This
Date in Blue Devil Football
•
October 15th •
By
BOB MILLER
Daily Herald Sports Editor
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Bellwood-Antis took the hatchet to West Branch 39-0 on October 15,
1999.
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The Warriors’ coach expressed the thoughts earlier in the week that
“Bellwood-Antis was a good football team and that he expected a close
contest.” Coach Hubler was half right—the Blue Devils had rushed
for 194 yards by halftime, when West Branch had allowed just 168 yards
in their prior three games.
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Dave Miller led the way with 119 yards on just 10 carries, Matt Garner
added 15 carries for 79 yards and along with teammate Joel Focht, who
rushed eight times for 78 yards, each scored two TDs. Focht had a pair
of 13-yard gains to open the game and then Miller rambled 40 yards for
the opening score.
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Garner stopped West Branch with an interception and after quarterback
Travis Martin completed a couple of passes, Garner bulled the final yard
for the TD.
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In the second quarter Martin completed a 20-yarder to Russell McCloskey
and Focht raced the last 24 yards for another score. Martin, who completed
five-of-10 for 94 yards, found Garner for a 40-yard gain to set up Miller’s
19-yard TD and Steve Cogan booted his second PAT to give B-A a 26-0 lead
at intermission.
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Duane Ehredt set the Warriors back with his second half kickoff to their
own nine-yard line and Dave Miller slammed through to sack the West Branch
QB for a nine-yard loss that forced a punt from the end zone.
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Setting up shop at the WB-29 as a result of the punt, Bellwood-Antis scored
when Focht scampered 16 yards to the one and then scored from there on
the next play.
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The final six-pointer of the game came a series later. Martin hit Cogan
for 10 yards, Miller carried three times for 15 yards and Garner three
for 26, including the one-yard TD.
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The Blue Devil defense led by Ryan McClellan, Chris and Dave Miller, Andy
Parks, Matt Garner, Tom Kovac and Roger Hamer limited West Branch to 143
yards rushing and three of 11 pass completions and two interceptions in
compiling their third shutout of the season for coach John
Hayes.
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B-A head coach Mike Hoffer shook up the starting lineup for the Blue Devils
on October 15, 1971
and it paid off with some help from the foot of senior place-kicker Ed
Conway. Bellwood-Antis won their third game of the year to even their
record at 3-3 with a 17-16 win over Southern Huntingdon.
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With a half-dozen new faces in the offensive lineup, and even more on
defense, B-A jolted the visiting Rockets in a real thriller, with Conway
booming a 25-yard field goal and two all-important extra points to highlight
the Blue Devils 11th win in 12 tries against Southern Huntingdon.
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Mike Plummer, who moved into the starting lineup in place of Mike Poppenweimer,
emerged as the spark plug of the attack with 66 yards on 21 carries, in
addition to grabbing a 24-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jim Campbell.
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With time running out in the first half, Bellwood-Antis drove to the Rocket-8.
When the drive stalled there, Conway stepped back from his usual position
on the line at guard and kicked the field goal. This was the first field
goal by a Bellwood kicker since 1942 when Joe Garman became the first
Blue Devil to accomplish the feat.
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With a 3-0 lead at halftime, B-A quickly upped that margin to 10-0. Robin
Houser jumpstarted the score by returning the second-half kickoff 65 yards
to the Rocket-13. Bob Garland rammed in for the score from the one-yard
line and Conway added the PAT kick.
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Southern took the lead with two TD and both two-point conversions to jump
into a 16-10 advantage.
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After the second Rocket score, Southern attempted an onsides kick to get
the ball back, but B-A defensive standout Jerry Lawruk covered the pigskin
for the Blue devils at the BA-42.
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Bellwood-Antis covered the 58 yards in a time-consuming drive which culminated
in Campbell’s pass to Plummer for the score. With the score tied,
Conway added the extra point to give the Blue Devils the win and saddle
Southern with their first loss since the opening week of the season.
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Bellwood-Antis evened their record at 3-3 on October 15, 1966
with a 21-6 triumph over Southern Huntingdon.
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Playing at Orbisonia, the Blue Devils put touchdowns on the board in the
first, second and fourth quarters and wouldn’t allow a Rocket score
until the final quarter when they had a 21-0 advantage for head coach
Chet Dillen.
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The Blue Devils got good field position when the Southern punter was tackled
for a seven-yard loss after a bad snap from center. Bellwood-Antis took
over at the Rocket-27 and drove the remaining distance in seven plays.
Defensive specialist Hal McCaulley plunged the final two yards for the
touchdown and quarterback Tim Sissler rushed for the extra point.
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In the second quarter, a Southern punt set the Blue Devils back at their
own 12-yard line. Sissler, a junior, and senior end Gerry Snyder combined
on a long pass play that put the ball in the end zone for the second time
with an 88-yard TD pass. Sissler stayed with a hot hand, connecting with
senior Dave Ditzler for the PAT pass and a 14-0 advantage.
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B-A drove to the SH-8 in the fourth quarter, but were stopped. Southern
Huntingdon tried to move the ball out of danger, but B-A lineman Dave
Sneath fell on a Rocket fumble at the SH-12.
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Jack Russin smashed in from inside the one-yard line for the final B-A
touchdown and Sissler rushed for the PAT.
