It was easy to see that this was the first time many of the players on both teams were seeing action on the junior varsity level. Few were able to get through the increased speed of the game without having to suffer through growing pains. Only four of 13 series were run without a penalty. Blocking schemes broke down to allow a blocked punt by the Golden Eagles, and numerous mistakes by both teams.
Both squads will get better. Experience can only be obtained on the football field against an opponent not in the same color uniform you have on. On Tuesday night, Bellwood-Antis countered a Tyrone field goal with a touchdown on back-to-back drives for a 6-3 Blue Devil win in the JayVee opener for both schools.
“Both teams are good fundamental football players. We knew coming in that anytime we play Tyrone, it’s a tough battle,” said Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich. “Our kids stepped up. They had some big stands on defense. We stopped them in the fourth quarter after we had a punt problem. Our line stepped up and started making some plays toward the end of the game.
“We are a young team-we only have six juniors playing, the rest are all sophomores. It’s going to take a little time for us to get used to the speed of the junior varsity game, with so many moving up from the junior high. We will get better.”
Bellwood-Antis had just one series last more than six plays and that one lasted eight plays, but didn’t result in a score, Tyrone had one drive last 10 plays and one last seven plays.
The Eagles’ one score, a 27-yard field goal by Dustin Rudasill came after Tyrone used the punt block to take over at the BA-15. An illegal procedure penalty immediately knocked the Eagles back to the 20. After Josh Crowell picked up six yards to the BA-14, two more runs netted only four more yards. Rudasill stepped back and put the first points of the game on the scoreboard with 3:02 remaining in the third quarter.
Bellwood-Antis came right back one series later to march 66 yards for their touchdown. Reeling from the blocked punt and subsequent Tyrone field goal, Bellwood-Antis began at their own 34, after fullback Bruno DeGol returned the kick seven yards. On a second down and eight, quarterback Nate Gray found wingback Justin Manning loose down the right sideline. Manning turned a short pass into a 59-yard gain to the T-5. With Bellwood-Antis on a first-and-goal, Tyrone threw the Blue Devils back for one-yard losses, by first Ben Ingle and then Solomon Beck. Faced with a third and goal, at the seven, Manning got the call around left end, turned the corner and raced into the end zone for the only TD of the game. With just 13 seconds to play in the third quarter, Bellwood-Antis had a 6-3 lead when the PAT try was no good.
Tyrone started at their own 40 on their next drive and with a six-yard gain by Levi Reihart, three-yard blast by Mark Mingle and nine-yard jaunt by Crowell reached the BA-40. Two penalties short-circuited the Eagles however, who ended up punting the ball from the original starting spot-the T-40.
Bellwood-Antis tried to run the clock down and perhaps add some insurance points, but had three penalties themselves during the next series and a bad snap from center on a fourth-down punt attempt to give the Golden Eagles the ball at the BA-16.
The Blue Devil defense, which had bent, but not broken over the first three quarters, came up strong in the final minutes of the game. Stops by Tim Collier, Shane Tate and a third-down tackle for a four-yard loss by Collier and Justin Miller forced Tyrone to attempt a fourth-down desperation pass, which was too long for the intended receiver.
With 1:23, remaining, Bellwood-Antis was able to run out the game clock, although not without one more penalty.
Tyrone had a distinct advantage in rushing yardage running the ball 27 times for 95 yards, while the Tyrone defense, led by Mingle, Ingle, Beck, Brandon Gehret, Jesse Walk, Garrett Gonder, Rudasill and others limited Bellwood-Antis to 46 yards on 32 carries.
Crowell led all runners with 38 yards on 11 carries for Tyrone, Mingle added 28 yards on eight totes, and Ingle had just two carries, but made the most of them for 20 yards.
Manning led Bellwood-Antis with 32 yards on three carries, and totaled five pass receptions for an additional 104 yards. Gray, just a sophomore, completed six of eight passes for the Blue Devils for 122 yards. For the Eagles, Ingle completed one of two for eight yards and freshman Levi Reihart was two of five for 21 yards.
Beck and Gonder shared a quarterback sack for Tyrone, and Jesse Walk had one by himself, while Ben Martinez had one for Bellwood-Antis.
“The kids played hard, but made a ton of mental mistakes,” said Tyrone junior varsity coach Darren Elvey.
Tyrone hosts the Huntingdon junior varsity on Monday; Bellwood-Antis travels to Penns Valley on the same day, with both contests beginning at 6 p.m.
