It would appear the boxing axiom, styles make fights, applies to football as well. Bridgeport, with its punishing ground game led by the two-headed monster of Gavin Williams and Gabe Martin, and a rebuilt offensive line, gashed the best AAAA team in the state for 359 yards on the ground, averaging just under 7 yards per carry.

Martinsburg answered with a five-wide attack of outstanding athletes spreading our defenders from sideline to sideline, making Bridgeport susceptible to QB runs by Martinsburg's QB, Brian Dick, while testing our DB's in one-on-one coverage against their outstanding core of receivers.

The game went back and forth for all but the last couple of minutes of the contest, when turnovers, mental errors, and penalties caught up with the Indians, leading to the 35-21 outcome.

Both teams played high-level football, putting on a show that everyone watching at Wayne Jamison Field and throughout West Virginia via the MetroNews broadcast will remember as one of the best games of the 2026 football season. The intensity, desperation, and effort were obvious as the teams left it all on the field.

The takeaways are numerous. First and foremost, Gavin Williams should be at the top of every Kennedy Award voter's list. He was all over the field, breaking up passes on defense, making critical saving tackles, nearly ran a kickoff back that went for 74 yards, carried the ball 20 times for 151 yards and 2 touchdowns, kicked touchbacks on his 2 kickoffs, and executed his own onside kick and recovered it himself. There is not a player in the state that affects all aspects of the game at such a high level.

Gabe Martin is a force, seeking and destroying ball carriers, or punishing the defense with the ball in his hand. He led the team in tackles from his linebacker spot and carried the ball 19 times for a total of 132 yards.

Our pass defense was strained to the max by Martinsburg's talented wideouts and their aerial assault. While we gave up a few big plays, they showed signs of talent that can be developed as the season goes on. Leading that charge was Graham Vincent, who was stuck one-on-one with D1 prospect Boston Todd for a significant portion of the game. He had multiple critical pass breakups and a potential game changing interception when we were down 28-21.

If Gavin Williams has a challenger for the Kennedy Award, it is Martinsburg's QB Brian Dick. Tackling him is like bringing down a 6' fine hydrant. He's an unpolished but effective passer while being a devastating runner, always getting yards after first contact and forcing the other team to gang tackle.

One last takeaway: Bridgeport Indians fans get to root for a team that plays with an intensity and a no-quit attitude. While Martinsburg had a small handful of players playing both ways, we had most of our eleven on the field for the entirety of the game. Our kids never quit under that strain, even when their bodies started giving out. That is the kind of team that deserves our support and admiration.

I suggested prior to the game that this Martinsburg contest would leave lasting memories for our players. The question becomes: will this loss lead to a memory of a team that points fingers, falls apart, struggles to regain their confidence and intensity, has an up-and-down rest of the season, and leads to an early playoff exit? Or will that memory be of team leaders coming together, bringing everyone closer in defeat, committing to work on their exposed weaknesses, and using this loss as a springboard to be growing and dominating through the rest of the regular season, leading to a playoff run to a 12th state championship?

I believe in our kids to rise up and show the character they displayed on that field Friday night, which will lead to steady improvement throughout the rest of what I anticipate will be a season to remember.


Doug Marquette is a guest blogger and member of the All Sports Boosters Board.