Top-seeded Anderson football stomps rivals Turpin 43-7 in 1st round of playoffs

Turpin football was hoping for a favorable "David and Goliath" ending Friday night during its first-round Region 8 playoff game against Eastern Cincinnati Conference rivals Anderson, the No. 1-seeded team in the tournament.

It was a tall task for the No. 16-seeded Turpin Spartans, who only went 3-7 overall on the season, a far cry from Anderson's nearly perfect 9-1 record. And to boot, the Spartans already lost to the Raptors once this year in their previous ECC matchup only two weeks ago.

Interestingly enough though, the scrappy Spartans battled the Raptors to a standstill throughout most of the first quarter of Friday's game as both sides struggled to gain an edge.

Who's next?:Which Cincinnati football teams will battle it out in Week 12 of the playoffs?

However, the Raptors eventually found their footing and behind yet another clinical performance from stud quarterback Justice Bernam, they steamrolled their way to a 43-7 victory, dashing Turpin's hopes of a storybook upset.

"Honestly, (Turpin) had everything to fight for; another game, the rivalry. We just played them at their place," Anderson head coach Evan Dreyer said of Turpin's strong start on Friday. "So I think our kids overcame some adversity tonight to get to the opportunity to play in Week 12 and I'm really excited for our kids on how we took care of business."

Keys to Anderson football's win over Turpin

Shaking off the big-game jitters was the No. 1 key to Anderson's victory. The first quarter featured a methodical back-and-forth battle, primarily in the midfield, with neither team looking to make bold plays. That was the case until a minute left in the frame, as Bernam uncorked a 21-yard pass to wide receiver Trace Jallick, who caught the ball in the end zone with a defender draped all over him, which even resulted in a holding penalty.

Bernam said the Raptors' communication in between each drive in that slow opening quarter helped them settle in.

"On the sidelines between each drive, we just talked with our teammates and we just told each other, 'We're all good. Just calm down, just play our ball and we're straight.' And we just went out there and executed," he said.

Justice Bernam brings his A-game. In his junior year, Bernam led the ECC in passing yards (2,692), completion percentage (69%), touchdowns (23) and QB rating (162.3) during the regular season. He evidently didn't skip a beat under the pressure of the playoffs, completing 22 of his 35 passes to go along with 202 passing yards. He showed great poise in the pocket and utilized his slingshot of an arm to find Anderson receivers out on the flanks for touchdowns on multiple occasions – once during a 21-yard pass to Jallick in the first quarter and another during a 36-yard lob also to Jallick in the second quarter.

Smothering defense. Outside of Turpin's only touchdown of the night, which came on a spectacular 38-yard pass by quarterback Devan Nigam to wide receiver Charlie Arnold, the Anderson defense suffocated Nigam and the Spartan offense. Nigam struggled to play out of the pocket as the Raptors did a good job shutting down any threatening drives.

Players of the game

Anderson quarterback Justice Bernam was his usual self and proved why he is one of the top quarterbacks in the ECC. He threw two touchdowns and ran one in himself during Friday's game.

Anderson running back Brodey Berg was virtually a wrecking ball in the red zone. The senior punched in three touchdowns up the gut of the Turpin defense to help the Raptors break the game open.

Anderson wide receiver Trace Jallick was Bernam's go-to weapon, as the junior brought down two touchdowns to help the Raptors gain separation. He tallied 121 receiving yards.

With Nigam struggling to find his groove, there weren't that many bright spots for Turpin in Friday's game. However, wide receiver Charlie Arnold delivered the Spartans' only touchdown when the game was still competitive in the second quarter.

Play of the game

Bernam's 21-yard pass to Jallick for the game's first touchdown helped the Raptors find their footing and open the floodgates. Jallick beat two defenders out wide and was able to make the catch despite having one of the Turpin defenders up in his grill.

Senior salute

Turpin will be graduating 27 seniors on their roster. Senior defensive end Zane Plattner finished with the 14th most tackles in the ECC with 59. Senior Will Schroeder recorded 708 receiving yards, good enough for eighth most in the ECC.

What's next?

With the win over their rivals, Anderson marches on to the second round of Region 8 playoffs and will host No. 9 Kings. That game is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3.

Meanwhile, Turpin's 2023 campaign comes to a close as they finish the season with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-7 ECC record, which earned them eighth place in the standings. Turpin first-year head coach Bryan Walker said he is pleased with the way his players fought all season but admits they will have to do some reloading because of the departure of a solid group of seniors.

"We're losing a talented senior class and we got a lot to fix heading into year two," Walker said.

Anderson 43, Turpin 7

Turpin - 0 7 0 0 - 7

Anderson - 8 16 6 13 - 14

AND: Trace Jallick 21-yard rec TD (2pt conversion)

AND: Brodey Berg 6-yard rush (2pt conversion)

TUR: Charlie Arnold 38-yard rec (PAT)

AND: Trace Jallick 36-yard rec (2pt conversion)

AND: Brodey Berg 4-yard rush

AND: Brodey Berg 3-yard rush

AND: Justice Bernam 14-yard rush (PAT)