This
Date in Blue Devil Football
•
September 29th •
By
BOB MILLER
Daily Herald Sports Editor
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On Friday September 29, 1978,
Bellwood-Antis (5-0) shutout Tussey Mountain 22-0 for their fifth win
of the year.
—
Head coach Jim Gardner and the Blue Devils opened the season against Penns
Valley (12-6) and played Tyrone second (8-7), then knocked off Kishacoquillas
14-7 and shutout West Branch 28-0 the week before.
—
After starting slowly in each of the first four games, the Blue Devils
scored the first time they touched the ball against the Titans. Jim Himes
set up the opening score with a fumble recovery at the TM-29. Halfback
Mike Rhoades ripped off 11 yards on the first call to set the offense
on fire and Jim Morder covered the final 11 yards four plays later, for
the score.
—
Tussey threatened to come back, driving to the BA-11 in the second quarter,
but the aggressive B-A defense spearheaded by Jim Fowler, Jim Grannas
and Drew Gardner, dug in and finally took the ball away at the 16 where
Fowler pounced on a fumble. Fowler also set the Blue Devils up in good
field position for their second score when he dropped the Tussey punter
at the TM-41 after a bad snap from center.
—
Butch Riggleman passed to Robbie Miller, who made a fine second effort
to just barely move the sticks for a first down on a fourth-and-14 play
to the Tussey-7. Riggleman ran for the two-yard score minutes later and
passed to Fowler for the two-point PAT.
—
On the final B-A tally, Morder scampered 20 yards for the key play, and
then scored on a four-yard thrust. Riggleman ran for the two-point conversion.
—
Tussey posed one more scoring threat, but Don Erickson picked off a Titan
pass to turn Tussey Mountain away one final time.
—
On Friday, September
29, 1967, Bellwood-Antis played the final game of a season-opening,
four-game homestand, downing Williamsburg 26-14 to even their season mark
at 2-2.
—
Jeff Appleman returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a Williamsburg
score and a quick lead, but the Blue Devils held the Pirates to just 68
yards rushing while churning out 296 yards on the ground themselves and
four TDs.
—
A fumble recovery by Jim White just moments after the long kick return
began a 67-yard B-A drive, capped by an 18-yard scoot by Jim Singler for
the TD. Singler, a junior halfback, scored again with just 49 seconds
remaining in the first quarter from one yard out and added the extra-point
run to give Bellwood-Antis a 13-7 lead.
—
Midway through the second quarter, Les Roub tallied on a one-yard plunge
and added the PAT rush to increase the B-A lead to 20-7. Jack Russin’s
one-yard plunge with less than a minute gone in the fourth quarter ended
a 40-yard advance that lifted the Blue Devils out of harmÕs reach. Williamsburg
added a late score, but the B-A defense made sure that was all for head
coach Chet Dillen and assistants Mike Hoffer and Bob Fowler.
—
Bellwood-Antis football was back! In head coach Chet Dillen’s second
year, the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils posted their first winning record
in seven years. For most of the history of the Blue Devils’ program,
winning has been considered practically automatic. However the rare and
only long, low period in B-A football was six losing seasons in a row
from 1955 to 1960. With Johnny Moffa leading the way, 1961 marked the
beginning of the reemergence of Bellwood-Antis football as it had been
and would again be known.
—
On Friday, September 29, 1961,
Bellwood-Antis won their third straight game after a season-opening loss
to Tyrone, by bashing Williamsburg 28-0. The Blue Devils rolled up a 21-0
lead by halftime and added one more score in the second half, and the
B-A defense recorded their second straight shutout. Williamsburg would
manage only 26 yards rushing and four pass completions out of 20 attempts.
—
Senior B-A lineman Ken Kerstetter broke through to block a punt on the
Pirate’s first series from scrimmage to get the ball at the W-30.
Six plays later, Moffa, who would become the first documented 1,000-yards
rusher for Bellwood-Antis in 1961, capped the drive by going the final
six yards and then rushed for the extra point and a 7-0 lead.
—
Bellwood-Antis then put the game away with a pair of second-quarter TDs.
First, B-A senior speedster Fred Svoboda ran wide around left end and
raced untouched for a 49-yard touchdown. Williamsburg fumbled the following
kickoff and Bellwood-Antis recovered at the W-40. Two plays later, Rick
Benner found Svoboda between two defenders for a 35-yard play and another
touchdown. Moffa added both second quarter PATs on runs.
—
In the third quarter, Ed Heuston intercepted a Williamsburg pass at the
Pirate-20. Moffa scampered six yards to cap the scoring for the evening
and rushed for his fourth PAT.
—
Bellwood-Antis would finish 6-4 during the regular season and then drop
a 20-0 decision to Northern Bedford at Roaring Spring in an ICC playoff.
