(Cover Photo/Sly Washington)

Never has a record of 2-8 felt so great.

Despite the losing record, Ambridge’s two wins not only doubled the entire win total of the previous five seasons combined (2016-2020), but it was enough to propel the Bridgers into fourth place in the Class 3A Northwest Six conference (2-3), giving the school its first playoff appearance since 2015.

The architect behind the Bridgers’ return to the postseason is Beaver County Sports Hall Of Fame member Sherman McBride–the longtime assistant for Aliquippa football, former track-and-field coach for the Quips, and an all-state running back in his own right.

McBride is now the HC at Ambridge, and he talked to Matt Drzik on A.M. Beaver County in lieu of the Bridgers’ upcoming first-round match with the Freeport Yellowjackets. McBride knows that his team is rather young (five freshman on the starting roster), but at the same time has faced a strong pedigree of teams over the 2021 campaign that has them battle-tested for the upcoming postseason.

More so, McBride sees the emergence of the youth and the success of the Bridgers as a stepping stone towards an even brighter future for the program. He acknowledged that several students have verbally made requests to join the football team, and that the school district from top to bottom has been supportive of this team. Perhaps even, McBride feels that continued momentum could propel Ambridge football back to glory that harkens the “heyday” of decades past.

The Ambridge/Freeport game will be on WMBA Friday night with a 6:30 airtime and a 7:00 kickoff.

To hear the full interview between Matt and Coach McBride, click on the player below.