Gardiner's big plays help Bedford top Hollis/Brookline

BEDFORD – As soon as he saw the pass, Mike Gardiner knew he was going to intercept it.

When he saw the wall of blocks his Bedford High School teammates set up for him, he knew he had a good chance to get in the end zone.

And when he got by Hollis/Brookline’s Mitch Frick, who had appeared out of nowhere, Gardiner knew he was going to score.

The Bedford junior had a 61-yard touchdown reception on the Bulldogs’ next drive to go with his 38-yard interception return, and those two scores – along with a fumble recovery – helped Bedford knocked off H/B 14-7 Saturday in a Division III game.

“Who?” Bedford coach Kurt Hines joked when asked about Gardiner. “He’s a tremendous athlete. He did set it up for us. I’m impressed with our entire team.

“Their line is tremendous. They’ve been playing together for three or four years and our offensive and defensive lines shut their lines down. If we see them again, it’s going to be a battle.”

Bedford shut down H/B’s running game, holding the Cavs to just 2.3 yards per carry. Colin Pellerin had 57 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Cavs, but he needed 19 carries to get there. The rest of H/B’s backs had a combined 20 yards rushing, while quarterback Kyle Gervais was 14 of 24 for 142, but threw two interceptions.

Jordan Garron led Bedford with 88 yards on the ground, and James Caparell threw for 93 yards, but it was Gardiner’s big plays that and the Bedford offensive and defensive lines that turned the tide.

“They just outplayed us and that’s all there is to it,” H/B coach Milt Robinson said. “They outphysicaled us up front and that’s what we’re based on. Up front, they beat us up. We couldn’t run the ball and that’s what we do.”

The second of Gervais’s picks came on H/B’s first drive of the second half. On third-and-11 from his own 25, Gervais tried to hit Sean Collins on the sideline, but Gardiner stepped in front to make the interception and returned it 38 yards, cutting across the field, to put the Bulldogs up 7-0 midway through the third quarter.

“As soon as I saw the pass, I knew I was going up for it,” Gardiner said. “Once I cut across the field, I got a great block. I didn’t see (Frick) and he almost stopped the touchdown. Thankfully I was able to get it.”

The Cavs were forced to punt on the next possession, and Bedford needed just three plays to get in the end zone again. Caparell found Gardiner alone in the middle of the field, and the Bedford junior raced 61 yards for the score that gave the Bulldogs a 14-0 lead late in the third.

H/B responded with an eight-play drive that moved the Cavs into Bedford territory, but Nate Ferenczhalmy fumbled on first down from the 24 and Gardiner recovered the fumble for the Bulldogs.

H/B made things interesting late in the fourth quarter, as the Cavs drove 81 yards in seven plays, scoring on Pellerin’s 6-yard run, to make it 14-7 with 1:59 left to play.

But Bedford recovered the onside kick and picked up a first down to finish out the game.

“Having them pick a ball and go for six when it’s a zero-zero game, that’s tough because we were having a hard time moving the ball,” Robinson said. “But we’re down 14-0 without a lot of time, and they (the Cavs) fought until the very end. That was a good thing to see. They didn’t give up. We gave it our best shot at the end but it was too late.”