Darby’s Kohen Kornegay looks to the ref for the official call after finding pay dirt for the second of three times during a crosstown rivalry victory over Bradley. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Logan Gapen)
Kohen Kornegay led a potent rushing attack with 136 yards and three touchdowns as Darby overpowered crosstown rival Bradley, which damaged its own cause with untimely mistakes.
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For coach Brad Burchfield, who went 168-50 with three state championships, one runner-up and five regional titles during a brilliant 17-year run at state powerhouse Bishop Hartley, coming to suburban Hilliard Darby was a different but much-needed challenge.
“I wanted to run a program that we can build all the way up from the youth programs … something we have a certain level of control over,” Burchfield said. “I want to go to the junior high games every week and hand out Gatorade to the little guys. I consider that the genuine high school experience, and for that reason and others Darby was a great fit for me.”
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Coming off an atypically abysmal 1-9 season, Darby’s players believe Burchfield can provide just the change the program needs.
Mind you, John Santagata was highly regarded both as a coach and a man, compiling a 113-68 record with 11 playoff appearances in his 17 years at Darby. One would be hard-pressed to find anyone with a negative thing to say about the soft-spoken but disciplined Santagata. But some of the players insisted that the gregarious Burchfield, perhaps the definition of today’s so-called “player’s coach,” has infused a much-needed jolt of enthusiasm.
“Obviously, coach Santagata was great to me and did a lot to help me develop as a football player,” junior tight end/defensive end Logan Krooner said, “but the more I talk to coach Burchfield, the more of a bond we’re forming. You can comfortably go up to him and ask questions. He points out all the nitty-gritty stuff. I think the players have really embraced him and the new ideas he’s brought to the program.”
Vince Navarro pulls in a quick-hitter for a first down during a series that led to Bradley’s only score of the night.
After a gut-wrenching, mistake-marred 21-20 defeat to Lancaster in Burchfield’s debut, the Panthers rebounded Friday with a stellar effort to beat intra-district rival Hilliard Bradley 21-7 before an enthusiastic crowd at Darby. It also marked win No. 200 in Burchfield’s career, which included a five-year stint at Centerburg.
In snapping a three-game losing streak to Bradley, Darby took an 8-6 lead in the rivalry that dates to 2009.
Burchfield brought to Darby his long-time Hartley offensive coordinator, Chris Sawyer, and a playbook featuring a lot of misdirection runs with multiple weapons. Santagata’s offense was more power- and precision-oriented with straight-ahead quarterback draws and runs out of an option formation. For an example, watch any highlight film of current Navy standout quarterback Blake Horvath.
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On this night, Darby amassed 259 yards on the ground with a respectable 4.9-yards-per-carry average. Junior Kohen Kornegay led the way with 136 yards and three touchdowns on 26 carries. Junior Braylon Griffith added 84 yards on 15 attempts. The Panthers completed only two passes and one came on a fake punt late in the game.
“Honestly, it was a pretty easy change to the new system,” Kornegay said. “To put it in simple terms, now instead of running up the hole we’re running into different holes and using more misdirection. We’re committed to finishing long drives and controlling the clock.”
Tori Jackson Jr. set the tone for the night by returning the opening kickoff 36 yards.
True to form, Darby (1-1) doubled up Bradley (1-1) in time of possession.
Two Bradley turnovers proved pivotal, however.
Dylan Santagata picked off Jaguars quarterback Declan O’Neil to set up Darby’s first score late in the first quarter.
Bradley responded with a seven-play, 61-yard drive to tie it 7-7.
Darby recovered its own squib/onside kick to open the second half and turned it into another short TD run by Kornegay.
The Jaguars put together its best drive of the night, but on second-and-goal at the Panthers 3, O’Neil was intercepted in the end zone by Cedric Holman.
“The amounts of mistakes we made tonight was unbelievable,” Bradley coach Mike LoParo said. “Missed assignments, bad formations, bad decisions, bad tackling. But it’s just one game and we’ll learn from these mistakes.”
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Early in the fourth quarter, Bradley opted to go for it on fourth-and-1 at its own 36, but Krooner led an army of tacklers that stuffed Rashaud Truss for no gain.
Junior quarterback Declan O’Neil calls for the ball during Bradley’s scoring drive.
“We have a lot of guys flying to the ball and ball-hawking in this scheme, and on the fourth down play we got on the tackle, saw the ball and made the play,” Krooner said. “It turned out to be a big play.”
Six plays later, Kornegay was back in the end zone again for a back-breaking score.
“We made a lot of key defensive plays tonight, but that was probably the biggest,” Burchfield said.
Truss gained 74 yards on just nine carries to lead Bradley, but the Jaguars couldn’t keep the Panthers off the field.
“They’re huge up front, and I’m not sure we had enough beef to handle what they were throwing at us,” LoParo said. “With the scheme they run, you’re always guessing which way is it going to go.”
Burchfield said the change in offensive schemes has been mostly seamless, but the timing on some of the handoff exchanges were a bit disjointed. First-year junior quarterback Jonah Marsh (6 feet 2, 195 pounds) was an offensive lineman in 2024 and still has plenty of room to develop as a passer.
“It was actually John (Santagata) who told me about Jonah, and how he just didn’t get an opportunity last year,” Burchfield said. “I believe in a lot of the things coach Santagata did. It’s mostly just a matter of adapting some personnel and formations. We have practically the same coaching staff in place that we had at Hartley, and we’re going to do what we’ve always done.”
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