BLUE HILL — Rebuilding is a funny phrase when it comes to describing a football team. It’s all about perspective. Take this year’s Bruning-Davenport/Shickley squad for example: The Eagles have already lost more regular season games than any season since 2010.
That fact has left some with the perception that BDS is rebuilding, but when it comes down to it, the Eagles are still a force to be reckoned with.
“It’s definitely a rebuilding year, but we are still expecting everyone to get better with each game,” said BDS’ Easton Weber.
Blue Hill went toe-to-toe with that force in the first half of Friday’s game, but the Eagles proved to be too much in the second half. BDS’ offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, and the defense elevated its play to stifle the high-flying Bobcat offense for a 64-38 victory.
“We were more physical in the second half,” said BDS co-head coach Mark Rotter. “At halftime, we talked to them about the line of scrimmage and we were really hoping to control it. The first half, we thought it was a draw. The second half we really got something going. That first drive, really seemed to take the air out of them.”
At halftime, the Eagles led by a narrow margin of six points at 28-22, but they opened the second half with a powerful statement, marching 50 yards down the field in just four plays.
“Once they scored on their first drive and then we had a turnover a little later, it just kind of took the wind out of our sails,” said Blue Hill head coach Riley Armes.
The offensive line opened up holes all second half, and running back Easton Weber and quarterback Jaron Norder took full advantage. Norder rushed 22 times for 146 yards, and Weber finished with a bruising 366 yards on just 17 carries.
“We came into the game knowing that we were slower than them, we are not the fastest group, but we wanted to be more physical than them,” Weber said. “We really rose to the challenge and got more physical. The line of scrimmage was really good in the second half. The line was great.”
“He lost 15 pounds from last year because he thought it would make him quicker, And he does look good…He looks quicker,” Rotter said of Weber.
Weber had five runs of at least 44 yards, and he found the end zone seven times. The junior running back had touchdown runs of 52 yards, 17, 9, 44, 5, 66, and 56. Weber ended the game averaging 21.5 yards per carry and a touchdown every 2.4 rush attempts. But he gave all credit to his offensive line.
“I was getting tired, but I knew I had to keep pushing. When the line is doing what they were doing, you have to reward them. They were dominant,” he said.
Initially, Blue Hill was the team that was taking it to the Eagles. The Bobcats scored on their opening drive of the game, and the defense didn’t let Eagles into the end zone until the second quarter.
“It was a great first quarter. The boys played a perfect game,” Armes said. “They executed the game plan, We were sharp, we weren’t dropping any passes, we were running good routes. The effort was just great across the board.”
Blue Hill quarterback MJ Coffey was responsible for four of the Bobcats’ touchdowns, connecting with Krae Ockinga for each of them. Coffey finished with 292 yards through the air and added 21 more yards on the ground. Ockinga hauled in nine passes for 162 yards.
The arial attack may not have been what Armes and the coaching staff expected to rely on this season, nor is it the typical ground and pound Bobcat fans are used to, but Armes knows it’s the strongest part of his team’s game.
“That’s where our talent is, we can’t turn away from the passing game. We have a lot of talent receivers, and that is where our question mark was coming into the season but the young guys have stepped up,” Armes said. “It wasn’t what we planned at the start of the season, but it has definitely developed into one of our strengths that we are going to take advantage of.”
Coffey found himself scrambling in the backfield more in the second half. The Eagles weren’t getting much pressure on the talented QB in the opening two quarters, but they certainly made the Bobcat hurler earn every yard in the second half.
“We were supposed to be (pressuring Coffey) all night, but we just weren’t getting to him. We did finally when we switched from a four front to a three front, which that doesn’t make much sense...apparently we don’t know what we are doing,” BDS co-head coach Chris Adrissono said with a laugh. “But we went to a three front and we were able to get more pressure on him.”
Blue Hill fell to 3-3 on the season — with the other losses coming against 4-1 Cross County and 5-0 Arapahoe. The Bobcats get a week off before taking on Kenesaw on the road. BDS, which improved to 3-2 on the year, will host the Blue Devils, who are ranked No. 1 in D-2, next week in a heavyweight bout.
“We have a big game next week against Kenesaw. They are a legit team,” Weber said.