Bainbridge Burned on Its New Turf in 37-14 Loss

Playing its first five games on the season on the road, Bainbridge's football team made its home debut Friday night on a newly-installed turf field.

Bainbridge's opponent — Metro League powerhouse O'Dea — sure liked the Spartans' new digs.
Irish quarterback Gabe Lee passed for 178 yards and four touchdowns as O'Dea claimed a 37-14 victory to spoil Bainbridge's homecoming.

"It's nice," Bainbridge coach Andy Grimm said of his team's synthetic surface. "I wish we would have competed better and made less mistakes."

Known for its power-running game, O'Dea (5-1, 3-0) took to the air early and often as Bainbridge (3-3, 1-2) filled the box with defenders.

"They were playing up, blitzing a lot, so we decided to pass the ball," said Lee, who completed 9 of 12 passes for the game. "We've got a great wide receiving corps."

The Irish, who entered the game averaging 185 yards on the ground, took a 7-0 lead in the first

quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by Anthony Espinoza on fourth down to cap off a 13-play, 70-yard drive.

Lee made it 20-0 by halftime. He hooked up with Miles Edwards on a juggling 42-yard touchdown reception early in the second quarter, then found Cameron Welch wide open in a wheel route for another 15-yard scoring pass 42 seconds before halftime.

Lee's third touchdown pass of the night came in the third quarter when he found Edwards on a 4-yard slant, putting the Irish up 27-0.

"Against the other teams in our league, they've been able to bring it over the top," Grimm said of O'Dea's offense. "They've got the speed to get behind you."
Bainbridge, which was held to 50 yards of offense in the first half, finally got on the scoreboard three plays into the fourth quarter when Alex Johnson ran the ball up the gut for a 6-yard touchdown.

But Lee would strike again for the Irish midway through the fourth, hitting Chandler Gayton for a 37-yard score following a Bainbridge fumble.

Johnson, who finished with 17 carries for 59 yards, added another 6-yard touchdown late in the quarter. But the Irish victory was secure.

Grimm said his team competed hard, but had a difficult time matching up physically against an O'Dea team featuring massive linemen Danny Kistler (6-8, 318 pounds), Ben Riva (6-6, 272) and Grant Enger (6-7, 244).

"It gets tough," Grimm said. "You've got 300-plus pound guys dropping on you every play."
Bainbridge's coach said his team faces must-win league games against Lakeside and Bishop Blanchet the next two weeks.

"If we want to play a meaningful playoff game," Grimm said, "then we've got to run the table in those two."