Tigers cruise to 27-3 win over Bridgewater

Published 11:31 am Tuesday, November 3, 2015

The Hampden-Sydney Tigers won their third straight game and did so in convincing fashion, beating Bridgewater 27-3 on their home field.

With the win, the Tigers improve to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in conference play while the Eagles drop to 3-5 overall and 1-4 in the ODAC. Freshman running back Kyree Koonce (Charlottesville/Monticello) tallied his fifth 100-yard rushing day to break the 1,000 yard mark, standing at 1,039 yards. Koonce becomes just the ninth player in school history to reach that plateau.

As a team, the Tigers dominated the statistics, recording 421 yards of offense to Bridgewater’s 188 and controlled the time of possession with over 35 minutes to the Eagles’ 24.

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The Tigers started the game red hot, forcing a three-and-out defensively, and successfully moving the ball 65 yards in 12 plays to take the early 7-0 lead on an Alex Sefton (Berryville/Clarke County) two-yard touchdown catch from Edgar Moore (Tallahassee, Fla./Maclay School).

Sidney Henry (Haymarket/Battlefield) gave the ball right back to the Tigers, picking off Ross Rushing on the Eagles’ next play from scrimmage.

After each team traded drives, the Tigers upped their lead to 10-0 as Liam Hedge (Roanoke/Woodberry Forest) connected on a 26-yard field goal.

Midway through the quarter, the Eagles were able to respond with a score of their own when Chandler DeHaven knocked in a 37-yard field goal.

Hampden-Sydney took a 10-3 lead into the half, and extended that lead nine minutes into the third stanza with Hedge hitting his second field goal of the day, this one from 24 yards out.

The defense remained strong, forcing a Bridgewater punt that led to a Koonce 22-yard touchdown run.

Three plays later, Ryan Mallory (Mechanicsville/Hanover) had his first interception of the season, picking off Matt Pisarcik at the Bridgewater 35-yard line and returning it to the eight.

It took just one play for Owen Costello (South Riding/Paul VI) to find pay dirt, with an eight yard run for the 27-3 lead.

The Tigers were able to milk the clock and keep the Eagles off the scoreboard for the remaining 13:23 of the game.

On the day, the Tigers recorded 421 yards of offense with 222 coming through the air and 199 on the ground. Moore was 25-of-37 for 216 yards and a touchdown. Koonce caught a game-high six passes for 33 yards while Austin Perryman (Fairfax/Fairfax) led the team with 67 yards on five catches. Michael Mey (Glen Allen/VMI) and Cam Johnson (Dillwyn/Buckingham) combined for seven catches and 48 yards.

Koonce led the rushing attack with 140 yards and a score, and Mike DeMasi (Virginia Beach/Cox) added 35 yards on nine carries.

Defensively, the Tigers held Bridgewater to 188 yards of offense on 130 yards passing and 58 yards rushing while keeping the Eagles out of the end zone. Henry tallied a game-high ten tackles with one interception and a pass break up. Nick Martin (Round Hill/Loudoun Valley) and Ben Carson (Winston-Salem, N.C./Mount Tabor) each recorded six stops. Kyler Vela (Waxhaw, N.C./Cuthbertson) and Tyler Martin (Evington/Brookville) had five and four tackles, respectively.

The Tigers will return to action Saturday, as they travel to Greensboro, N.C. to take on the Quakers of Guilford College.