It’s Senior Night.
it’s a chance to make the District 9 playoffs.
It’s also the last time the seniors will be playing a regular
season game at Parkway Field.
Everything is on the line for the Bradford Owls Friday night
when they host Corry in what pretty much amounts to a
winner-take-all game.
“This is a must-win situation for us,” stated Jeff Puglio,
Bradford head coach, during his weekly interview Wednesday night.
“It’s almost like a playoff game. We’re done if we lose.”
The Owls do have some good things going for them, too.
They got a pleasant surprise from senior Zach Smith who stepped
up at quarterback last week and did a solid job. Junior Mark Havers
will return to the lineup this week and overall, the team is
healthy.
“We’ll stick with Zach (Smith) at quarterback,” said Puglio.
“Cody Coats’ back is still sore and he can’t step into his throws,
so he’ll stay at split end. He’s 100 percent though as far as
playing split end and corner back.
“Zach played well last week and really had an outstanding game.
He knows our offense, stood in the pocket and took some hits, but
kept coming back.
“He is a testament to the hard work he put in during the
offseason in the weight room. Zach got himself ready physically and
was able to take that punishment and come back.
“Getting Mark (Havers) back has been an emotional lift for our
team. He’s making his cuts like he did before he was hurt. We’re
glad to get him back and healthy.”
Last year an injury-decimated Owls squad allowed Corry to slip
through their hands, along with a trip to the district
playoffs.
Puglio made it clear, however, that he and the staff aren’t
concerned about last season.
“We’re in the same situation this year, but it’s a home game and
it’s Senior Night. We’ve had a great week of practice and our kids
have had a look in their eyes that we have not seen in a while,” he
pointed out.
“Our seniors realize the implications of this game and don’t
want their season to be over yet. All the kids are fired up and
want to win this game.
“I was proud of the effort our kids gave last week,” Puglio
said. “They played four full quarters, especially in the second
half. They kept fighting back and that really started the momentum
boost that we needed going into the Corry game this week.”
Corry will bring a record identical to Bradford’s (6-3) into
Friday night’s non-conference game, and the teams match up well
size-wise, but that’s where the similarities end. While the Owls
rely heavily on the running game, the Beavers move the ball through
the air.
“They spread the field out and throw the ball,” Puglio observed.
“Frisina (Scott) is very talented and one of the best quarterbacks
I’ve seen. We’ve worked on paying attention to what he’s doing and
where he looks. We need to be aggressive against them. If we do
that and pay attention to detail, then we should be okay.
“This is a big game for our seniors because it could be the last
time they play at Parkway Field, and hopefully we’ll go out on a
positive note,” he emphasized.
OWLS NOTES: Last season Frisina threw for two touchdowns in the
fourth quarter to rally Corry from a 27-14 deficit to stun
Bradford, 28-27. This year the Beavers started the season 5-0
before losing to Erie Strong Vincent. Looking at common opponents,
both the Beavers and Owls beat Meadville, Erie Central and Warren
and lost to Strong Vincent. Corry lost to Erie East last week,
while Bradford defeated the Warriors in Week 6 of the season. Last
week the Owls’ 10 opponents posted a combined record of 7-3.
