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# Stingy defense, crafty Mikol lead Bedford football past Portsmouth-Oyster River
- URL: https://www.nh-highschoolsports.com/stingy-defense-crafty-mikol-lead-bedford-football-past-portsmouth-oyster-river/
- Published: 2021-09-18T14:45:52.000Z
- Updated: 2021-09-18T14:45:52.000Z
- Description: PORTSMOUTH - The Bedford High School football team had seen both sides of the coin through its first two games of the 2021 season. A disappointing opener followed by a runaway victory left the Bulldogs seeking to settle on an identity, for better or worse, on Friday night. It was a grind at times, b
- Author: Joe Duball
- Tags: Division I, Bedford, football, Oyster River, Portsmouth, #wp, #wp-post, #Import 2026-08-18 04:44

PORTSMOUTH - The Bedford High School football team had seen both sides of the coin through its first two games of the 2021 season. A disappointing opener followed by a runaway victory left the Bulldogs seeking to settle on an identity, for better or worse, on Friday night.

It was a grind at times, but Bedford remained on the upswing in 29-0 Division I win over Portsmouth-Oyster River. The Bulldogs (2-1) overcame three forced turnovers while riding quarterback Joe Mikol and an on-point defense to the shutout.

"They made us work for it. The fumbles are something we need to clean up moving forward, but extremely happy with how we just weathered the storm," Bedford coach Zach Matthews said. "I said to the kids, we were executing well but just not finishing drives between penalties, turnovers or blocked field goals. Sometimes kids can get frustrated with that. Our kids didn't panic and just stayed with the plan."

It was only a 7-0 game at halftime and 14-0 into the fourth quarter when the Bulldogs defense helped set the rout into full motion. Following one of their turnovers via fumble, the Bulldogs had Portsmouth-Oyster River (2-1) pinned on its own 5-yard line.

Two tackles for losses later, Bulldogs linebacker Logan Sfeir picked up a sack in the end zone for a safety, which also gave Bedford the ball back. Colby Snow took the ensuing kick down to Portsmouth's 25-yard line and Owen Christopher completed a nine-point swing with a 10-yard rushing score.

"Right after we turned it over deep, I looked at my teammates and put my hands together over my head and said we're getting this safety," said Sfeir, who tallied two sacks on the night. "Pocket collapsed on the quarterback and he wanted to scramble outside. We've got athletic defensive ends that want to make plays, so it makes things a little easier to chase him down."

The Bulldogs capped their 15-point fourth, which came together in a seven-minute span, when Mikol hit Gabe Tagliaferro on a wide-open 23-yard post route.

Bedford's front-seven was a thorn in Portsmouth-Oyster River's side the entire night, holding the ClipperCats to 133 total yards and plays of 10 yards or more. Whether it was stifling the run game or getting to the quarterback, some combination of Bedford's Sfeir, Phillip Erwin, Colin Chandonnet, Parker Henrichon and Magnus Steele made it impossible for Portsmouth-Oyster River to get anything it wanted.

"It was easy to read plays and kind of see what was coming," Sfeir said. "The linemen would give it away in their stance a little bit so you could tell what was going to happen. You could even pick up on them kind of discussing it. It's all about being coherent and knowing who you have when you get out there."

First-half rushing touchdowns by Sfeir and Erwin made up the rest of Bedford's offense, but the story was the play of Mikol, who was 17 for 21 with 270 yards and his late passing score. Between Friday and his work the week prior against Dover, Mikol registered only five incompletions on 30 throws.

"Joe now is putting us in really good situations. Even when the play breaks down, he's able to get us a first down when, to be honest, we might not deserve one," Matthews said of Mikol, who had a handful of third-and-long conversions, including three on Bedford's first touchdown drive. "This is what happens when you have a kid in the system who's in his third year as starter. He understands the system, is comfortable in the moment and seen a lot of the different defensive structures."

Mikol himself noted that his offensive line did not allow a sack or a knockdown Friday, making the task at hand more than manageable. Mikol's ability to scramble and evade tackles outside the pocket were only outdone by his vision, which resulted in four completions of 30 yards or more.

"I'm getting three, four or five seconds in the pocket, which gives me time to kind of look over the whole field," Mikol said. "There's just a lot of trust out there right now in all my receivers. We've got sophomores, juniors and seniors coming on and I know they can give us a catch in the big moment."

The senior's effort was indeed aided by the rapport and confidence he has in his receivers, particularly Andrew Grudniskas, who hauled in 10 catches for 137 yards.

"We just put the hours in over the summer," Grudniskas said. "We have a connection unlike any other. He knows exactly where I'm going to be at all times and he puts his trust in me, so all I have to do from there is come down with the ball. He makes my job easy."