Sportsbeat Preview: Bedford Bison

BEDFORD, Pa (WTAJ) — Bedford struggled to move the ball and score points on offense last year which led to a 3-7 record. This season the Bison are making a change at signal quarterback as they have named senior Quincy Swaim as the new signal caller.

Swaim, the younger brother of Mercury Swaim, was a gadget player last year who ended up as the teams leading rusher and receiver with 400 yards on the ground 27 receptions for 466 yards, and eight total touchdowns on the season. Despite the transition from the skill positions to the starting quarterback, Swaim feels the transition will be smooth.

“Being the starting quarterback, I feel it’s not much different. Last year, towards the end of the season, I was taking some quarterback reps, but I wasn’t passing the ball,” said Swaim. “I was just running the ball. This year, I’m not going to, you know, expose all of the stuff that we’re going to be running. But it’s more of a running, running job the quarterback this year rather than pass it.”

Based on Quincy’s skillset, which is different from Mercury’s, the Bison have altered the offense to fit Quincy’s style of play.

“We’ve kind of rebuilt our offense this year. It’s going to look a little different than it has in the past,” said offensive coordinator Adam Arnold. “And we’ve been looking at him and what’s coming up in the future. We’re trying to redesign our offense, so we’re catering everything we’re going to do to his skill set.”

Key Losses: Ceaton Hale (DL/OL) Kyler Claycomb (G/DE)

Key Returners: Quincy Swaim (QB) Joey Huxta (MLB) Owen Horn (K/FB)

The Bison will return six starters on each side of the ball. A key game to watch out for this season is week four against Penn Cambria after last seasons tilt went down to the wire with the Panthers beating the Bison 21-19.

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