Bradford 21 Indian Trail 0
Make no mistake about it, the Bradford Red Devils football team has won city bragging rights after another dominant performance on Kenosha’s “north side”. The Devils were once again in complete control and the defense pitched shout-out in route to a lopsided 21-0 victory over Indian Trail. During the course of the game, Bradford Principal Brian Geiger summed up a feeling that is becoming more and more evident as the season progresses, “I really like this unit”, said Geiger, “they really play together as a team”. And it would be difficult to argue that assessment. Once again, the Devils played a very well-rounded game and held the advantage on both lines of scrimmage, as well as in making plays and controlling the tempo. Bradford completes this abbreviated regular season with a record of 3-1 and will likely finish second in the conference to perennial powerhouse Franklin, a team they believe they probably should have beaten.
Once again it would be hard to discuss the events of this game and not immediately bring up the stingy Devils defense. Led by Brock Lampe, Dan Rossman, and Jaree Jones, this very talented group simply would not let IT get anything going offensively. The Hawks rushed for a grand total of 12 yards in this football game and wins are extremely hard to come by when you average less than a yard per carry. Much like the “Championship Era” group from a decade ago, the offense is really good, but it is the defense that makes this team special. And this game put that Devil strength on full display by making an early stand and then simply shutting down any further attacks aimed at their side of the field.
The offense, directed by coaches John Lynn and Brian Martinez, was steady and skilled. One person that could easily fly under the radar is Junior QB Nate Olson. Much of the attention this season has gone to the huge amount of skill players on the offensive side of the ball…and deservedly so…the Devils are absolutely loaded with talented athletes that consistently make plays. But don’t sleep on the exceptional play of Olson. He connected on a long one to Keany Parks early and then bucked the wind and tossed a gem, from almost as long, to Jared Barden. But it was Olson’s feet that would cement the W for the Devils. After the halftime adjustments, Bradford gouged the IT defense with a ton of read-option keepers and bootlegs and Olson ended up logging 15 carries for 100 yards and ran in the game’s final TD.
The Devils now have their bye week and wait to see what the future brings. The speculation would be that Franklin would host the winner of the IT/Tremper game in a couple of weeks and that Bradford would host Oak Creek in a rematch of last week’s game. Time will tell if that is the way this all plays out, but one thing is for certain, and that is the fact that Bradford is the unofficial “city champion” of this unique 2020 football season. And they have earned the right to feel good about that. This is a talented team, this is a young team, and most importantly, this is a team that still believes their best football is ahead of them. The optimism is back on the north side…this group expects to play well and they expect to win. And at the high school level…believing you can win sure makes winning a lot more realistic.
Oak Creek 33 Tremper 14
This game did not go Tremper’s way but it was further indication that the Trojans are on their way back to competitive football. These two very young teams teed it up and battled each other and the elements to a decision at Oak Creek. Tremper let some early opportunities slip by and had some big plays called back at some very important moments in the game and that gave the Knights all the edge that they would need. With the wind howling and the raindrops falling, the Trojans were able to find some success on the ground by logging two rushing TD’s and QB Ryan McGonegle continued his steady play going 14-30 for 149 yards and no INTs in very difficult throwing circumstances. And again, the Trojans were down but they were never out and the game was still in doubt well into the 4th quarter. The Trojans will face Indian Trail next week in what should be a very exciting game.
Brookfield Academy 47 Kenosha Christian Life 7
Lake Country Lutheran 62 Shoreland Lutheran 21
St Joes plays Living Word Lutheran Saturday
Brock Lampe on the Devils victory: