The Tioga Bulldogs varsity football team took one on the chin last Friday, falling to the Collinsville Pirates in the 2026 edition of the Battle of the Bridge, 28-12.
The Pirates raided the Bulldogs' offense and special teams, forcing 6 turnovers en route to their fifth win in a row in the rivalry series.
“How you prepare is ultimately going to be how you play, and our preparation wasn’t there,” said Zach Birdwell, Tioga athletic director and head football coach. “And when the preparation doesn’t pan out, that falls back on me as the head coach, and that’s what I told the kids. This one’s one thousand percent on me, and it's my job to get it fixed, and we’re going to.”
Tioga received the opening kickoff but turned the ball over a few plays later after an errant pass was intercepted by defensive back Carter
Collinsville’s offense took advantage of the short field to get on the scoreboard first, with a 2-yard touchdown run from running back Chase Sheppard to take a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs answered with a touchdown of their own when quarterback Cole Boyd connected with receiver Jake David for a 52-yard touchdown strike, making it a 1-point game, 7-6, after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Sheppard marched the Pirates back into the end zone on the ensuing Collinsville drive, with a 42yard touchdown run, giving Collinsville a 14-6 lead.
The Pirates pushed their lead to 21-6 when defensive back Caysen Schafer returned an interception 41 yards for a touchdown to close out the first in the middle of Collinsville's defense for a 31yard touchdown pass, cutting the Pirates' lead to 21-12 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
Boyd found receiver Quesyn Arrington open in the middle of Collinsville's defense for a 31-yard touchdown pass, cutting the Pirates' lead to 21-12 after a failed two-point conversion attempt.
The 21-12 score held as the teams went into the half, but it was all Collinsville after that, with the Pirates adding another touchdown in the third quarter when quarterback Paxton Davidson called his own number and powered his way into the end zone from one yard out, extending the Pirates' lead to 28-12.
On the other side of the ball, the Pirates’ defense continued to lock down the Bulldogs’ offense, shutting them out in the second half and forcing 6 turnovers in the win.
Birdwell spoke highly of the Bulldogs’ defense that held Collinsville to 7 points in the second half.
'Unbelievable job; defensive play like that will win a whole lot of games,” he said. “… Great job by Coach Stadler and great job from the defense overall because that was a good offense with some big-time weapons.”
He added that he views the loss as a learning experience for the Bulldogs as they prepare for the district portion of their season.
“Obviously, we want to get out there and win, but part of nondistrict is about growing for us,” Birdwell said. “We’re a program that is going to grow after failure. We want to get better each week, stay healthy and roll into our bye week ready for district.”
