Bridgewater, Va. – The Jopson Athletic Complex in Bridgewater witnessed its first undefeated football season since the team’s 2002 Stagg Bowl team. 

Coming off a stellar 28-21 Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) championship victory over the Randolph-Macon Yellow Jackets a week prior, the Bridgewater Eagles pitched a blowout 41-7 victory against the Guilford Quakers on Saturday to cement their perfect season.

The first score of the game came from a pass from quarterback Jay Scroggins to wide receiver Devonte Smith in the end zone to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead. After an interception by cornerback Chase Rosenthal, the Eagles would score again with a five-yard pass from Scroggins to the tight end Conner Kleffman. The next drive for the Quakers ended with an interception by the safety Matt Dang as the first quarter came to a close.

The lone touchdown in the second quarter came from a two-yard rush from Albert Mensah. 

After the game, head coach Mike Clark would highlight his second-string halfback who stepped up for the injured Demetreus Jalepes by saying “He showed he was more than just a backup. He’s a very strong kid who is able to put people on his back and make big plays happen.”

As the Eagles fielded the second half kickoff with a 20-0 lead, Clark told his players that their main focus was to stay healthy. 

After the next score from Scroggins to receiver Viante Tucker in the third quarter, most of the team’s starters sat out the rest of the game to avoid unnecessary injuries. With the victory already in hand, the team showed their depth and continued to push the shutout. Clark said his strategy was to use almost all 85 people who dressed at some point in the game to continue to shut Guilford down.

At the beginning of the fourth quarter, backup linebacker Brett Tharp picked off Quakers’ quarterback Teddy Gassert once more for a pick six to improve the Eagles’ lead by 34 points. A few drives later, third-string quarterback Noah Beckley would find receiver Cameron Williams deep into the endzone to give his team a 41-0 lead. On the kickoff however, the Quakers’ were able to prevent the shutout with a 100-yard kick return touchdown by Jermaine Russell against the Eagles’ second-string persona.

After the game, Clark reflected on his father’s hall-of-fame coaching legacy by saying he believes his win today “kind of matches my father’s.” Clark continued to say he is “very grateful and blessed, but he is looking forward to continue to win in the playoffs.”

The Eagles’ are set to host their first playoff game this weekend against the 9-1 Delaware Valley Aggies. The winner will move on to face the winner of Wesley (9-1) and Framingham State (8-2).