GAME TEN—DISTRICT 6 CLASS A QUARTERFINAL B-A Blue Devils: 34 Blacklick Valley Vikings: 14 Friday, November 13, 2009 • Memorial Field • Bellwood, Pennsylvania
By Bob Miller | Daily Herald Sports Editor
— As Bellwood-Antis coach John Hayes entered the locker room, his players were singing “Happy Birthday,” to the long-time Blue Devil boss. The B-A football program has been good to coach Hayes, and Hayes has been good to the program. His players looked a little rusty early, as could be expected, with the Blue Devils enjoying a bye last week. But it didn’t take too long before Bellwood-Antis was blowing holes wide enough to drive a semi through the Blacklick Valley line and well on their way to a 34-14 victory. — “It was as good a present as you can get,” replied Hayes. “I don’t know if that was the intent, but the kids really played well in most phases tonight. We made some mistakes and Blacklick Valley made some plays, but they are a pretty good football team. They won eight games in a row, and they have some good athletes there. They have some size up front and they definitely were not a pushover. (For us) to be able to go out and move the football and make some plays and stop them for the most part, I think it was a pretty good effort. I was very pleased with our effort.” — Neither team was able to get much started in the first quarter, with both attempting to feel each other out, find what would work and what to discard. Bellwood-Antis was able to move the football with junior tailback Travis Taylor getting the start and running the ball seven times in the first quarter for 43 yards, but the first drive died at the Blacklick-33, and the second on a pass interception by Ted Worthington at the goal line. — Beginning from their own 27, the Blue Devils put it all together to march 73 yards for the first score of the game. With senior Zach McCaulley in the game, Bellwood-Antis took three minutes off the scoreboard clock and registered points when Nate Plummer found senior wide out Trey Campbell all alone behind the Vikings secondary for a 25-yard touchdown pass. McCaulley had his number called four times for 20 yards, and Dan Noye took a reverse over the right to the outside, behind beautiful blocking for 30 yards to key the drive. Plummer booted the first of four PAT kicks for a 7-0 lead at the 6:20 mark of the second quarter. — After forcing Blacklick Valley to punt for the third time in four series, B-A drove 75 yards for another TD and a 14-0 halftime advantage. — McCaulley and Tyler Beech matched eight-yard gains to jump-start the march, Noye ran a reverse again, this time cutting back inside for 29 yards, and one play later, Beech battered his way over and through the Blacklick defense for the 25-yard TD ramble. Plummer’s extra point kick set the halftime scoreboard. — Hayes singled out the Blue Devils front line of Nate Shuster, Grant Martin, Mark McCracken, Bobby DeArmitt and Zach Doyle on offense and Martin, McCracken, Josh Gongloff and Doyle on defense. — “I think for the most part, our kids up front did an excellent job. We were able to trap and got some good runs. We were able to isolate. I was pleased with the way we blocked up front,” said Hayes. Bellwood-Antis rushed 40 times for 351 yards, and although they really didn’t need to pass, added another 59 through the air. — B-A added two more scores in the third quarter to really take command of the football game. — First, the Blue Devils took the kick opening the third quarter and marched 65 yards for a score. Plummer scrambled for a dozen yards on the first play, McCaulley picked up two first downs with runs of four and 11, Plummer hooked up with junior tight end Jared Minori for 11 yards on the only completion of the drive, and Beech ripped off gains of 20 and 13, the second for a touchdown. Then, Beech sacked quarterback Victor Manda and two plays later, McCaulley recovered a Viking fumble at the Blacklick Valley-18. McCaulley and Beech split the distance, with McCaulley toting the pigskin twice for nine yards and Beech adding the nine-yard score, his third TD of the night. — Blacklick Valley finally got on the scoreboard with 9:07 to play in the fourth quarter, and added their second score on the last play from scrimmage in the game. — Ted Worthington bulled six yards for the first Viking score and Brenden Julock, who transferred from Bishop Carroll at the beginning of the season and led Blacklick with 79 yards on 17 carries, burst the final two yards with 0:00.3 second remaining. Worthington had 1,194 yards coming in, but was held to 70 yards on 15 carries by the B-A defense. — The Blue Devils broke up the Vikings fourth-quarter momentum with a tally of their own in between the two Blacklick scores. After a five-yard penalty moved the ball back to the BA-37, it was all McCaulley, including the 33-yard touchdown jaunt on a fourth down and two play. — “Zach and Travis did a good job early, and Tyler as well,” said Hayes. “To have that kind of diversity running the ball, and then add Danny making some big plays on the reverses, gives people a lot to prepare for, which is what we’re looking for at this time of the year.”
Blue Devil Notes: McCaulley led the Blue Devils with 139 yards on 17 carries, playing only the last three quarters. Beech also went over 100 yards with three TDs and 112 yards on 10 carries, Taylor had seven carries for 43 yards and Noye had two for 59. McCaulley now has 1,332 yards and 18 TDs on 199 rushes… Plummer takes over the school-record top spot with 15 touchdown passes, vaulting out of a tie with Nate Gray (2008) and Ken Woodhall (1943 and ’46), who had 14 TD passes… Blacklick Valley, who won their first home playoff game last week against Glendale, finishes their season 8-3… Bellwood-Antis will host the winner of the Marion Center and Portage game which will be played at Portage tonight at 7 p.m.
