WINGATE — Grey gloomy clouds filled the sky over a packed Alumni Stadium that hosted the annual Curtin Bowl between rivals Bald Eagle Area and Bellefonte on Friday.
This chapter in the long story between the two schools concluded in a thrilling 17-10 overtime victory for the Red Raiders.
Wide receiver Ashten Howell earned the game winning touchdown on a designed Wildcat keeper. Following his blockers, the senior found a hole in the gaps and reached the end zone.
“I was just ready to push through,” Howell said when asked about his mindset heading into the game-winning touchdown. “I knew my linemen would be there, and they would be pushing. So, I was just pushing right behind them.”
Following the touchdown, Bellefonte’s defense stood strong on four-straight plays to stop the Eagles from extending the overtime period.
BEA running back Xavier Nagle was stopped for no gain on the first offensive snap for the Eagles. Quarterback Chase Cane then followed the run with three-straight incompletions, leading to a mob of red and white jerseys rushing the field in celebration.
The ecstatic visitors made sure to embrace the win on the field as long as they possibly could. This victory meant a lot to the team not only because they took home the Curtin Bowl trophy, but the Red Raiders look to use the important win to turn around a season that has been back-and-forth to this point.
“I’m super proud of these kids. We’ve been through so much and last week we had eight starting positions out injured. This week we got it down to seven,” Bellefonte head coach Tony Confer said. “We’re playing with a lot of young kids. A lot of kids out there don’t have a ton of experience, and this week’s practice was really good, I saw them come together.”
The injuries for the Red Raiders showed how pivotal to the game it was early in the first quarter. Quarterback Alten Howell fumbled on a QB keeper to the left after receiving the first snap of the game. The Eagles, already in the red zone, were held to a field goal, earning an early 3-0 lead.
However, the early turnover sparked a light in Bellefonte’s offense. A 80-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a Bentlee Hall rushing touchdown, put the Raiders ahead 7-3 as time began to dwindle in the opening quarter.
Following the early scoring from both sides, the spotlight quickly shifted to the defenses. The Eagles defense forced three turnovers in the game, two fumbles and an interception while Bellefonte forced a fumble.
After a scoreless second quarter, Cane opened the second half with a 40-yard play action touchdown pass to wide receiver James Cowan.
Cowan used the reception to lead his team in receiving yards with 52. His senior quarterback showed some struggle against the Raiders, finishing his night with only 63 passing yards on five completions.
Bellefonte struggled to answer the early second-half touchdown on offense. Relentless pressure from Bald Eagle kept it ahead until the Red Raiders began to implement a jet sweep into their game. The rushing attack pushed Bellefonte into field goal range, ultimately tying the game at 10-10, with a 36-yard field goal.
“Defensively, they (Bald Eagle) played a heck of a game,” Confer said. “Can’t take anything away from the defense. Bald Eagle always comes ready to play.”
“That’s a staple of our offense, we use it to utilize our athletes,” Confer said about the use of the jet sweep. “We have a lot of athletes on the perimeter that can run the ball and get themselves in space. Our quarterback does a good job with that play as well.”
The ground game for the Red Raiders was the highlight of the offense against Bald Eagle. Bellefonte rushed for a combined 156 yards and scored both of its touchdowns on the ground. As for the passing game, Alten Howell finished his night with only 45 yards on five completions.
Bellefonte ultimately didn’t need its passing game in overtime as it ran all run plays until finding the end zone.
It was yet another classic between the two rival schools. Both student sections showed up, creating a loud atmosphere all night.
The Red Raiders look to build off the win as they are set to host Philipsburg-Osceola. Bald Eagle will hit the road for an away game against Clearfield, hoping to break a three-game losing streak.
