Bridgeport looking for second postseason victory in school history
The Bridgeport football team returns to the high school postseason after a year away, and for the first time as an eight-man program.
By News Channel NebraskaBRIDGEPORT - The Bridgeport football team returns to the high school postseason after a year away, and for the first time as an eight-man program.
The No. 9 Bulldogs (6-2) travel to northeast Nebraska on Thursday to play No. 8 Summerland (5-3) at 4 p.m. MDT/5 p.m. CDT.
Summerland schools opened in the fall of 2021 and is a combination of Orchard, Ewing and Clearwater. The school is located at the intersection of the Summerland and Orchard Roads, north of Highway 275, between Ewing and Clearwater.
The Bobcats qualified for the football playoffs in their first season as a high school program last year, losing to Anselmo-Merna, 36-6, in the first round.
Summerland finished 4-1 in Class D1-6 district play this season. Their lone loss was to the top team in the district, Neligh-Oakdale, 64-36, on Sept. 30. Their other losses were to Riverside and Crofton the first two weeks of the season.
The Bobcats have rushed for a combined 2,252 yards, averaging 281.5 yards per game. They're led by senior Trevor Thomson, who has rushed for 1,264 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. He averages 158 yards per game.
Senior quarterback Jaykwon Petit has thrown for 604 yards, nine touchdowns, and five interceptions on 41-67 passing.
Summerland averages 377.8 total yards per game this season. Their defense has given up 20.5 points per game, while registering 16 sacks and 28 tackles for loss, and forcing 22 turnovers.
Bridgeport qualified for the postseason for the 14th time is school history. The last time they played in the playoffs was when they lost to Hartington Cedar Catholic, 21-0, in the first round of the Class C2 bracket in 2020. The Bulldogs' lone postseason win was in 1999 when they defeated Chadron, 17-14.
Bridgeport won the D1-11 district with a 4-0 record. They started their first eight-man season with losses to North Platte St. Pats and Perkins County.
Their six-game win streak has been led by running back Kason Loomis. The senior has rushed for 1,226 yards and 24 touchdowns on 111 carries. Junior Peyton Abbott has provided a second punch in the backfield since coming over from Leyton after the end of the school year last spring. Abbott average 8.4 yards per carry and has scored nine times. The Dawgs average 282.3 rushing per game, 327.8 total yards a contest. The offense has scored over 60 points five times this season.
The defense finished the regular season with 56 tackles for loss, nine sacks, and 26 turnovers. They've given up 22.9 points per game.
News Channel Nebraska will have coverage of the Bridgeport at Summerland playoff football game on 987 The Big Boy (98.7 FM in Bridgeport), and worldwide on newschannelnebraska.com and the free NCN app.