This
Date in Blue Devil Football
•
October 5th •
By
BOB MILLER
Daily Herald Sports Editor
—
Chris McCartney triggered a 35-6 romp by Bellwood-Antis over Moshannon
Valley, on October 5, 1990.
McCartney, the Blue Devils leading rusher at the time, before being displaced
by 2006 grad Josh Kleinfelter, had his number called 22 times for 252
yards and scored four TDs in the first of a two-game homestand for B-A,
who improved to 4-2.
—
B-A put two quick scores on the board against Mo Valley, following a Black
Knight punt. First, McCartney led the team down the field with seven carries
for 63 yards, and Karl Montanaro tallied a 10-yard touchdown. Then, the
Blue Devils worked a successful on-sides kick, with present B-A assistant
coach Nick Lovrich recovering at the MV-39. McCartney began the drive
with a 15-yard scamper and ended it several calls later, when he dashed
15 yards for the first of his four scores. Slotback Bo Lardieri tossed
a pass to Dave Fraundorfer for the 2-pt. PAT and a 14-0 lead.
—
McCartney started the first series of the third quarter by scooting 13
yards and Lardieri kept the march alive with a big 20-yard gain, before
McCartney bulled three yards for the TD.
—
Montanaro intercepted a Mo Valley pass and McCartney needed just one play,
dashing through the line and racing virtually untouched for a 57-yard
touchdown.
—
The final B-A score covered 73 yards with McCartney sprinting 47 of it
for the TD. Montanaro stepped off a nine-yard gain to jump-start the series
and McCartney carried twice for 17 more to set up the score. Jamie Gummo
booted PAT kicks after three of the scores to complete the scoring.
—
Bellwood-Antis improved their record to 3-2 after an 0-2 start, with a
solid 25-7 thrashing of Tussey Mountain on October 5, 1962.
—
Tussey came to Bellwood Memorial Stadium flying high, riding a 13-game
win streak, but left the premises a little bit lower after the Blue Devils
controlled both sides of the line of scrimmage to send the Titans home
with a loss.
—
Bill Cherry ripped off gains of 27 and 18 yards, and Walter Rhoades, who
scored three touchdowns and rushed for 157 yards on 19 carries, scored
the first TD from five yards out to cap a 62-yard drive. Rhoades then
added his second score from one yard out, ending a time-consuming 17-play
second-quarter march.
—
Tussey cut the margin to 12-7 with a score of their own, but that would
be the last time the Blue Devil goal line was dented, and the Blue Devils
behind Rhoades 56-yard TD sprint and Cherry’s PAT kick built the
lead back to 19-7 at the half.
—
Bellwood-Antis dominated the third quarter for third-year head coach Chet
Dillen, allowing the Titans to run just five plays, and smothered an attempted
Titan punt to get the ball at the TM-17. Cherry crashed in from a yard
out to complete the scoring.
—
Bellwood-Antis stopped Saxton-Liberty 21-7 on October 5, 1956
to break a four-game losing streak for second-year head B-A coach Andy
Daskovitch. Daskovitch, a Homer City High School and Indiana State Teachers
College grad would only coach two years at Bellwood-Antis, compiling a
4-5-1 mark in 1955, followed by a 1-9 season in ’56.
—
Bellwood-Antis lost only three of 60 regular season games between 1949
and 1954 and from 1942 to 1954 compiled an almost unbelievable 90-7-2
mark. Following those glory years, the Blue Devils entered six straight
losing seasons from 1955-1960. The won over Saxton-Liberty, which later
merged with Robertsdale to become the Tussey Mountain School District
was the only B-A win in a space of 31 games from late in the 1955 campaign
to the third game of 1959, over which the Blue Devils went 1-29-1, including
22 consecutive games in which Bellwood-Antis was shut out, without a score.
—
A huge pep rally was held at the B-A High School during the week of the
Saxton-Liberty game to help break out of the four-game losing streak at
the beginning of the season. This was the first time the Blue Devils had
lost four straight games at the start of the season. Another factor was
the reinstatement of several players on Thursday of that week, who had
been suspended from the team.
—
Tom McCaulley culminated the first B-A scoring drive with a four-yard
touchdown, right up the middle. Lynn Gault then rushed for the PAT and
a 7-0 B-A lead, the first time Bellwood-Antis touched the ball. This was
the first homegame at Bellwood Memorial Stadium, with all four losses
coming on the road.
—
Later in the same quarter, the Blue Devils recovered a fumble at the Wildcats-36.
Fred Fink streaked around end for the final 14 yards and the TD. McCaulley
rushed for the extra point.
—
Both teams had shots to score in the second quarter, but the Blue Devils
were halted at the SL-10 by penalty and Saxton-Liberty (3-1 coming into
the contest) also drove to the BA-10, but lost the ball on a fumble.
—
Bellwood-Antis put their finally tally on the scoreboard on their first
possession of the third quarter. McCaulley bulldozed the final two yards,
but fumbled and B-A quarterback Ken Rutledge fell on the ball in the end
zone for the TD. Lynn Gault added his second PAT run of the game to push
the B-A advantage to 21-0.
—
Bellwood-Antis won this game with a little extra emotional help from none
other than Saxton-Liberty. The visiting locker room at that time was right
next to the B-A locker room, situated underneath the gymnasium/auditorium,
with only a thin wall separating the teams. According to a story told
by B-A’s own Bill Edmiston, who was a member of the ’56 Blue
Devils, the B-A players could hear Saxton-Liberty taunting the Blue Devils.
Aroused by the taunts, the team went out on the field and took it out
on the Saxton-Liberty squad for what would be their only win of the year.
