Bracken County lost two key players in their one-point loss to Covington Holy Cross two weeks ago.  Greg Benedict, who broke his ankle, was the team’s leading tackler and starting quarterback. Daulton Tarter, who pulled his hamstring, is a career 4,000-yard rusher and safety.  Even without the two, the Polar Bears were able to handle the Mustangs 41-13 in Alexandria.

Coming into the game, it appeared that Bracken County would have its hands full with a Bishop Brossart defense that had only allowed two touchdowns in their first three games of the season.  

Bracken County had two weeks to prepare after coming off the bye week.  Bishop Brossart had defeated St. Henry 55-3 the week prior and lost to defending 1A State Champion Sayre the week before, losing 8-6 on a last-second touchdown.

However, Bracken County had no problem with the Mustangs’ defense and it would be the Polar Bears who were stellar on defense. The Polar Bears had three defensive touchdowns and held the Mustangs’ run game to -10 yards on nine carries.

The Polar Bears got on the board first with a 72-yard pick-six from Andrew Kirk on Bishop Brossart’s opening drive.

Ryland Tucker, in his first career start at quarterback, took over for the injured Greg Benedict. He scored on a six-yard keeper with 8:50 left until the half, putting Bracken County up 13-0.

Tucker’s debut at quarterback would be short-lived, as he sprained his ankle and sat out the rest of the game.

Andrew Kirk stepped in now as Bracken County’s third option at quarterback. He would score on a direct snap out of the shotgun with a 32-yard run. That put the Polar Bears up 20-0 with just a few minutes until halftime.

The Bracken County defense would pick up the slack for an offense trying to find a rhythm with their tertiary quarterback.

The offense had to get creative, running with split backs and even allowing lineman Jackson Whitten to get a carry.

Whitten held the offensive and defensive line together.  His former career at quarterback helped Bracken County’s offensive and new quarterback communicate plays.

With 2:28 until the half, Noah Bachman would catch a tipped pass for an interception and run it back for a 33-yard touchdown. Bracken County now led 27-0.

Noah Bachman’s day wasn’t done yet. With five seconds left until halftime, Bishop Brossart was about to cap off a 66-yard drive with a 34-yard field goal. The kick was blocked and Bachman scooped it up, taking it back 74 yards for a touchdown as time expired. Bracken County led at half, 34-0.

The Polar Bears kept the momentum coming out of the locker room. Lucas McKinney broke several tackles for an 82-yard touchdown run just one minute into the second half. Bracken County now led 41-0 and put a running clock into effect.

The Bracken County defense did give up two touchdowns with six minutes left, but came away with 41-13 win.

Bracken County moves to 2-1 and will host Sayre on Friday. Bishop Brossart moves to 2-2 and hosts Nicholas County on Friday.

Scoring Plays:
1Q, 9:38 (BC) Kirk 75 yard interception (Daughtery kick) 7-0
2Q, 8:51 (BC) Tucker 12 yard rush (Daughtery kick missed) 13-0
2Q, 3:46 (BC) Kirk 32 yard rush (Daughtery kick) 20-0
2Q, 2:30 (BC) Bachman 33 yard interception (Daughtery kick) 27-0
2Q, 0:00 (BC) Bachman blocked field goal 74-yard return (Daughtery kick) 3-0 
3Q, 10:54 (BC) McKinney 82 yard rush (Daughtery kick) 41-0
4Q, 6:40 (BB) McKinzie 1 yard pass from Spaulding (Runge kick missed) 41-6
4Q, 3:05 (BB) Spaulding 1 yard rush (Runge kick) 41-13

Passing (Com/Att-Yd-TD):
Bracken County (3-7-25-0): Ryland Tucker (3/5-25-0), Andrew Kirk (0/2-0-0).
Bishop Brossart (21/36-218-1): Landon Spauling (20/35-185-1), Isaac Amin (1/1-33-0).

Rushing (Att-Yd-TD):
Bracken County (19-185-3): Lucas McKinney (8-124-1), Andrew Kirk (5-39-1), Ryland Tucker (5-18-1), Jackson Whitten (1-4-0).
Bishop Brossart (9-[-10]-1): Bently McKinzie (3-0-0), Landon Spaulding (2-[-2]-1), Anthony Schuck (4-[-7]-0).

Receiving (Rec-Yd-TD):
Bracken County (3-25-0): Jordan Bravard (1-9-0), Noah Bachman (1-9-0), Andrew Kirk (1-7-0).
Bishop Brossart (22-218-1): Nick Cozzi (7-88-0), Bently McKinzie (4-50-0), Isaac Amin (6-42-0), Landon Ruth (3-30-0), Quinten Tischner (2-8-0).