Bradford went back to basics between last week’s loss to this week, and that was the key to pushing through to a 28-16 victory over the Otto-Eldred Terrors Friday at Parkway Field.

“I think we tried to put too much in to get ready for Week One. We scaled it back, went back to basics this week, really hammered on our footwork, our fundamentals. Offensive line imposed their will tonight, I’m really proud of all those guys that got in there,” Bradford Coach Jeff Puglio said.

The Bradford Owls’ Logan Kohler repeated his shining moment from last week, racing 90 yards on a kickoff return to score for the Owls. He was also a force on defense, recording five tackles.

Bradford QB Andrew Giordano did his share of running as well, with 64 yards for the night, and Tommy Langdon had several carries that were crucial to maintain Bradford’s momentum. Langdon had 78 yards total.

The first quarter was a showcase of defense and left both teams scoreless moving into the second quarter.

O-E quarterback Shane Magee carried the ball himself, racing into the endzone with 9:29 left in the second quarter. A successful two-point conversion followed, giving Otto the 8-0 advantage.

Bradford’s answer came with 4:34 left as Kohler raced 28 yards for a touchdown, followed by a PAT from Kaden Kicior to put seven points on the board for the Owls.

With 17 seconds on the clock, Kohler intercepted a pass from O-E’s Magee, setting up the Owls. Bradford QB Andrew Giordano found Braylon Austin, who rolled 75 yards into the endzone. Kicior’s kick was once again good, giving Bradford the 14-8 lead as both teams headed into the locker rooms.

In the third quarter, O-E forced a safety, making the score Bradford 14, O-E 10.

Bradford’s Tommy Langdon flew into the endzone from 19 yards out with 9:51 on the clock and Kicior put the ball up and between the uprights for seven more, giving Bradford a 21-10 lead.

Otto’s next score came on a possession with 8:33 left in the fourth as Magee found Welch, who drove into the endzone. An unsuccessful try for a two-point conversion followed, making the score Bradford 21, O-E 16.

With 8:02 remaining, Kohler’s kickoff return followed by a successful PAT gave Bradford 28-16, which stayed true as the buzzer sounded.

“Logan’s a dynamic player. You see him on the return game and what he can do for us offensively,” Puglio noted. “When he’s doing what he’s doing, it opens up everything else.

“We got to showcase Andrew Giordano running tonight; Tommy Langdon ran the ball really hard. That’s the beauty of this offense; if they want to key on Logan, which they were, we can attack you with some different guys,” Puglio said. “Even Braylon Austin at the end of the half with a big play, and I didn’t know he was that fast. He really put the jets on, and I’m proud of him.”

Otto-Eldred Coach Eric Rees agreed on Kohler’s talent on the field, noting

“We tried to simplify things and get back to basics, make it easy for our kids to play fast and loose. Clearly we started the game on fire defensively. We gave up some really big, explosive plays to Logan Kohler. He’s special, he’s so fast. And we knew it, our game plan was to stop 30. We didn’t.”

Rees continued, “I told our kids, they are not at fault for this. It’s me, it’s on my shoulders. I didn’t have them prepared. We are going to take this weekend and get things figured out and put something together and put a winning project on the field next Friday.”

Bradford, now 1-1 on the season, travels to Punxsutawney next week.

“I think that this offense speaks for itself. If you are fundamentally sound, you give yourself a chance. Punxsutawney has a really good player in Beau Thomas. We remember what he did to us last year, the kids haven’t forgot that. That’s something we will be looking at this week – we have to contain him and give it our best shot,” Puglio said.

Otto-Eldred’s Shane Magee scores a touchdown Friday with Bradford’s Logan Kohler a step behind. The Owls defeated the Terrors 28-16.

Era Photo by Wade Aiken