Tyler Bridge says he couldn’t hear the Wells High student section chanting “TB 12” earlier this month. Probably because he was sprinting away from the fans en route to his fourth touchdown against Cape Elizabeth.

But he did get a kick out of it when he heard second-hand about the homage to both him and his favorite NFL player.

“That’s pretty funny because I’m a big Tom Brady fan,” Bridge said. “I wear the TB12 products and stuff like that, and they make fun of me for trying to be like Tom Brady. I mean, No. 12 is my favorite number.”

Bridge isn’t a quarterback but he does wear No. 12. Considering the way the 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior has been running through, around and past tacklers, he’ll hear that chant sooner or later.

Taking over as the lead back for the defending Class D champions, Bridge has rushed for 722 yards and 12 touchdowns on 52 carries to help the Warriors get off to a 3-0 start. That’s 13.9 yards per carry and a touchdown every 4.3 carries.

“In the huddle, when I call a play and it’s to Tyler, everybody just definitely thinks in their head, ‘Oh, this is a 75-yard touchdown,’ because we just have big expectations of Tyler,” said quarterback Braeden MacNeill. “And he lives up to it just about every time.”

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Bridge also has scored on a kick return, blocks ferociously for his fellow running backs in Wells’ multi-faceted Wing-T offense, punts, returns punts and starts at cornerback.

Bridge is “deceptively fast,” said Coach Tim Roche. He’s also strong, with a thrusting stiff-arm adept at warding off the final tackle attempt on his longer scoring runs (59 and 84 yards against Madison, 72 against Cape, and 41 and 65 against Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale).

“I think his mind is what sets him apart. His thought process. He knows football. He’s a student of the game,” Roche said.

The success has thrust the unassuming Bridge firmly into contention for the Fitzpatrick Trophy, awarded annually to the top senior player in Maine.

After Bridge’s electrifying four-touchdown, 290-yard all-purpose effort in a 40-14 win against Cape Elizabeth, Roche said, “If he’s not one of the best players in the state, I don’t know what we’re going to look at anymore.”

Bridge might have been even better last week, adding two key interceptions to his five-touchdown effort as Wells won its 19th straight game, rallying from a rare early deficit to beat Winthrop/Monmouth/Hall-Dale, 36-18.

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For his part, Bridge said his personal goal is “to win states. I mean I know that’s not a personal goal, it’s more of a team goal, but I’d like to stay team-focused.”

In the 47-year history of the Fitzy, there’s never been a Class D winner. Granted, it was a Class A only award until 1996 and this is just the sixth year since then that Maine has used a four-class system. The only Class C players to win are Lee St. Hilaire of Winthrop (2001) and Nick Tymoczko of Bucksport (2004). A Class A player has won in 10 of the last 13 years.

Bridge’s candidacy might be helped by whom he replaced as Wells’ lead back. Last year Nolan Potter was Wells’ top runing threat and became one of three finalists for the Fitzpatrick Trophy. While Potter didn’t win (it went to Owen Garrard of Scarborough) he set a finalist-worthy standard of 1,550 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns in 12 games.

Bridge is nearly halfway to those totals in three games.

As a junior, Bridge rushed for over 1,100 yards on 111 carries. He’s added another 15 pounds of lean, pliable muscle. Yes, Bridge uses the TB12 resistance bands in lieu of traditional weights.

“It creates the same explosiveness but it just keeps you elastic and flexible,” he said.

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OTHER FITZPATRICK candidates from southern Maine have to be Thornton Academy running back Anthony Bracamonte and Biddeford quarterback Carter Edgerton. Bracamonte staked his claim by scoring four touchdowns in just over a quarter in a 63-7 win against Massabesic. His scores were on a 58-yard catch, punt returns of 49 and 64 yards, and a 51-yard run. Each score highlighted Bracamonte’s speed and field vision.

The touchdown catch was extra special because Bracamonte had to jump to catch the pass along the right sideline, then cut across the field, leaving at least six would-be tacklers grasping at air.

Edgerton has thrown two touchdown passes in each of Biddeford’s games. In the Tigers’ two wins, Edgerton rushed and threw for over 100 yards.

THREE INTERESTING games Friday night should help sort out the hierarchy in Class B.

The top dogs overall are Kennebunk and Marshwood, the 1 and 1A of the South. They will play on the road against two teams that appear to be emerging from a tight cluster of North teams.

Kennebunk (3-0, 179-19 scoring advantage) is at Brunswick (2-1) and Marshwood (3-0, 111-25 in scoring) is at Skowhegan (2-1), which has rebounded after being throttled at Kennebunk 62-19 in the opener.

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Expect the Rams and Hawks to stay unbeaten, but for each team it will be a solid road challenge.

In a B South matchup, Biddeford is at Falmouth with an unusual 6:20 p.m. start time. Both are 2-1. The winner will have the inside track for the third seed.

STATE OF THE STATE: Week 3 was more competitive after consecutive weeks marked by numerous blowouts, shutouts and an overall average victory margin of 26.92 points. Last week there were more games decided by seven points (9 of 39) than by 30-plus (seven) and 20 games were decided by less than 20 points. The averge victory margin in Week 3 was 20.02 points.

Steve Craig can be reached at 791-6413 or:

scraig@pressherald.com

Twitter: SteveCCraig


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