Streaks are meant to be broken, and for the Owls, their three-year, 30-game streak was broken with a resounding win on Friday night.
After almost four years since their last win, the Bradford football team finally were able to celebrate, with cheers and smiles, a dogpile at midfield and a Gatorade shower for head coach Jeff Puglio.
“It felt really really good. These kids deserved it. They’ve worked really, really hard, so I’m really happy for them,” said Puglio. “It was important to get the win early in the season because it shows a payoff for them, like ‘okay, there is a reward for all the hard work we’ve been doing.’”
The win wasn’t something that came by luck, or a last second sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat play that just happened to go the Owls way. Rather, they came out and played solid, efficient and successful football, beating Coudersport handily, 34-12.
Compared to their first showing against Punxsutawney, this was a whole new team, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Against the Chucks, the Owls tested out their ground game with little success, garnering only 103 yards throughout four quarters. However, going into the game against the Falcons, Bradford reverted back to their air raid offense. With the ball in his hands, quarterback Talan Reese completed 28 of his 33 attempts (85 percent) to accumulate 339 of the Owls 426 total yards.
“We still ran the ball pretty effectively but we were able to take some shots downfield. A lot of guys had some really big plays in the passing game,” said Puglio. “Talan was really comfortable, being able to stick in there and get the ball out, but I think all of our receivers had big catches at some point in the game.”
One of Reese’s main targets was newcomer Jake Franz.
For the past three fall seasons, Franz has been a crucial part of the Owl’s soccer program, earning a 2022 Big 30 All-Star selection en route to his team winning a District 9 Class 3A title and subsequent trip to the PIAA tournament. This season being his last at Bradford Area High School, Franz took the opportunity to swap the pitch for the gridiron.
“I was thinking about playing football last year, but I had a couple close friends on the soccer team. After they graduated, I figured it was a good time to switch,” said Franz. “I used to come to all the games. It was always a great atmosphere and a great thing to be a part of, so being able to be on the field and actually play and look up in the stands and see everyone there, it’s a great feeling.”
Regarded as one of the best athletes at Bradford, Franz wasted no time acclimating to his new sport. In the game against the Falcons, the wide receiver pulled down 10 receptions for 210 yards and three touchdowns.
While Franz is still adjusting to the physicality of the game and some of the smaller, more technical points of football, his addition to this Owls squad could be a major turning point for the season. After putting up 34 points on Coudy, the District 9 Region 3 favorites, the Owls took to the practice field at the start of Week 3 on a wave of confidence.
“It feels really good, especially after going out there and getting the win, coming into the locker room and everyone being all excited. It feels really good to be able to do what people said wouldn’t be done this year,” said Franz. “The mentality now is that we can do it. We did it last Friday and nothing’s stopping us now. We’re looking forward to each week.”
Going forward, however, the schedule remains a test for Bradord’s new found success. Next, the Owls host the undefeated Otto-Eldred Terrors (2-0) before playing two games on the road against two fellow Region 1 opponents: DuBois (1-0, 1-1 overall) and Clarion (1-0, 2-0 overall).
“I think now the work really starts. I think when you come off that streak and finally break through, it might be easy to be complacent,” said Puglio. “The message is, we don’t want to win just one game. Now we really have to focus in and push it.”
