BRIDGEPORT, Neb. - Bridgeport broke through early and held strong as the Bulldogs defeated Clarkson/Leigh 48-26 Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the NSAA Class D1 state playoffs in Bridgeport.

Bridgeport surged ahead 22-0 in the first quarter and steadily built the lead through the afternoon, utilizing a strong rushing attack that finished with 253 yards. The Bulldogs finished with 398 total yards of offense, while the Patriots gained 226.

Bridgeport senior quarterback Nik Weibert completed seven passes on 12 attempts for 145 yards and rushed for another 183 yards on 15 carries. Weibert accounted for all seven Bulldog touchdowns, including four rushing and two touchdown passes to Gage Nein and another to Cody Bates.

Clarkson/Leigh managed 145 rushing yards on 46 attempts. Tucker Matthies led the Patriots with 81 yards rushing. He also caught a touchdown pass from Wyatt Crosley. Crosley also connected with Luke Eisennmann twice for scores. Crosley finished with 165 passing yards via 6 completions from 14 attempts.

The Bulldogs forced two turnovers and held the edge in first downs to press the advantage.

Bridgeport (8-1) advances to the second round of the Class D1 bracket and hosts Wausa-Osmond next Friday.

Clarkson/Leigh finishes its season at 4-5.