Bedford football snaps two-game skid with thumping of Concord

CONCORD - The Bedford High School football team’s offensive line has a group chat named “The Big Dogs” and those guys, includes four returning starters, pushed around the Concord defense leading to a 56-13 victory Saturday afternoon.

“Our group is very close," senior captain and center Joshua Koelimer said. "We are probably all going to hang out tonight and go to a buffet. Anyone can play quarterback if our offensive line keeps them upright. We can succeed and we pride ourselves in doing that.”

The Bulldogs (4-3) offense was able to score on the first five possessions of the contest. On Bedford's opening drive it was running back Ryan Toscano who was able to punch in the ball from the 3-yard line.

On the Bulldogs' next possession, the other of the two healthy captains, Thomas Norfleet scored from the 1-yard-line. This TD run on fourth down after a third-and-goal from the Concord 24-yard line.

To close out the first quarter starting quarterback Thomas Morgan connected with Noah Chaberek on a 10-yard TD pass.

The momentum continued into the second quarter when Toscano added a second TD run, this one from 48 yards out. After recovering a fumble on Concord’s next offensive play, Bedford was able to tack on its last first-half touchdown in a play that resulted in a fumble recovery in the end zone by Connor Crowley.

Before halftime, Concord (2-5) was able to score on a 41-yard TD pass between quarterback Zachary Miles and receiver Jacob Knowles. The passing game was a bright spot for Concord, which had over 250 yards in the air.

"Unfortunately, we had to rely heavily on our passing game," Concord coach Eric Brown said. "We would prefer a 50-50 balance, but with Bedford’s size up front we were forced to go outside."

The star of the second half for the Bulldogs was Norfleet, who ripped off an 80-yard TD run on the first play of the second half and a 39-yard TD run four minutes later.

This was an important win for Bedford, which after dropping two in a row and three off four, still has slim playoff hopes and that was emphasized by coach Derek Stank.

“After a few tough losses we really needed to make a statement," Stank said. "This helps our team refocus on the remainder of the season and it helps our program prepare for the long run.”