highly anticipated matchup after what each team has shown through two weeks.
The Hubbers have taken care of business, beating Sheffield and Brockway by multiple possessions. Port made a statement with a shutout victory over Otto-Eldred in Week 0 before falling to a tough Keystone team, a contender in the District 9 Small School South division, last week.
Noah Lent has picked up where he left off last year for Smethport, tossing five touchdowns on 12-of-17 passing attempts for 254 yards. He’s also tallied nearly 300 yards on the ground, averaging over 10 yards per carry.
Meanwhile, Port’s backfield trio of Drew Evens, Noah Archer and Blaine Moses have caught the eye of opposing coaches.
Regardless of its outcome, Port/Smethport will go a long way in deciding the D9 Small School North. The Hubbers and Gators will kick-off at 7 p.m. from Smethport, as will Bradford at Kane.
