Football Game Preview: Bridgeport Central Hilltoppers vs. Warde Mustangs

Bridgeport Central hasn't had much luck against Warde recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Hilltoppers will head out to square off against the Mustangs at 6:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.

Bridgeport Central made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Bassick, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Hilltoppers fell just short of the Lions by a score of 34-32 on Saturday.

Despite their defeat, Bridgeport Central saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Anajae Kearney, who threw for 207 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 84 yards on only eight carries, was perhaps the best of all. The Hilltoppers' leading receiver William Bramwell was Kearney's top target yet again, picking up 95 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Meanwhile, you're bound to get a positive result if you outscore your opponent every quarter and that's exactly how it played out for Warde on Friday. Given that consistent dominance, it should come as no surprise that they blew Bullard-Havens out of the water with a 32-0 final score. The Mustangs pushed the score to 25-0 by the end of the third, a deficit the Tigers had little chance of recovering from.

A big part of Warde's victory came down to the chemistry between James Dellavolpe and his top target Andrew Shelov. Dellavolpe threw for 230 yards and four TDs while Shelov picked up 134 receiving yards and three scores. Those 230 passing yards gave Dellavolpe a new career-high.

Warde didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Charlie Jeffery and Isaiah Mason.

Warde has started the season off flawlessly and has a 2-0 record to show for it. Those wins came thanks in part to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they've averaged 37.0 points this season. As for Bridgeport Central, their loss dropped their record down to 1-1.

Bridgeport Central was dealt a bruising 60-12 defeat at the hands of Warde in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. Thankfully for the Hilltoppers, Quinn Russo (who rushed for 119 yards and four touchdowns on only 13 carries) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.