The Bowie Jackrabbits had their first home football game on Friday night hosting Bridgeport in a game that went down to the wire.
Unfortunately, the Jackrabbits came out on the wrong side losing 22-15 as the Bulls pulled ahead midway through the fourth quarter. Bowie gave itself a chance to tie or take the lead as the game wound down, but came up short.
The Jackrabbits started the game on the right foot. The defense recovered a botched handoff exchange as Ryder Richey fell on the ball near midfield on Bridgeport’s first offensive possession.
The offense then drove down the field and the drive ended in glory as running back Ty Harris scored from a couple of yards out. The extra point put Bowie up 7-0.
The Jackrabbits great start continued, especially for Harris. On the Bulls next possession, a ball thrown deep down the middle was snagged by Harris from his safety position near midfield.
Bowie’s sideline was fired up and looked poised to turn this turnover into points as well as it drove into Bridgeport territory.
Unfortunately, with the first quarter winding down, momentum swung the other way. Bridgeport’s Chris Pritchard intercepted a pass and took it 70 yards for a touchdown. The extra point tied the score at 7-7 and the whole mood of the game shifted as the second quarter started.
Both teams continued to have some success moving the ball mostly through running the ball, but penalties and negative plays stalled drives. The Bulls broke through with a successful drive as Pritchard powered his way in from eight yards out. A successful two-point conversion had Bridgeport up 15-7.
After the Jackrabbits offense went nowhere and gave the ball back to the Bulls, Bowie’s defense got a big stop on fourth down near midfield. With a little less than two minutes before halftime, the Jackrabbits had a chance to score but nothing came of it as the quarter wound down.
The third quarter was a stalemate as both team’s defenses came up with stops struggling to fully shut down either’s rushing attacks. Bridgeport forced a turnover on downs at its own 25 yard line and Bowie’s Jake Fallis recovered a bobbled snap near midfield as the quarter was winding down.
The Jackrabbits were moving the ball well into the Bull’s red zone as the fourth quarter started. From there Harris scored from seven yards out 11 minutes still to play. Bowie tied the score 15-15 with a good two-point conversion as Colby Miller found Richey.
Bridgeport responded on its next drive. Deep in Jackrabbit’s territory, Bowie’s defense looked like it might come up with a stop. The Bulls faced a fourth and 11 inside the Jackrabbits 30-yard line, but still too far away for a field goal attempt.
Bridgeport converted as it completed a pass to the slot receiver over the middle for a first down. A few plays later quarterback Mason McComis completed a swing pass out to the right side to Pritchard. Two Bowie defenders tried to meet him at the goal line, but could not keep him out of the end zone. The extra point made the score 22-15.
There was still time left (6:16) for the Jackrabbits to respond. Unfortunately, Bowie’s next possession went nowhere and the Jackrabbits had to punt the ball away. The defense did its job and got the ball back, but time and time outs were not plentiful.
Bowie still moved the ball into Bridgeport’s territory to just inside the 30 yard line, but faced a fourth and long conversion. The Jackrabbits put up a desperate pass to try and allow their receiver to make a play or get a penalty called, but the Bull’s Garrett Hudson came down with the interception on his own five yard line. With 1:22 left in the game, Bridgeport was able to ice the game, kneeling the ball down until time ran out.

To read the full story, pick up a copy of the mid-week edition of the Bowie News.