This
Date in Blue Devil Football
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September 24th •
By BOB
MILLER
Daily Herald Sports Editor
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Bellwood-Antis combined big plays with a very stingy defensive effort
to crunch Williamsburg 46-0 on September 24, 1999.
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Junior fullback Dave Miller led all rushers with 169 yards on 13 carries
and tailback Matt Garner added 76 yards on 15 carries for the Blue Devils
and each scored three touchdowns.
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Chris Miller, Brad Kirk, Andy Parks and Steve Cogan led the way for the
defense, which held the Blue Pirates to just one first down and only 20
yards total offense.
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The Blue Devils started slowly on their first series on offense, but quarterback
Travis Martin tossed a 15-yard connection to tight end Cogan on a third
down-and-14 play to move the sticks for a first down and Chris Miller
followed with runs of 20 and 16, the second scamper for the TD.
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Williamsburg completed their only pass of the game later in the first
quarter, but it was intercepted by junior safety Jeff Hostler, who returned
the pick 26 yards across midfield to the W-43.
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Garner gobbled up 14 yards on the first play following the interception,
Miller pounded the middle for 23 more and Garner capped the quick march
with a six-yard TD.
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One series later, Miller slammed over the left side for 15 yards and wingback
Joel Focht added seven more. The Martin to Cogan tandem teamed up for
a pass completion of 22 yards and Miller took it from there with a pair
of three-yard gains, the second for the score. Dave’s twin brother
Chris, booted the PAT for a 19-0 lead.
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Chris Miller smothered the Williamsburg quarterback for two sacks in a
row totaling 25 yards in losses, and on fourth down the snap from center
sailed over the Pirate punter and out of the end zone for a B-A safety.
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Garner carried three times for 16 yards and completed the first-half fireworks
with a 10-yard touchdown and Critter added his second PAT kick.
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B-A scored twice in the third quarter and once in the fourth, to get plenty
of playing time for the reserves.
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Dave Miller cruised 36 yards for his third TD on the first series and
after he dashed 28 yards on his final carry of the night, a series later,
Garner capped the march with his second 10-yard TD and third overall of
the game.
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Tyson Weiand put the final score of the night in the end zone on a five-yard
pop after B-A took over at the W-34. Weiand began the march by going 10
yards, Eric Kustaborder carried twice for 13 yards and Duane Ehredt had
his number called twice for six tough yards.
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Facing an undefeated opponent for the third straight week, Bellwood-Antis
used the old adage “The third time is the charm,” on September
24, 1982.
The Blue Devils toppled Williamsburg from the ranks of the undefeated
19-8 to even their record at 2-2 for head coach John Hayes.
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The Blue Devil defense held Williamsburg, which had scored 72 points in
their first three games to just a single fourth-quarter score with B-A
holding a 19-0 advantage. Along the way, Bellwood-Antis intercepted four
Pirate passes and kept constant pressure on the quarterback.
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Dave Buck recovered a fumble to end a promising Williamsburg drive early
and Rick Paradis stopped the Pirates with the first pick on Williamsburg’s
first two offensive tries.
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Following the interception at the W-26, Jerry Potts plunged the final
yard for a TD and Tim KovacÕs perfect placement gave B-A a 7-0 lead.
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Williamsburg returned a punt 60 yards with B-A defensive stalwart Joe
Keller making a TD-saving tackle. Keller then sacked the Blue Pirate runner
for a loss of four yards and Paradis knocked down an apparent fourth-down
catch to stop the march short without any points.
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On the following possession, B-A quarterback Bob Gill scored on a 50-yard
sneak.
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Bill Capouillez intercepted a pair of Williamsburg passes near the end
of the half within the span of a few plays to thwart the Pirates passing
attack.
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In the fourth quarter, Paradis’ second interception set up the final
Blue Devil score. Steve Miller capped the 56-yard march by taking a screen
pass on a fourth down-and-six pass from Gill for 12 yards and the touchdown.
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Bellwood-Antis junior halfback Robin Houser romped for 136 yards on 21
carries and the B-A defense held West Branch’s ground attack to a
paltry 10 net yards on September 24, 1971
in winning the Blue Devils first game of the year 20-12, for coach Mike
Hoffer.
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It wasn’t an easy win for the Blue Devils, who got outscored 74-7
in season-opening losses to Tyrone and Penn Cambria. Visiting West Branch
filled the Bellwood Memorial Stadium sky with 32 passes, completing 11
for 173 yards.
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The Warriors came back to tie the game at 6-6 and then again to draw to
within 14-12 midway through the third quarter, before Bellwood-Antis finally
pulled the game out of the fire with a late third-period score. B-A scored
first when senior fullback Bob Garland smashed in from three yards out
for the TD.
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Then following the second half kickoff, the Blue Devils struck quickly,
when Houser exploded for a 62-yard touchdown jaunt and quarterback Jim
Campbell passed to Denny Vandevander for the two-point conversion and
a 14-6 advantage.
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West Branch hit on a big play of their own, a 61-yard pass completion
to come back to within two points, but Houser and Vandevander teamed up
to stop West Branch’s attempt to tie the score with a two-point PAT
of their own.
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The clincher came minutes later with Kenny Cassaday on the receiving end
of a 10-yard scoring toss from Campbell, capping a 52-yard drive.
