Playoff football teams live forever in small town West Virginia sports lore.
Friday night, Meadow Bridge added another team to that conversation when it secured a postseason spot with a 28-14 win over then No. 12 (tie) Gilmer County.
It was the first playoff berth since 2015 for the Wildcats.
“I moved here in fifth grade and got to see guys like Ryan Church, Craig Peters and Shane Harless play. I watched them be successful and it means a lot that we will be included in those conversations,” senior Rian Cooper said.
Cooper is part of a stellar senior class for Meadow Bridge which has played together since sixth grade. Prior to this season, however, the group had felt nothing short of frustration in regards to the postseason.
When a loss to Richwood dropped the Wildcats to 3-4 with three games to play, it again looked as if the seniors would miss out on the playoffs.
“We think once we lost that Richwood game that it lit a fire under us. We looked each other in the eye and said if we were going to make the playoffs we had to win out,” Cooper said.
The charge to get better came from deep inside Cooper who felt some responsibility for the tough loss to the Lumberjacks.
“I felt like in the Richwood game that I had a chance to bat a pass down late in the game when we had the lead and I didn’t. They ended up scoring a touchdown to win the game,” Cooper explained. “I felt like I let my teammates down and I needed to do something extraordinary and gain their trust back. I wanted to play to best of my ability.”
After a lopsided shutout win at Montcalm, the Wildcats needed two wins to close the season. The wins would have to come against playoff bound teams.
Cooper then picked the perfect stage to shine, making big plays when his team needed them the most.
“Rian has come on really big for us. He has been the guy that has made some big catches for us on offense,” Meadow Bridge head coach Dwayne Reichard said. “We had a third down play against Sherman where he caught a ball in the flat, avoided a tackle and picked up 39 yards. That catch set up our game-winning score.”
Against Gilmer County, Cooper came up big again on crucial plays against the Titans.
“Same type of play this past week against Gilmer. He was in the right flat. The ball wasn’t really the best and was thrown into coverage. Initially it looked like it might be intercepted,” Reichard said. “When they come down, he had the football. He has done that a couple of times. There has been a little extra grit and extra determination there. He has really stepped up as a leader.”
Cooper’s exploits were not relegated to just the offensive side of the ball.
“On defense, he had three interceptions against Sherman and another one Friday night against Gilmer. Six so far on the year,” Reichard said. “He has played with a different type of desire the last few weeks and it is a big part off why we have been successful.”
Saturday afternoon Meadow Bridge will face it biggest challenge so far when it travels to No. 3 East Hardy in the first round of the playoffs.
“We played them our sophomore year at Meadow Bridge and lost 21-14. We are kinda familiar with them,” Cooper said. “Their quarterback is who we will have to stop. He is a dual-threat and I feel like he is their best player.”
Win or lose Saturday, Cooper and the 2021 Wildcats will live on and no one can ever take away the feeling they had when that final horn sounded.
“It was an indescribable feeling. I am so grateful for the opportunity. I am happy for myself and my teammates especially,” Cooper said. “We grew up wishing and hoping we would be good enough to be in the playoff and finally it happened. We are just grateful for the opportunity.”
