BELLEFONTE — The Red Raiders were riding high following a momentous win over a dominant Richland team who was undefeated heading into the contest.
Continuing its three-game homestand, Bellefonte welcomed an equally successful team in Bellwood-Antis on its Senior Night. The Blue Devils were ultimately relentless in the ground attack throughout the entire 60 minutes, leading to a 27-3 victory on the road late in the season.
“It’s always nice to be at home and not get on a bus, but it’s a football field. It’s about us being our best tonight, and that’s what we were tonight. We were pretty good tonight,” Bellwood-Antis head coach Nick Lovrich said.
The start of the offensive struggles for Bellefonte came early as an opening drive that looked promising ended with a costly interception to BA’s Ethan Shawley.
Early momentum quickly shifted to the Blue Devils as they used their ground game to put the first points on the board. Both Brady Crist and Alex McCartney were used throughout the drive, but it was McCartney that found the end zone.
The senior finished the game with 109 rushing yards on 24 carries, logging his second-straight game with over 100 yards on the ground. Additionally, McCartney scored two touchdowns on the night. He praised his offensive line following the game.
“They’re a great group of men,” McCartney said. “I’ve played with them all my life, so all I can say is they’re a unit, and they’re the reason I’m successful as I am.”
While the big guys up front for the Blue Devils contributed to the offensive surge, it wasn’t until the second half that they could shine.
The Red Raiders’ defense held strong throughout the first half and came away with a fumble recovery in the second quarter. A tightened defense for Bellefonte would only last up until the third quarter.
“(Our) defense held us in there as long as they could,” Bellefonte head coach Tony Confer said. “And then eventually things break a little bit when you’re not putting the offense in the end zone and possessing the ball offensively.”
For Confer’s offense they would finish the night with 73 total passing yards and 76 total rushing yards without finding the end zone once.
Momentum completely shifted to BA after a 28-yard play action touchdown pass to Shawley opened the second half. While the rushing attack was put on full display, quarterback Bradyn Partner answered the call when he was needed to pass.
In addition to McCartney’s two-touchdown game, Chase Plummer also found the end zone late in the fourth quarter.
“Plummer’s a great player,” McCartney said. “He’s hard-nosed as well. Him and I like to work off of each other a lot, and we’re best friends. That’s how it works.”
A traveling student section stuck with their team and made their presence felt throughout the win for Bellwood-Antis. The support proved to be critical for the team as the regular season comes to a close.
“We have a great community that really supports Bellwood football,” Lovrich said. “Our student section was great tonight. This is what high school sports are about. Whenever you have all these people here backing it and when the kids sing the alma mater, it makes it special, and those are moments they’re going to remember.”
As for Bellefonte, a crowd that looked to provide the same unforgiving environment they showed against Richland held true throughout the majority of the game.
The Red Raiders will now look ahead and not dwell on the defeat for too long as they head to Bishop McCort in preparation for the playoffs.
“We’ve got to get back to it Monday and get ready for our crossover game next week,” Confer said. “After tonight this game doesn’t matter. It is what it is. We’re going to move on from it, and we’re going to get better and get ready for Week 10 and push for the playoffs.”
