BRADFORD 28, DuBOIS 7

Oct. 19, 2007

By Rich Rhoades

DuBOIS — The visiting Bradford Owls gave the DuBois Beavers a going-away present Friday night.

It was wrapped up in a 28-7 Owls victory at E.J. Mansell Stadium, completing a perfect 4-0 championship record in the final year of the District 9 League.

The Owls (6-1) had already clinched the final league crown before beating the Beavers. DuBois, meanwhile, dropped to 2-6 and finished 1-3 in the league, only ahead of winless Punxsutawney.

The Beavers still lead the all-time series, 55-16-3. When the 75^th meeting happens is anyone’s guess.

Bradford’s schedule next year has it playing District 10 teams. The Owls were left out of the re-shuffling of leagues and teams. DuBois is off to the Mountain Athletic Conference.

“Unfortunately it’s the last time for all of these teams in District 9,” Bradford head coach Steve Ackerman said. “We tried to work out something, but nobody wanted to help out. It’s a shame these rivalries are over. The only time we’ll see some of these teams is the playoffs.”

It won’t be Class AAAA DuBois, which would’ve loved to keep playing the Owls. Perhaps the Beavers would also love to get another chance to solve Bradford’s predictable, but effective running game.

Bradford ran 51 plays from scrimmage. Yes, that’s every play a rush for a total of 294 yards. It didn’t matter that the Owls were down to their third-string quarterback, Kyle Yurkewicz. The sophomore replaced starter Tyler Grandy on the Owls’ third possession of the game midway through the second quarter.

Grandy, who left with an apparent knee injury when he was sacked by Zach Beers, had started most of the year after the Owls’ senior starter Ben Walter was injured.

According to Ackerman, Grandy’s injury appeared to be an ACL, and his return to the lineup anytime soon is doubtful. The Owls also lost senior fullback and linebacker Taylor O’Brien for the season two weeks ago.

But all Yurkewicz had to do was hand off to his backfield teammates, led by senior halfback Nick Johnson. Johnson needed just 15 carries to gain 179 yards. He scored on touchdown runs of 31 and 48 yards. Dan McMurtrie scored on a 15-yarder late in the fourth quarter.

And for good measure, the Owls added a defensive touchdown when lineman Cody Godding grabbed a ball out of the air that slipped out of the hand quarterback Danny Henry when he was trying to pass and rumbled in seven yards to set the final score.

“For whatever reason when we get down a few points, the wheels come off,” DuBois head coach Jason Shilala said. “There are a lot of different reasons for that. Part of it when you lose a lot, it becomes addictive.”

Still, the Beavers were tied at 7-7 at intermission and only 14-7 midway through the fourth quarter before the Owls scored twice within 13 seconds — McMurtrie’s TD and Godding’s interception return — to give Bradford the insurmountable 21-point lead. With 4:02 remaining.

Godding’s score settled things as both teams sent in their junior varsity players. Up to that point, DuBois had managed just 17 yards of offense and no first downs in the second half.

The Beavers got on the board first in the second quarter thanks to a short field following a punt return and Bradford personal foul penalty. They only had to go 26 yards on seven plays with Henry pushing his way in from one yard out on fourth down.

It only took Bradford 99 seconds to tie the game when Johnson blasted around the right end and down the Bradford sideline for a 31-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-six.

Then on the Owls’ first possession of the second half, Johnson went 48 yards on the same play.

“We were able to get to the outside, seal some blocks off and get Nick on the sideline,” Bradford head coach Steve Ackerman said. “When it comes down to a footrace with Nick, he doesn’t lose many of them.”

That was all the Owls needed as their defense bottled up a DuBois offense that could go nowhere.

“The message we tried to send the kids at halftime was that we were sitting back on our heals and waiting for (DuBois) to make a mistake,” Ackerman said. “We put it on their shoulders to go out and make a play and don’t wait for somebody else to do it. Let’s go out and force something. The kids responded really well.”

The Beavers head to Pittsburgh this Saturday against Brashear. Bradford also plays Saturday with a rare afternoon home game against East Allegheny.

NOTES: In 22 years of the D9 League, Bradford won or shared six titles, including three outright (2007, 2003 and 1988) and three shared (2006, 2001, 2000). DuBois won or shared 12. … Garrett Malmgren led the Beavers with 65 yards rushing on 12 carries. … The Owls came into the game with 32 pass attempts for the season. It was their first game without attempting at least one pass. … Both teams missed field goals, the Beavers’ Kyle Bish from 36 yards out in the first half and the Owls’ Cody Nuzzo coming up short on a 45-yard attempt in the second half.

BRADFORD 28, DUBOIS 7

Score By Quarters

Bradford        0          7          7          14        -           28

DuBois            0          7          0          0          -           7

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

D – Danny Henry 1 run (Kyle Bish kick), 2:34.

B – Nick Johnson 31 run (Cody Nuzzo kick), :55.

Third Quarter

B – Nick Johnson 48 run (Nuzzo kick), 8:31.

Fourth Quarter

B – Dan McMurtrie 15 run (Nuzzo kick), 4:15.

B – Cody Godding 7 interception return (Nuzzo kick), 4:02.

TEAM STATISTICS

                                                B                                 D

First Downs                            14                                12

Rushes-Yards                          51-294                         34-99

Passing Yards                         0                                  87

Passing: Comp-Att-Int            0-0-0                            12-23-1

Total Yardage                         294                              186

Fumbles-Lost                          2-1                               0-0

Penalties-Yards                       11-80                           7-40

Punts-Average                                    2-35                             4-39.8

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Bradford: Nick Johnson 15-179, Dan McMurtrie 14-57, Steve Hill 9-38, Mike Pascarella 11-28            , Kyle Yurkewicz 1-0, Tyler Grandy 1-(8). DuBois: Garrett Malmgren 12-65, Cameron Kelly 3-14, Ricky Shenkle 4-12, Les Miller 3-10, Kyle Bish 2-2, Tyler Miles 3-1, Adam Sanko 3-(-1), Danny Henry 4-(-4).

PASSING – DuBois: Danny Henry 10-for-14, 60 yards, 1 Int.; Tyler Miles 2-for-6, 27 yards; Garrett Malmgren 0-for-1; Kyle Bish 0-for-1; Team 0-for-1.

RECEIVING – DuBois: Les Miller 3-25, Jimmy Maddox 1-16, Josh Means 2-15, Sean McLaughlin 2-15, Cameron Kelly 1-11, Brant Davis 1-7, Garrett Malmgren 1-2, Ricky Shenkle 1-(-4).

INTERCEPTIONS – Bradford: Cody Godding.

SACKS – Bradford: Nick Johnson, Vince Schiappa 0.5, Michael Marasco 0.5. DuBois: Zach Beers.

KICK RETURNS – Bradford: Nick Johnson 1-14, Dan McMurtrie 1-11. DuBois: Garrett Malmgren 2-43, Kyle Bish 2-32.

PUNT RETURNS – Bradford: Nick Johnson 2-27. DuBois: Josh Means 1-7.

PUNTING – Bradford: Cody Nuzzo 2-70. DuBois: Kyle Bish 4-159.