BRADLEY CENTRAL may be without the services of junior defensive end Eduardo Trevino (40) Friday at Baylor, and beyond. Trevino made several big plays in last week’s win but has an appointment today in Knoxville to see if surgery is needed to repair his injured finger.
“They are one of the best teams in the state, regardless of classification,” commented Bear head coach Damon Floyd about Baylor, the two-time defending Division II-AA state runners-up.
“While they’ve lost several players from those two teams, they simply reload with players that are just as good,” he added. Case in point is new Red Raider quarterback Michael O’Conner, who made his American football debut in Baylor’s 44-7 thrashing of Soddy-Daisy last Friday. With a scholarship offer from Michigan State already in his pocket, the junior transfer came to the Chattanooga private school from Canada.
“Actually they rotate quarterbacks and the other guy (sophomore Nick Tiano) is just as good,” Floyd assessed. “Both are about 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 and look good.”
“They (Baylor) also have Reggie Upshaw back at wide receiver and Vanderbilt has already offered him, plus they have a linebacker (Colton Jumper), who is being heavily recruited,” the Bear mentor continued. “And then we get to their running back (junior George Porter), who is small, but really quick.”
Porter did the most damage against Soddy in the opener, gaining 194 yards on a dozen carries, including touchdown runs of 10, 57, 28 and six yards. The Raider QBs connected on just 4-of-15 passes, but they went for 104 yards, including a 42-yard strike from Tiano to Upshaw.
While Tiano did throw a couple of interceptions, the Baylor defense picked off a pair of Trojan aerials, returning one 22 yards for a score. “They put a lot pressure on you defensively with blitzes,” Floyd commented. “Along with Jumper on the outside, they have a 240-pound middle linebacker who can really run.”
“There is absolutely no reason to believe Baylor is down this year,” proclaimed Floyd. “They are very well coached and a disciplined team. They take the field with the belief that they are supposed to win.”
Floyd’s Bears aren’t exactly “chopped liver,” with 2011 District 5-AAA Offensive Player of the Year Bryce Copeland calling the signals and Tennessee commitment Austin Sanders anchoring the line, not to mention a new star stepping into the spotlight in the 422-yard offensive performance against Polk County, which has been to the last dozen TSSAA playoffs.
Junior running back Logan Fetzner exploded with 288 all-purpose yards in the victory, including averaging more than 16 yards a carry with 241 yards on 15 rushes, including finding the end zone twice.
“Logan had a breakout game,” the Bear coach praised. “He really ran the ball well and made the most of what they (Polk) gave us. He gives us something else for opponents to worry about and should open up more options for our offense.
“I’m also really proud of the way the offensive line played, especially considering four of them haven’t been starters before,” he added. “We had a few missed assignments, but they really have the potential to be good.”
Floyd was also happy with the other side of the ball. “We were able to use 27 different players on defense last week. We didn’t give up many big plays (only three that went for more than 15 yards, the longest of them a 34-yard halfback pass).”
One of the stars on the Bear defense last week may have seen his only action for a while. Despite playing with a cast on an injured hand, junior defensive end Eduardo Trevino was in on more than a half dozen tackles, including a couple for losses, plus he stripped the ball from a Wildcat ball carrier to force a turnover.
“Eduardo goes back to the doctor in Knoxville Thursday (today) to see if he is going to need surgery,” Floyd commented. “If he does they are saying he’ll be out for at least six weeks.”
Trevino injury the pinkie finger on his right hand during the annual jamboree at Finley Stadium. Although he didn’t break a bone, the injury could cause him problems in the future if is not healing correctly on its own.
Although a few other Bradley players got “nicked up” in the opener, no one else is expected to miss Friday game at Baylor’s Heywood Stadium.
In last year’s game at Bear Stadium, the two teams combined for more than 900 yards of offense, 10 touchdowns and a 53-yard field goal as both teams were state-ranked at the time. The Red Raiders took advantage of three Bear turnovers that led to second quarter scores on their way to a 45-28 victory.
“This will be a real test for us,” Floyd declared. “Even though we are the underdogs, we will fight for all four quarters and give it all we’ve got. I’ll tell you this, if we ain’t ready for this game, it could get ugly.”
