Bradshaw Christian wins season opener against Woodland Christian. ‘Can’t take them lightly’
As the sun set on Bradshaw Christian High School’s football stadium on Friday, the bright lights flickered on and barbecue smoke from the various food trucks filled the air. It marked the official start to the season.
Family and friends were packed in tight, sitting shoulder to shoulder in the bleachers next to the student section that was as rowdy and spirited, exemplifying the school’s mascot: The Pride. And then Bradshaw Christian backed it up, defeating Woodland Christian 27-6 in South Sacramento.
The Pride used a stifling defensive output to halt the state’s longest winning streak as Woodland Christian went 15-0 last season to win a CIF state championship. The offense was another smash-mouth effort with the dynamic backfield of seniors Brandon Burden, Mateo Mojica and Nathan Zeppieri.
Zeppieri led the way, breaking tackles, getting behind blockers and going up the seam of the defense for three touchdowns.
“It’s amazing,” Zeppieri said about exacting a measure of revenge against the Cardinals, who defeated Bradshaw Christian 15-14 to open last season. “We knew this team was great, so we were just coming out here expecting a good game. They showed up and we just kept driving it. The defense was playing their butt off. It was really good.”
The Pride got things going early when they scored on a 11-yard touchdown run from Mojica with five minutes left in the first quarter. The Cardinals responded with a 10-yard run by junior running back Noah Hinkle.
Bradshaw Christian responded early in the second quarter, thanks to a 1-yard score from Zeppieri.
Woodland Christian had some big gains, but the BC defense forced stops and fumbles.
“We only gave up six and they (usually) score a lot of points,” Pride coach Drew Rickert said. “We played well. We kind of had that ‘bend but don’t break’ mentality. We stopped them on the goal line and got a fumble. We played solid defense.”
The Pride’s loss to Woodland Christian last year was fresh on their minds.
“Last year we played them and we took them lightly,” Rickert said. “I tried to tell them they beat us. They’re a good team and I was telling our boys, ‘You can’t take them lightly,’ and tonight they took them a little more seriously.”
Bradshaw Christian will next take on larger-school Vista del Lago in Folsom.
Rickert expects his team to have its hands full and said it would be a great test for his squad.
“They want to be challenged and that’s what we want,” he said.
This story was originally published August 24, 2024 at 12:03 AM.