Bruins open season with big win over Ripley
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WELLSBURG -- Brooke High showed that its young team is a tough one Friday night at Brooke Memorial Stadium.
With a rugged defense that limited Ripley to just 113 total yards and a very effective offense that racked up 362 yards, the Bruins opened the new season with a very impressive 28-7 win over the Vikings.
Coming off a wild year affected by COVID-19, Bruin head coach Mac McLean opened the 2021 season entertaining Ripley Vikings from Jackson County with a 64-player roster that includes just six seniors.
"I told the kids that I couldn't be prouder of them," McLean said after the win. "We struggled for a long time and it's good to get a win, but every coach on this staff spoke and reiterated that we won the opener last year and lost the remainder of the schedule.
"As a young squad, we have to win and then teach them how to deal with a win. Individual records tonight, I think Braelyn Sperringer, a star was born tonight. Our defense played in the backfield with a lot of tackles for losses.
"A lot of coaches cliches. We got to clean up putting the ball on the turf, we can't kill drives with 15-yard penalties. Stuff like that, but I'm proud of my boys and I'm proud of my staff. They work their butts off. I'm really happy and that was a good win for Brooke. I think that was our best defensive effort that I have seen in my eight years here."
After a scoreless first quarter with two highlights coming from both defenses, scoring came quick in the second. Virgil Myers provided a defensive gem in the opening frame for the Vikings with a 55-yard return of an interception. That theft failed to result in a score. Later the Bruins got a key pass deflection from Jace Campinelli near the endzone to thwart a Viking drive.
Brooke got on the board first in the second finishing up a drive that started late in the first. Rushes of 37 yards by Sperringer, followed by a 22-yarder by Campinelli. Two plays into the next quarter, Sperringer sprinted off the left side to score from the five. Bailey Serevicz booted the first of three PATS in the frame for the Bruins.
Ripley bounced right back on the heels of a 45-yard kick return by Brady Anderson to the Bruin 38. Two plays later, Viking QB Ty Stephens found Anderson in the endzone for the score with 10:01 on the board. Carter Cochran added the PAT.
Before the half, Brooke added two more scores as Sperringer connected with Anthony Bachinski for a 25-yard score with 6:02 on the board and later the pair hooked up from 15 yards with 1:05 left in the half. The first score was set up by a 38-yard completion from Sperringer to Bachinski while the second was set by a fumble recovery by Bachinski at the Ripley 36.
Ripley attempted as 30-yard field with five ticks left in the half, but the kick was wide.
In the third quarter, play nearly matched the scoreless first until the 2:30 mark as Sperringer broke through the middle, juked a defender to cut right and raced untouched on a 38-yard scoring run. Serevicz booted the PAT for a 28-7 lead.
Brooke's last score came compliments of a bobble punt attempt by the Vikings that resulted in a fumble that turned the ball over to the hosts at the Ripley 37. The Bruins last a yard on the first carry before Sperrenger added his score.
Brooke was threatening earlier in the third, but the drive ended in a fumble recovered by the Vikings Hunter Brown.
Neither team mustered much of an offensive attack in the final frame, but the Bruins managed to make one more threat late in the frame on a 40-yard punt return by Bachinski. That drive went nowhere.
In the final seconds, the Bruins regained possession on the visitors 16 following another Viking fumble, but after one play, the lights in the stadium went out twice before the Bruins took the knee to run out the clock.
Brooke 28, Ripley 7
RIPLEY 0-7-0-0 -- 7
BROOKE 0-21-7-0 -- 28
SECOND QUARTER
B - Sperringer 5 run (Serevicz kick)
R - Anderson 41 P from Stephens (Cochran kick)
B - Bachinski 25 P from Sperringer (Serevicz kick)
B - Bachinski 15 P from Sperringer (Serevicz kick)
THIRD QUARTER
B - Sperringer, 38 run (Serevicz kick)
RUSHING: Brooke (36-354-2) - Sperringer, 10-117-2; Campinelli, 15-95; Gaschler, 3-6; Moore, 6-24; Mozingo, 1-10. Ripley (23-26-0) - Ramsey, 7-(-5); Miller, 4-13; Anderson, 7-2; Stephens, 1-6; Domico, 4-6; Durst, 1-(-2); Martin, 1-6.
PASSING: Brooke (6-11-108-2td-1Int) - all by Sperringer. Ripley (5-12-87-1Td) - all by Stephens.
RECEIVING: Brooke — Gaschler, 1-10; Bachinski, 4-83-2; Moore, 1-15. Ripley - Anderson, 2-45-1; Ramsey, 1-4; Miller, 2-38.
Brooke Ripley
First Downs 16 5
Penalties 9-100 5-35
Fumbles/Lost 1-1 1-1
Punts 4-31.0 5-28.0