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OWLS PLAYING WITH A LOT OF EMOTION FOLLOWING DEATH OF ASSISTANT COACH MIKE COLLIGAN |
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By Chris Rossetti WARREN – Bradford’s run through first the District 9 and now the PIAA Class AAA playoffs has been an emotional one. The Owls, who play Pine-Richland in the PIAA semifinals at 7 p.m. Friday in Warren, have had to deal with the tragic death of long-time assistant coach Mike Colligan, who died of cancer in the week before Bradford’s first-round PIAA playoff game with Huntington. With emotion running high, Bradford beat Huntingdon 25-10 and then knocked off perennial PIAA powerhouse Perry 13-7 last week to reach the semifinals. "I think it was a rallying point for both the coaching staff and for the team," Bradford head coach Steve Ackerman said. "Football has taken us away from everything that is going on. It was really a salvation before the Huntingdon game. The kids have really banded together dedicating every game to Mike. That has helped us. They have played with emotion and an intensity level we hadn’t seen all year. They are playing with a purpose. These kids always had the potential to play like this. It is impressive to see them play solid football." It is the emotion the Owls are playing with that scares Pine-Richland head coach Clair Altemus. "They are on a tremendous emotional high," Altemus said. "That is dangerous. You add that with the fact that they are very well coach and a very discipline team, and they are the best team we play this weekend. They wouldn’t be here is they weren’t better than everyone else." |