The end of the first half probably could not have come at a better time for Bradford High last Friday night.
Unbeaten Kane had just scored six touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 47-12 lead and put the mercy rule into effect for the second half. The 39-point single-period blitz stands as one of the largest during Jeff Puglio’s stint as head coach.
The dazed Owls looked like a beaten team. Their body language said it all as they walked solemnly off the field toward their locker room.
“After they (Kane) put up two or three scores, we just got deflated,” Puglio explained during his weekly interview Tuesday night. “When we had them pinned deep and they scored in three plays, panic set in for us. Their flurry of points kind of put us in a rut we couldn’t get out of.
“We just couldn’t make a play. We were arm tackling and you can’t bring down good backs with arm tackles. It was disheartening to see us do that, but those things happen.”
In the locker room during the break, Puglio left it up to the Owls to decide how they wanted to come out for the second half.
“We made some adjustments, but we also told the kids that they had to make the decision. Did they want to be a doormat, lay down and quit, or, did they want to keep going. We knew Kane wasn’t going to let up … they’d score 100 points if they could.”
Like Owls teams before them, this year’s squad regrouped and came out swinging, outscoring the Wolves 14-7 in the final two periods.
“Our kids responded in the second half,” Puglio emphasized. “We proved we can play with anyone. We were more physical which proves it comes down to fundamentals.”
It (second half) was a win of sorts after a horrible first half, but a lot of work remains to be done.
“I thought our offensive line played well as a unit. We had over 300 yards of offense. They were doing things well and they needed to so we can move forward. We may not have shown it at times, but it was a good measure of our offense,” Puglio stated.
“We have to focus on being better tacklers and we still have too many turnovers. We also have to work on taking the ball away. We’ve been better at doing that, but we’re not doing it now. We’ve made some adjustments, but it all comes down to simple fundamentals.”
The Owls lost defensive tackle Tyler Buck to an injury (broken hand) Friday night and Puglio is doubtful of his return the remainder of the season.
“We’re not sure Tyler will be able to come back, so now the next guy at defensive tackle has to step up and be ready to play,” Puglio observed.
Looking ahead to Friday night’s game with visiting Brockway, the Owls coach said simply, “We had Saturday and Sunday to get over the game and get our mindset right. Now we have to put the last two weeks behind us and move on to Brockway.
“We’re still in the playoff hunt, so there’s a lot to go after which should keep our morale up,” he noted.
As far as the Rovers are concerned, Puglio is well aware they will attack the Owls’ defense at what has proven to be its most vulnerable point — through the air.
“They spread the field and throw the ball,” said the Bradford coach. “The way we played last week, our secondary needs to be prepared. We also need to be more physical and set the tone early in the first half.
“This will be a good test for us. We need to be firing on all cylinders going into the end of the month,” he added.
