VIDEO: HEAD COACH MICHAEL CLARK PREVIEWS SHENANDOAH AND RECAPS APPRENTICE
BRIDGEWATER, Va. - After three weeks of non-conference football action, Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) play opens on Saturday night at the Jopson Athletic Complex when Bridgewater meets up with Shenandoah.
Bridgewater will have redemption on its mind come Saturday night. Last season, the Hornets hurried quarterback Willie Logan all evening and disrupted the Bridgewater offense in a victory in Winchester. Shenandoah claimed its first ODAC win in school history behind a 29-20 victory.
Last week, the Eagles closed out the non-conference part of the schedule with a 32-16 victory over Apprentice. Jordan Hartman led Eagles with 199 all-purpose yards while Darrick Gore picked off two passes as the Eagles pulled away late to their 11th non-conference win in a row. Gore's efforts earned him ODAC Defensive Player of the Week honors on Monday afternoon.
Bridgewater's ground attack was limited on the afternoon as the Eagles rushed for a meager 11 yards on the day. The quarterback battle became even more muddled after Matthew Pisarcik and Ross Rushing both struggled a week ago. The tandem picked up 209 combined yards and two scores on just 16-of-37 passing.
On the year, Pisarcik's completing 63% of his passes and the junior's tossed seven touchdowns against two interceptions. Rushing is completing just 43.9% of his passes and has tossed three touchdowns and one interception.
On the ground, Jacob Wright leads the way with 176 yards on 41 carries. Bridgewater is a league-low 91 rushing yards per game.
Wide receiver Cliff Woodard ranks in the top five in the league in multiple categories. The senior resides in second in the league in yards per catch with a 21.4 average on 11 grabs. Woodard's five touchdown receptions also rank second in the ODAC.
Senior linebacker Alex Collins leads Bridgewater's disruptive defense. Collins' 26 tackles rank him fourth in the league. Defensive lineman JP Utz leads the ODAC in sacks with 3.5. Fellow defensive lineman Kenneth Szabo sits in second with three. The Eagles lead the league in sacks with 13 total.
Shenandoah enters Saturday night's game off of an idle week after dismantling Ferrum on Sept. 20. The Hornets rolled up 552 yards in offense, eclipsing the former school record of 534 set in the 2004 regular season finale against Methodist. Included in the team's 552 yards of offense, the Hornets rushed for 420 yards on the ground in a 45-20 victory over the Panthers.
Dual-threat quarterback Drew Ferguson has thrown for 373 yards on the year and is completing 57.3% of his passes. On the ground, Ferguson's rushed for 217 yards and a score.
Sophomore Cedrick Delaney leads a powerful ground game for Shenandoah. Delaney is averaging 104 yards per game on the ground. Shenandoah leads the ODAC in rushing, averaging 284.3 yards per game.
Shenandoah enters Saturday's contest with the top rated defense in the league. The Hornets are allowing 13.3 points per game and 251.7 yards per game, which both are the best marks in the conference.
Junior linebacker Michael Messick leads the Hornets with 28 tackles on the year. Messick's 5.5 tackles for a loss place him in a tie for the league lead with Bridgewater's Utz.
Bridgewater owns the all-time series with a 12-2 record against the Hornets. The series opened in 2000 after Shenandoah restarted its program. The last six contests in the series have been decided by a combined 36 points.
Kick off on Saturday evening is set for 7 p.m. For fans who are unable to attend, the game will be aired live on 95.5 WBOP FM with the pregame show starting at 6:30 p.m. For fans outside of the area, a live video stream will be available at BridgewaterEagles.com. Fans will be able to enjoy high-definition streaming at a cost of $5, or watch the game in standard definition for free.
