It was a super night to celebrate all the seniors in Berkshire's fall sports programs.
Game photos click here.
It was a super night to celebrate all the seniors in Berkshire’s fall sports programs.
They were all introduced right up until game time at Great Lakes Cheese Stadium. Then, as Athletic Director Brian Hiscox got a short break after all his work during pregame ceremonies, the football team went out and did what every coach hopes their team will do — they smacked their top notch opponent, the Wickliffe Blue Devils, right in the chops for an early touchdown.
The Blue Devils recovered briefly, but then the Badgers whacked them again and again, a great show of teamwork, and kept playoff hopes alive with a solidly played 33-21 Chagrin Valley Conference win.
Every coach likes having at least one superstar, and the Blue Devils have a budding one in freshman running back Elijah Fitch. But the Badgers have a solid core of strong players who have adapted to their roles this season very well, thank you, and with some additions to that blend, the Badgers made big play after big play, both early and late in this contest.
On the first play of the game from scrimmage, Berkshire senior quarterback Sam Barcikoski dropped back and fired a bullet down the left sideline. Tight end Dasen Marker was double-covered right off line of scrimmage, but his perfect leap to get the ball could not have been timed better and he completed a 35-yard play.
Two plays later, Barcikoski did the same thing in basically the same play, this time finding Cameron Beam, who fought for the ball, got it, and took it in from 45 yards out for a quick lead.
Wickliffe came into the game with a solid 7-1 season behind it, with good reason, so the Badgers knew the game would not be that easy. On their first possession after Beam scored, quarterback Dominia Porcello dropped back and fired a long pass down the left sideline. Oliver Miller watched it like a hawk sizing up a 10-pound salmon, got the ball, and took off from right to left. He went 38 yards for a score, but an official had tossed a yellow hankie for an illegal block and the play came back. The pick, though, stood up, and Wickliffe held deep in its own territory as the first period ended, 7-0 for Berkshire.
With 8:58 left in period two, Porcello capped a 10-play, 47-yard drive with a short run to tie the score. It was set up by the first of two Barcikoski passes that were caught by the wrong guys on the field. Davion Marlon did the job as he picked off a screen pass in the middle of the field at the Badger 47.
Chase Wardle took the ensuing kickoff at his own 5, sped up the turf, and was finally tackled at the Wickliffe 42 yard line.
Two plays later, after a pair of Ayden Wiser runs moved the ball to the 28, Barcikoski hit Miller, who broke a couple of tackles and muscled his way to the end zone to break the tie.
Barcikoski pushed the ball in from the one with 45 seconds left for a 20-7 lead at intermission.
“It was huge for us tonight when we picked off that pass,” Berkshire Head Coach Josh DeWeese said. “It enabled us to take away their passing game because we were getting a good rush on them. We also know that number 8 (Elijah Fitch) is one great runner, and it showed in the second half.”
Fitch had eight carries on a nine-play, 45-yard drive with the second-half kickoff to narrow the score, but on the next Berkshire possession, from his own 49, Barcikoski faked rolling to the right, cut back up the middle, and dashed 51 yards for a score.
Fitch, who ended up with 142 yards and two scores for the Blue Devils, went in from the 1 on the first play of the fourth period to narrow the gap again, but Berkshire was far from done scoring itself. The Badgers moved, on the ensuing possession , to a pair of first downs, and on third down, in a bit of razzle dazzle that has worked before, Barcikoski pitched to Miller, heading around right end. As the defensive rush arrived, Miller stopped and fired a Flacco-like pass that settled into the hands of Barcikoski for a 15-yard gain. Two plays later, that drive was stopped by the Berkshire quarterback’s second pass of the night to not settle into intended hands.
Taking over on downs at the Blue Devil 49 with 4:34 left in the game, Barcikoski rolled left and found Luke Stute moving across the end zone by his lonesome for a seven-yard score, settling the game.
Making Wickliffe’s offense one-dimensional was huge for the Badgers.
“We made a couple small changes at halftime in our lines,” Ayden Wiser said. “We switched our nose guard over a little more, and it gave us a better pass rush. They can run the ball, but we made plays most of that second half to keep control.”
Sam Bable agreed.
“We knew we had our work cut out for us,” Bable said. “We had a great week of practice, though, and it paid off.”
Berkshire had a ton of big hits all night on both sides of the ball. Finally, early in the fourth period, a Miller hit sent Fitch to the turf, and he needed help getting off the field. From then on, led by several big hits from Chase Bajzel in particular, control went to the team with the big edge in overall good athletes.
Barcikoski went seven-of-nine for 150 yards and two scores — thankfully, the passes that didn’t go to teammates didn’t hurt too much — and the Badgers move ahead this week to close the regular season against the Chagrin Falls Tigers.
Three Amigos fans recall the word plethora from that funny movie. Berkshire has a plethora of weapons that are not humorous unless you wear Badgers colors.
