AUGUST 31, 2007 – COVINGTON
It was a special night in so many ways for the Covington Buccaneers in their home opener on Friday against Bradford.

Not only did the Buccs capture their 400th win in school history, they did it in impressive fashion, 62-7 against their closest rival.

“That (the 400th win) is an awesome stat,” said a delighted Covington coach Dave Miller. “To be a part of this tradition here at Covington is truly special, not only for me but the kids.”

As sweet as the victory was for Covington, it was made sweeter by the presence of former long-time Buccaneer announcer Teba Cain, who was recognized prior to the game. Also, the Rindler family was on hand for the pre-game coin toss.

“I’ve been told about Teba being here for 30-plus years as the announcer,” Miller explained. “It was a special night to recognize him and the Rindler family. They are a part of the fabric here at Covington and its was very special for me to meet those people and be a part of this celebration for them.”

It didn’t take long for Covington to get the celebration under way as Chris “Cookie” Long took the opening kick-off in for the score.

This sparked a 28-point first period for the Buccs as Bill Dickey hit Garrett Clark for an 18-yard touchdown; Brock Iddings scored on an 8-yard run; Jordy Burelison scooped up a fumble and raced 30 yard for another score; and Iddings kicked a 37-yard field goal.

“Our kids came ready to play from the opening kickoff,” Miller said. “I was worried about a letdown due to Bradford’s numbers and such, but the kids came in focused and had a great team effort.”

The Buccs continued to roll in the second quarter as Bill Dickey increased the Covington lead to 35-0 at the half with a 20-yard run.

“Offensively, we were ready to roll,” Miller explained. “We struggled last week getting the ball into the end zone, so the kids were determined to pick it up on the offensive side of the ball.”

As impressive as the first half was for Covington, the first five minutes of the second half was even more impressive.

After forcing Bradford into a fumble, Brock Iddings scooted around the left side of the Railroader defense for an 8-yard touchdown run.

Moments later, Jake Wise forced another Bradford fumble to give the Buccs the ball with a short field.

Logan Hall took advantage by scoring on a 5-yard run to put the Buccs up 49-0.

Bradford’s next possession resulted in a punt that Logan Wolock returned 62 yards for the score to increase the margin to 56-0 with nearly 7:00 left in the third quarter.

“It was nice to see the kids play physical and with aggression,” Miller said. “We had guys playing fast and with a lot of effort.”

The effort continued as Miller and the coaching staff substituted players throughout the second half and eventually had mostly younger kids in the game throughout most of the second half.

Freshman fullback Joe Evans took advantage of the opportunity as he ran for 80 yards on 16 carries in less than one half of play.

“Joe ran hard as did all of our backs,” stated Miller. “But the thing we look at is how far did they run before they got hit. Our offensive line, both the varsity and the younger kids, were very physical at the line of scrimmage. Our receivers were blocking down field as well. That has a lot do do with the success we had tonight running the football.”

Thanks to the line, the Buccs put one more touchdown on the board in the fourth quarter as freshman Jake Bitner scored his first career touchdown on a 13-yard run.

“Our line is starting to take pride in playing physical,” Miller continued. “That’s the style of football we need to play and the kids are starting to understand that. Physical, all-out effort is the concept.”

In spite of the impressive performance, Covington did make some costly mistakes that will be addressed throughout the week as it prepares for Tri-County North.

Covington turned the ball over via a fumble and had two long touchdown runs called back due to penalties.

“Those penalties we don’t tolerate,” Miller said. “We’ll review the film and get those things corrected.”

Covington, who improves to 2-0 on the young season, racked up 494 yards of total offense on 64 plays. The Buccs held Bradford to 147 yards of offense and forced three turnovers on the evening.

Covington hosts Tri-County North next Friday.

Scoring by Quarters:
Covington ….28……7…..21…6 – 62
Bradford ……0…….0…..0….7 – 7

Scoring Summary:
Covington: Chris “Cookie” Long 77 yd kickoff return
Covington: Bill Dickey 18 yd pass to Garrett Clark
Covington: Brock Iddings 8 yd run (Dickey Kick)
Covington: Jordy Burelison 30 yd fumble return
Covington: Iddings 37 yd field goal
Covington: Dickey 20 yd run (Iddings Kick)
Covington: Logan Hall 8 yd run (Iddings Kick)
Covington: Logan Woloch 62 yd punt return (Iddings kick)
Covington: Jake Bitner 13 yd run
Bradford: #30 10 yd run (#74 kick)