VIDEO PREVIEW FOR MOBILE DEVICES
BRIDGEWATER, Va. - During Bridgewater's playoff run of the early part of the 21st Century, an annual meeting of Bridgewater and Emory & Henry typically had championship implications with the winner of the game going on to claim the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) title. This year, two unbeaten teams will meet on Saturday afternoon at the Jopson Athletic Complex with similar intentions.
Bridgewater is coming off of last week's thrilling 27-23 victory over Shenandoah. Matthew Pisarcik connected with Jacob Wright for the game-winning score and the Bridgewater defense posted two fourth-down stops over the final four minutes to keep the Eagles among the nation's unbeaten with a four-point victory.
On the opposite side of the field, Emory & Henry is under new leadership and the Wasps are on an upward swing through head coach Curt Newsome's first four games. Last week, the Wasps handled Randolph-Macon in a 38-28 victory. Late in the fourth quarter, Emory & Henry led by 24 points before the Yellow Jackets recovered two onside kicks and tallied a pair of late scores.
Last season, the Eagles traveled to Southwest Virginia to meet up with a reeling Emory & Henry squad. Bridgewater came away with a 34-17 victory in an efficient victory over the Wasps. Senior quarterback Willie Logan threw three touchdown passes and rushed for an additional score as the Eagles football team upended Emory & Henry by 17 points at Fred Selfe Stadium.
The win also proved to be Bridgewater's lone conference victory of the year.
Freshman quarterback Kevin Saxton continues to excel after transferring to Emory & Henry from FCS Power Appalachian State. Saxton's thrown for 956 yards and 10 scores in the opening four games of the year as Emory & Henry enters this afternoon's contest with the third-best scoring offense in the league.
The Eagles finally found their rhythm in the rushing game after Jacob Wright rushed for 107 yards and two scores against the Hornets. Through the air, Pisarcik overcame an interception with an efficient evening. The junior quarterback completed 10-of-14 passes for 155 yards and two scores, including the game-winning pass to Wright in the fourth quarter.
Bridgewater's won five straight against the Wasps with Emory & Henry's last victory in the series coming in 2008 when the Wasps defeated the Eagles by a 19-14 score. Emory & Henry owns the series with a 27-12-1 record against the Eagles.
Kick off on Saturday afternoon is set for 1 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 12:30 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.
