How a backup QB, a turnover chair and a mustache lifted Rock Bridge to a district title game
Friday night was a prime recipe for an upset.
On paper, a 28-6 final score spells a comfortable win for Rock Bridge. A closer look at that paper would show how soggy it was after Friday night.
Rock Bridge was without star quarterback Sam Kaiser and had constant rain that bogged down its offense. All it took was a spark to get Hazelwood Central in striking distance of the Bruins.
The Hawks found that with an 80-yard touchdown on a short pass where the referees ruled the receiver wasn't down when he was spun over a Bruins defender.
Right call or not, it was 7-6 after the blocked extra point. Rock Bridge was another play away from having its season end. As the game drew on, it was evident the next big play would most likely win the game.
Both sides of Rock Bridge's team made sure they wouldn't be the cause of that penultimate play while making sure they found a penultimate play of their own in order to survive and advance to a district title game.
The backup QB
Brady Davidson, starting in Kaiser's place, was cautious with the ball and never tried to do too much. He was intercepted on the first drive of the game, but Hazelwood Central never got close enough to scoring off the early turnover.
After that, Davidson was just playing ball.
"We just had to adjust to the weather," Davidson said. "It's a great game. We get to play in the rain and have fun. We had to lock in and protect the ball."
Davidson's athleticism is what allowed him to make plays Friday night. His legs allowed him to extend plays and move out of the pocket, which was important once the rain really began coming down.
The offense switched to a run-heavy attack. Cooper Myers, Drevyn Seamon and others helped the running back by committee approach with different run styles, but Davidson still needed to complete passes if the Bruins wanted to keep the Hazelwood Central defense honest.
The rain made that difficult.
"We kept playing through it," Davidson said. "It kind of gets so heavy it felt like I was throwing a 10-pound dumbbell. It's fine, we get to run the ball. That's one of our best things, just running power the entire game."
Still, Davidson threw two touchdowns, including the first score of the game to Seamon. His ability to throw in less-than-ideal conditions and his ability to take care of the football were both significant Friday night.
"He is an absolute gamer," head coach Matt Perkins said. "The way he played in these conditions is pretty remarkable."
The turnover chair
While the offense was cautious, the stalemate carried on. The game was just yearning for a big play. It was begging for a mistake. The harder it rained, the more anticipation grew.
That's why it wasn't very surprising to see Rock Bridge's special teams make a play.
Rock Bridge completed a pass to the Hawks' 20-yard line, but a fumble gave HC the ball back with six minutes remaining. When a long drive would have given the Hawks a lead, the Bruins' defense responded with a three-and-out
But Hazelwood Central couldn't get a punt off in time and the Bruins swarmed the Hawks' punter. Rock Bridge senior defensive end Joel Kisabo tackled him at the six yard-line. That led to a touchdown and the perfect stage for the Rock Bridge defense.
Rock Bridge's defense is opportunistic. It preys on offenses that are clinging to a stand of hope and capitalizes on the desperation that comes from that hope.
Once the Hawks miscued on that punt and fell down 14-6, the Bruins' defense was ready. Cullen Snow intercepted a pass and returned it for a score to put the Bruins up 21-6. A Jake Hawkins interception later all but sealed the win, and led to another touchdown.
Those turnovers granted the two a seat in the turnover chair, just a plain metal folding chair defenders sat in after their big plays of the night.
"This whole week, we've been really dialed in on our keys," Kisabo said. "The big things, we worked on so much. It really showed it's not always the big things, but it's the little things that matter the most"
The mustache
A superstition surrounding sports success oftentimes lies in one's facial hair. Hockey players grow playoff beards, for example, only shaving when they're out of the playoffs for good.
Perkins had a similar idea.
"Playoff 'stache, man," Perkins said. "I just like to be different. I like to have a good time. I walked into school on Monday with it and they were like, 'Woah, what have you done?'"
That desire to be different carried into Rock Bridge Friday night. The Bruins weren't going to win by the conventional means in the pouring rain.
Instead Perkins, the offensive-minded guy, became a defensive coach for a game. He played to protect the football and knew that defense would come through. He saw the positives, such as how a long gain by Jack Bower that resulted in a fumble due to at least five Hawks ripping at the ball in wet conditions ultimately flipped the field and set up the special teams ace, which led to a touchdown.
Ever since the Capital City game, Perkins knows Rock Bridge will eventually find its footing in a game and put that best foot forward.
"This is a defensive type of night," Perkins said. "The defensive line dominated tonight's game."
Perkins' mind is easy for his players to buy into. Especially when his lessons have turned into wins immediately.
That same mind already knows there's a 30 percent chance of rain next Friday when Rock Bridge hosts De Smet for the Class 6 District 2 championship game. That same mind also knows Friday's win was so sweet, he'll need about 20 hours to soak it all in.
That same mind doesn't want to part with his mustache just yet.
"I hope it curls," Perkins said of his mustache. "We win a few games, it curls, then it's really gross."
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How a backup QB, a turnover chair and a mustache lifted Rock Bridge
