Approaching the midway point of the high school football season, Meadow Bridge was not where it wanted to be after four games.
Six games later the Wildcats (6-4) are exactly where they want to be – playoff bound.
Saturday afternoon at 1:30 p.m., No. 14 Meadow Bridge will open postseason play for the first time since 2015 at No. 3 East Hardy.
“I sat in the WVSSAC football playoff meeting in Parkersburg (Sunday) knowing by far that we were the smallest public school there,” Meadow Bridge head coach Dwayne Reichard said. “The nostalgia behind being one of only 16 teams in your classification to walk on the field and practice the Monday after the regular season ends is something a little extra special.”
After starting the season 1-3, the Wildcats picked up a crucial Homecoming win over Webster County, followed by a road win at Summers County.
However, a Tuesday rescheduled game at Richwood could have derailed all the momentum gained from the previous two wins.
“We just kept plugging along. Summers County was a big win for us. That games has become a little bit of a rivalry game for us. Then we made several mistakes at Richwood and laid an egg. They just outworked us that night.”
While the loss was tough to swallow, it did put the Wildcats in a win or go home mindset. One more loss and their playoff dreams would be dashed.
“We beat Montcalm and going into the final two weeks against Sherman and Gilmer County, everyone knew where we stood,” Reichard said. “I think we were fortunate to be here at home those two weeks. We were able to create some turnovers and win the turnover battle. That helped us a ton.”
While winning the last two games was the plan, the execution would not be easy. The Tide and the Titans were both fighting for playoff positions also.
“We were able to score points when we needed to and we had that bend, but don’t break defense,” Reichard said. “This past week against Gilmer County, we knew they would be an offense that would be tough to contain and we held them to 14 points. The quarterback is as good as anyone in single-A.”
Even with holding the powerful Gilmer offense to 14 points, the Wildcats still trailed 14-8 with only 12 minutes to make a comeback. With just over four minutes left in the contest, the home team was still trailing.
Quarterback Dustin Adkins then hit Connor Mullins for an 11-yard touchdown pass that will live in Meadow Bridge football lore forever. Seaton Mullins hauled in the crucial two-point conversion pass to give the Wildcats the lead.
“In order to keep playing we had to win and that started with the Sherman game. It was do or die,” Reichard said. “We do have the playoff mentality. Not only was it win or go home, it was against two teams that are in the playoffs.”
Landon James’ fumble recovery on the next Gilmer possession led to a 28-yard scamper from Adkins to seal the deal for Meadow Bridge.
“There was a lot of excitement along the sidelines,” Reichard said, smiling. “Our kids stayed in the game mentally and kept battling.”
In nine games this season, Adkins had thrown for 1,566 yards and 18 touchdowns. His main targets have been Connor Mullins (461), Rian Cooper (379) and James McClure (376).
Levi Lester leads the Meadow Bridge defense with 88 total tackles, followed closely by Ty Roles with 86. Connor Mullins has 79 tackles and Rian Cooper leads the team with six interceptions.
East Hardy, on the other hand, is led by Mason Miller at quarterback who has been dual-threat nightmare for opposing defenses.
Miller had thrown for 1,455 yards and 23 touchdowns, while rushing for 728 yards and 10 scores. His main target is Dawson Price who has hauled in 36 passes for 911 yards and 12 touchdowns.
“Easy Hardy is a big physical team. They always seem to have a quarterback that can throw the ball down the field to a big, tall, physical receiver. Price is 6-foot-3, 205 (pounds) and a match up nightmare. He is going to go catch the football.”
While the task is a tall one, Reichard feels his team does have a chance to pull off the upset.
“We have to do our part up front and get pressure on the quarterback to help our defensive backs,” Reichard said. “I think we match up pretty well, but we have to execute our assignments correctly. No one gave us a chance the last two weeks, so we won’t hold back.”
