The Bottom Line
By Bill Nestor
Sports Editor
The Bridgeport girls’ soccer team invaded Beckley this past weekend in hopes of claiming a second state title. All the Indians needed were a pair of wins at Carter Field at the Beckley YMCA Youth Sports Complex.
Bridgeport earned an opening 8-0 win over Fairmont Senior on Friday. Six different Indians found the back of the net in the win. Emily McCarthy scored twice including the game winner. MiKayla Oliverio had two goals. Reagan Lesher, Natalie Prater, and Amanda Saymon all had a goal and an assist. Ashton Miller added the games final score. The Tribe only allowed two shots on goal while controlling the possession of the ball throughout the contest.
Bridgeport’s season came to an end just short of their goal as they suffered a 5-0 loss to Charleston Catholic in the Class AA-A State Championship game on Saturday. The Indians fell behind early (2-0 in the first 8 minutes of play) and would never recover. The Tribe would settle down at halftime and only allowed one goal after the break. Bridgeport ended the year with an impressive 21-2-1 record.
Saturday provided an opportunity for another county team to compete for a state championship as Robert C. Byrd’s volleyball squad won the Region II title. The Flying Eagles overcame a first set loss to claim a 25-27, 25-23, 25-19, 25-21 win over Philip Barbour.
Karly Cooper and Daisy Eklund put up some impressive stat lines for Robert C. Byrd. Cooper had 24 assists, 14 kills, six digs, a block and an ace. Eklund had 25 kills, 10 digs, four blocks and an ace. Olivia Insani, Marissa Davis, Allie Yoho, and Miranda Shupp also made big contributions in the victory.
Insani scored 27 assists, six kills, five digs, and four blocks. Davis contributed 13 kills, six digs, and a block. Yoho added nine digs and an ace. Shupp chipped in with 17 digs and an ace. The Flying Eagles improved to 43-10 and enter this weekend state tournament as the top seed.
This past Friday was the end of an era for the Lincoln football program as senior signal caller Jarrod Kellar played his last high school football game. The Cougars lost yet another heartbreaker, falling to North Marion 41-38. Lincoln recorded more first downs (23-16) and total yards (455-346) but could not come up with the win. Kellar turned in an outstanding performance in his finale going 20 of 32 for 253 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Kellar also found the end zone on a 23 yard run. He concluded the season with 1,760 passing yards and 13 touchdowns in the air.
Bridgeport, Robert C. Byrd, and Notre Dame all earned wins on the gridiron this past Friday which will propel them into playoff action.
The Indians (9-1) defeated Preston County 48-13 on a frigid night in Kingwood. Dante Bonamico rushed the ball 7 times and scored on 3 of them. Bonamico also picked up 155 yards on the ground in the win.
The Flying Eagles upended Philip Barbour 57-6 at One Eagle Way. Seven different players were involved with the eight RCB touchdowns. The Flying Eagle defense allowed just 33 yards of total offense in the first half.
The Fighting Irish took a 30-13 win over Tucker County at Fairmont State University. Notre Dame broke open a close game by outscoring the Mountain Lions 16-0 in the second half. The Fighting Irish showed offensive balance in the win by rushing for 225 yards while throwing for 195 yards on the night.
That will do it for now. Until next week…take care and God Bless!
