This
Date in Blue Devil Football
•
September 13th •
By
BOB MILLER
Daily Herald Sports Editor
—
Playing before a large home crowd at Bellwood Memorial Stadium, Bellwood-Antis
repaid some more past-due lumps by handing Penn Cambria of Cresson a 31-0
defeat on September 13, 1974.
B-A was coming off a 20-0 win over backyard rival Tyrone, the first win
in the series in eight years for the Blue Devils.
—
Ambidextrous quarterback Gary Hribik passed to Tom Jackson for one score
and ran 15 yards for another, while bruising 205-pound fullback Jerry
Taylor and halfbacks Pat McGinnis and Jim Evans punched in three other
scores in the Blue Devils’ home opener under head coach Mike Hoffer
and assistants Steve Hayes and Darrell Claar.
—
The Blue Devil defense held Penn Cambria to just 58 yards rushing and
with three pass interceptions caught more Panther passes than Penn Cambria
did (0-3).
—
Hribik hooked up with Carl Crider for a 49-yard pass play that highlighted
the Blue Devils first drive capped by a three-yard smash by Taylor. Later
in the first quarter, a muffed Penn Cambria punt attempt gave B-A the
ball at the PC-14. Hribik hit Jackson with a three-yard TD pass for an
early 12-0 lead.
—
In the second quarter, Bellwood-Antis marched 90 yards for a score. McGinnis
had four carries for 39 yards and Evans burst in for the three-yard score.
—
B-A upped the lead to 24-0 at the half with Joe Orolin picking off a pass
and McGinnis breaking off a 30-yard touchdown scamper.
—
The Blue Devils then put the finishing touches on their victory with one
more third-quarter score.
—
Evans intercepted a Penn Cambria pass and Bellwood-Antis marched 37 yards
for the six pointer. Taylor got the ball close with a pair of runs for
15 yards and Hribik scooted for the 15-yard TD. Jim Riley booted the PAT
following the final Bellwood-Antis score.
—
Penn Cambria’s most serious threat was stopped at the BA-27 by a
Hribik interception.
—
Hribik and Taylor would be the top vote getters at their respective defensive
positions on the Inter-County All-Star Team at the end of the season—Hribik
at defensive back and Taylor at linebacker, and Joe DelGrosso would be
selected Honorable Mention at offensive tackle.
—
On September 13, 1963,
Bellwood-Antis avenged a 13-0 loss the year before by defeating Cresson
High School by a 21-6 count. Bellwood-Antis used a big second-half effort
to subdue the Indians for head coach Chet Dillen and assistants Bob Fowler,
Russ Kowalchick, Mike Hoffer and Earl Henry.
—
Blue Devil lineman Don Chile recovered a Cresson fumble at the Indians-29
midway through the opening quarter to set up the first TD. Bill Cherry,
who would lead Blair County in scoring in 1963, had the key play with
a 12-yard gain before finishing the drive with a two-yard TD. Cherry rushed
for the PAT and a 7-0 lead.
—
Cresson narrowed the lead to 7-6 in the second quarter with an 85-yard
scoring drive.
—
Bellwood-Antis took the second half kickoff and promptly rolled 75 yards
in 15 plays for their second score. A Cherry to Walter Rhoades pass for
15 yards culminated the series and Bud Colyer added the PAT rush for a
14-6 margin.
—
In the fourth quarter, the Blue Devil defense led by their big front line
forced a Cresson punt from the Indians own 10-yard line. Setting up at
the Cresson-35, B-A used just five plays with Cherry running the final
12 yards for the score and adding his own extra point. Cherry rushed 20
times for 113 yards to lead the B-A attack.
—
An infantile paralysis quarantine forced many area wide high school football
teams to cancel or postpone their early season schedules in 1942.
—
Bellwood-Antis didn’t open their season until September 13, 1942
for head coach Bob Killen and assistants Lew Myers and Tim Nolan. A dozen
boys had been lost to graduation, but there was still 45 on the squad.
—
The Blue Devils opened the season with a convincing 21-0 win over Bigler
Township of Madera. Playing at Bellwood, Killen inserted Steve Hatfield
into the lineup, up from the junior varsity, after a scoreless first three
quarters.
—
Hatfield who would later be awarded the Trophy for the Most Valuable Player
in Canadian Football after a career at Bellwood-Antis and Shippensburg
State Teachers College and a try out with the New York Giants, provided
the spark for the Blue Devils. Hatfield pulled down a pass and dodged
and twisted his way for a 40-yard touchdown for the season’s first
score.
—
A few minutes later, Hatfield had his number called from scrimmage and
promptly ran 11 yards for his second score.
—
The final tally came when fullback Joe Garman intercepted a Bigler pass
and with some fine blocking from his teammates, lugged the ball 65 yards
for the final TD. Garman also booted perfect placements after all three
TDs.
—
Bigler had the ball inside the BA-20 in the second quarter when they blocked
a Blue Devil punt, but the B-A defense stiffened and prevented a score.
