By Zach Alvira
Head of Content
Brodie Vehrs would be the first to admit Basha’s offense wasn’t clicking in the first quarter of their season opener against Nebraska power Millard South Friday night.
The Bears couldn’t find a rhythm. They were unable to move the ball on the ground or through the air, as the Millard South defense shined early on. But after the first 12 minutes expired, the Bears flipped a switch.
Their mentality changed. They picked up some of the defensive tendencies by the Patriots and the flood gates opened for Vehrs.
In his first varsity start and the first quarterback not named Demond Williams to take first-quarter snaps for Basha in four years, Vehrs threw five touchdowns, leading Basha to a 39-25 win over Millard South.
“Blessed. Really blessed with the opportunity,” Vehrs said. “My coaches put me in a great situation. I think it was just about me getting the ball out and showing what I could do.”
It was a defensive battle in the first quarter. Basha was stuffed on its first two possessions. Millard South found yards but then would also be stonewalled by the Bears front seven.
Kaedyn Smith got two early sacks off the edge for Basha. The interior did well limiting Millard South running back Gabe Prucha. The Bears secondary did well corralling Patriots stud wideout Chase Loftin, a Florida State commit.
The momentum from strong defensive play eventually carried over to the offense. Early in the second quarter Vehrs connected with Arizona commit Gio Richardson, who turned up field and ran away from the defense for a 30-yard score.
Millard South took the lead after a Prucha short touchdown run. But Basha quickly came right back with Vehrs again connecting with Richardson. This time, it was for a touchdown catch that is an early candidate for reception of the year.
“I’m a dog so I gotta go get that,” said Richardson, who hauled in six passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns. “If you throw it, I’m going to go get it. That’s what goes through my mind when I see that ball in the air.”
Richardson, with a Millard South defensive back draped all over him, dove for the pass and caught it in the end zone, maintaining control as he bounced on the turf.
He did the same thing the next drive, though this time it set up a Vehrs 15-yard pass to Noah Robert’s out of the backfield for a score. Millard South kept chipping away at Basha’s lead, but the Bears answered every time.
Vehrs found Jaden Baldwin for a 72-yard score late in the third. He connected with Dash Blake for a 45-yard touchdown early in the fourth. And to officially out the game away with just over five minutes to play, Roberts found a hole up the middle of the defense and took it 75 yards for his second touchdown of the game.
“I’m surrounded by great dudes,” Vehrs said. “They bring me up. Of course the o-line. You really can’t be brought down if you have great dudes picking you up.”
It wasn’t all good for Basha, however. The Bears were penalized 9 times for 95 yards. They didn’t convert on three of six point-after attempts.
And while they limited Millard South in the second half, 25 points is less than satisfactory for Basha’s coaching staff.
“We gave them probably two touchdowns because of pass interference calls,” Basha coach Chris McDonald said. “It wasn’t even penalties. Third and 15, how does a guy run by you? That’s football 101. We just have to get these kids to play the game within the game.”
Despite the mistakes, McDonald was pleased with the way his team played against one of the best teams from Nebraska, led by former Horizon and Desert Vista coach Ty Wisdom.
“What’s really going to show is when you’re halfway through the season and you’re looking at their scores and they’re blowing people out,” McDonald said. “That’s a really good team right there.”
As for Vehrs, he knows there is no replacing Demond Williams. But connecting on 14-of-21 passes for 356 yards and five touchdowns in his first varsity start is a big step toward building his own legacy as the quarterback at Basha.
Now he hopes to carry that on through the rest of the season.
“It was really just letting people know what I can do,” Vehrs said. “We’ve been doubted this whole offseason. We’re coming for it all.”
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