On Friday, October 3, the Bay Port Pirates defeated the De Pere Redbirds 56-7 in a statement win that highlighted explosive offense, smothering defense, and the energy of a packed homecoming crowd.
De Pere struck first when Dante Matta broke free for a 49-yard touchdown just minutes into the first quarter, putting the Redbirds up 7-0.
However, Bay Port wasted no time answering back.
Quarterback Matt Stevens broke free for a 26-yard touchdown run to tie the game 7-7 with just under six minutes left in the opening quarter.
From there, the Pirates took control.
With just over 4 minutes left in the first quarter, defensive back Rex Helms picked off a De Pere pass, setting up a Brady Moon touchdown run that gave Bay Port its first lead of the night at 14-7.
Just before the quarter ended, junior running back Jackson Otradovec punched in another score to make it 21-7.
The second quarter was all Bay Port.
While De Pere struggled to move the ball– even after a fumble recovery by Cayden Cavanaugh gave them a spark– the Pirates continued to stifle the Redbirds.
Moon broke loose for an incredible 80 yard touchdown run midway through the quarter, then added a short 2 yard score to send Bay Port into halftime with a commanding 35-7 lead.
The Pirates’ defense joined the scoring party in the third.
With five minutes left in the quarter, defensive back Brenen Flick jumped a pass and sprinted 40 yards for a pick-six, stretching the margin to 42–7.
Any hopes of a De Pere comeback faded in the fourth quarter.
Bay Port’s Braydon Maney turned on the jets for a 71-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes left, and the Pirates added another score with five minutes to go to cap off the 56-7 victory.
Head coach Steven Jorgensen praised his team’s preparation and poise after the win.
“We’ve got a great community– you saw the stands filled tonight. Praise God, we got a great team,” Jorgensen said. “I’m not surprised. We had a great week of practice, we’ve been getting better every week, and I knew our guys were ready to play.”
The coach also pointed to his team’s mentality as a key difference.
“I saw a team ready to play. They (De Pere) jumped on the fifty-yard line to start the game, and our guys, we’ve got respect for them, but they obviously didn’t have any respect for us. We showed on the scoreboard tonight that we had to get their respect.”
For Jorgensen, the details and leadership are what set this group apart.
“We’re detail oriented. We’re going to look at the film, be very critical, pick on the details, and get better every single week. Every year, it comes down to your seniors. I got a great group of seniors here, fifteen of them, and they’re the perfect fifteen… They’ve put in the time, they lead this group, and it’s a blessing.” The coach said.
Junior DB/RB Jackson Otradovec, who scored early, said the win felt even sweeter on homecoming.
“It was a great team win, especially on homecoming,” Otradovec said. “It feels good just to be there for my team and contribute to a good win.”
Otradovec added that Bay Port’s steady progress this season has been the biggest point of pride.
“(I’m) most proud of the increased improvement from our team from previous weeks, we’re a different team than we were week two when we lost to Kimberly,” he said. “The steps we made to make that improvement is great. I feel great that we are winning for our community and our teammates.”
With the 56-7 win, Bay Port not only claimed bragging rights over their rivals but also cemented themselves as a dangerous, confident team heading into the heart of the season.
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