The Class AAA defending state champion Indians extended their win streak to 16 games with a 33-14 victory against Heritage (Va.), in Friday's home opener at Wayne Jamison Field.
 
At roughly 8:45 with 9:05 left in the third quarter visible lightning was seen and the game was postponed. At about 9:45 p.m. the game was called and ruled a final.
 
While several games around the state were delayed and resumed later or scheduled to resume Saturday or even Monday, the distance between Lynchburg, Virginia (where Heritage is located) and Bridgeport led to the final decision. It took the Pioneers approximately five hours to arrive in Bridgeport.
 
"I hate this," Heritage coach Brad Bradley said. "We didn't come here to not finish a game but we if we start playing again even at 10:45, you are looking at us maybe getting out of here at 12:30 and getting home around 5:30 at the earliest.
 
"If it was just me as a football coach, I'd stay here all night. But as the athletic director I have to think about our kids and the parents and getting them home safely."
 
Had they elected to wait it out a 10:45 restart would have been out the window as lightning continued to flash in the sky past that point and with every lightning bolt in the sky it meant the 30-minute timer before the game could resume started over.
 
"It's a tough situation, they didn't want to leave," BHS coach Tyler Phares said. "If they were closer we would pick it up on Saturday or maybe even Monday."
 
While it may not have played out exactly how anybody wanted it, at the end of the day it was still a victory for the Indians who received another strong outing by the tandem of Gabe Martin and Gavin Williams and another dominant performance by the guys up front on both sides of the ball.
 
"We bounced back from some adversity," Phares said. "We had some bad plays there that started to build up but there wasn't any moping or heads down. Saw a lot of kids bow their back and try to get better at football and that was great to see.
 
"It's amazing how so many people overlook and don't talk about those kids (the linemen). Those kids are fantastic football players. They are the heart and soul of our team. They are playing at a huge, huge level for us."
 
 Martin had 143 yards rushing and four touchdowns, giving him eight for the season. His final one against Heritage came on a 44-yard run right before the first flash of lightning came.
 
Williams added 148 yards rushing, scored on a two-point conversion run, kicked a couple of PATs and threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Sean Veltri.



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