Bruins pass first test

The Rockhurst football team drove from Kansas City on Friday ready to play some football. Host Rock Bridge came into the same game with a little more on its plate than just football.

It was homecoming week, so there were events at school every day to distract the players. There weren’t classes on Friday, so the players’ normal routine was even missing. “We couldn’t have had more distractions,” Rock Bridge coach A.J. Ofodile said, shaking his head. “Every imaginable distraction was out there.”

Don’t forget that Rockhurst is a talented team. It came into the game ranked No. 4 in the Missouri Class 6A state rankings and had only lost one game, which was to No. 3 Blue Springs.

“It was our first taste of a team with a mystique about them,” Ofodile said. “Even though they are young this year, they are a very scary group.”

Scott Concannon, a Rock Bridge running back and Northwestern recruit, ran for 173 yards on 20 carries including a 40-yard touchdown scamper on fourth-and-1 in the first quarter.

The teams traded scores before Rockhurst quarterback Connor Teahan tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with just over three minutes left in the first half to tie the game at 14.

There was only one score in the second half, but it was an important one.

Rock Bridge tight end John Wacker broke open on a play-action fake and caught a 58-yard strike from Logan Gray for what turned out to be the winning touchdown.

“It was a genius call,” Wacker said. “Coach said it was going to be open, and it was there. It was wide open.”

The play was even bigger, considering that Rockhurst missed a 28-yard field goal on the drive before the Rock Bridge touchdown after taking 13 plays to go the length of the field.

“That (missed kick) was very big,” Ofodile said. “Down by three would have meant pressure, but being tied just gave us a sense of urgency.”

With only four games left in the regular season, the Bruins players know it’s getting to crunch time in their drive for a state championship. Without having much of a test through the first part of their schedule, the Bruins win over a team of Rockhurst’s caliber means a lot.

“We really needed this game,” said safety Brandon Gerau, who had two interceptions in the game. “If you go the whole year and not have somebody test you or push you to your limits, when you get to the end of the season, you might not be ready for it.”

Ofodile agreed, saying that if you told him before the season his team would only beat Rockhurst by one score, he would take that in a heartbeat.

“We really needed that,” he said. “We just got a win versus the No. 4 team in the state. That’s outstanding.”

Ofodile is giving the players a day off on Monday before another big game looms on Friday.

The Bruins play Hickman at Faurot Field, and they know it won’t be easy, even though the Kewpies have struggled so far this year.

“We might never be out of their shadow as a program,” Ofodile said. “They are a very dangerous opponent. It could be a huge trap if our guys go in thinking they are playing a cakewalk game.”