Juniata Valley has given up just 20 points in 10 games this season for head coach Mike Smith. If the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils are going to reach the district finals next week, they have to go through undefeated Juniata Valley.
While allowing just two per points per game on the average, Juniata Valley also has limited their foes to just 56.8 yards rushing and 55 yards passing per game.
Long-time Bellwood-Antis coach John Hayes and his 2004 edition of the Blue Devils have reached the District semifinals again. After four straight trips to the playoffs, Bellwood-Antis finished out of the hunt (5-5) last year. From 1999-2002, the Blue Devils experienced a tremendously successful time in which B-A compiled back-to-back undefeated regular seasons (2000 and 2001) and went 33-3 during the regular season. After talking a year to go through some growing pains, the Blue Devils are back on track in 2004. Following a season opening loss to Tyrone, Bellwood-Antis has continued to improve each week, leading to nine consecutive wins, including a 52-8 win over Laurel Valley in the first round of District VI-A playoffs last week. B-A has previously played in the District championship game in 1985, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2001 and won the District VI-AA title in 1988 and District VI-A title in 1997. Bellwood-Antis has never lost a District semifinal game.
B-A (9-1) has been particularly proficient at home outscoring six opponents 189-37, as the Blue Devils head into this Saturday’s tilt against undefeated Juniata Valley at Bellwood Memorial Stadium. Although the two Inter-County Conference schools haven’t played since 2000, with the almost constant changes in the ICC, they are certainly not strangers.
Juniata Valley won the first two encounters in 1959 and 1960 and the series between the two schools was tied 6-6 after the first dozen meetings. The Blue Devils have had the upper hand lately however, winning nine of the last 12 to take a 15-9 lead in the 24-game series. B-A manhandled the Hornets in the last two contests, winning 41-0 in 1999 and 69-0 in 2000. The schools were scheduled to meet on Nov. 5, if neither team qualified for the playoffs, obviously both did.
The current edition of the Juniata Valley Hornets employ speed and quickness for first-year coach Mike Smith, who was quite a running back for Juniata Valley and is the first Juniata Valley grad to become the head coach of the Hornets.
The Hornets were 7-3 in 2003 and return 18 letterwinners, including six starters on offense and four on defense on a 2004 roster of 40.
“Juniata Valley is an outstanding team with a lot of performers,” explained coach Hayes. “They run the ball extremely well and they throw it well and have one of the best defenses in the area. They primarily line up with a double slot on offense and they use a lot of motion. They have a number of backs, right and left halfbacks and a fullback who will all get plenty of carries. They are very versatile and use their great quickness to try to outflank their opponents. They try to use their speed to beat you and have a lot of talented players.”
Juniata Valley has rushed for 2,745 yards this season, with three different players running for 100 yards or more on several occasions, including one game in which all three had 100 yard games in the same game. The Hornets have also passed for 865 yards, including 419 yards in their last two games.
“During the course of the year, every team gets a signature,” said Hayes in reference to Juniata Valley’s rushing totals and added importance in throwing the football the last two games. “In Juniata Valley’s case, they were able to run against teams. As you move to the latter part of the season, however and get into playoffs, you have to be able to do run and pass the football. They have a quarterback with a good arm and a lot of good receivers.”
Junior Johnny Boyd (5-11, 180), who led the Hornets as a sophomore with 775 yards last year, has carried 159 times in 2004 for 1,036 yards and scored 22 TDs for 132 points to lead the team in both categories. Senior Dustin Hoffmaster (5-9, 165) has 716 yards on 72 carries and has scored 10 TDs and a two-point PAT for 62 points. Junior Tyler Hall has 473 yards on 62 carries and has scored seven TDs for 42 points.
Senior quarterback Dan Beatty (6-3, 165) has completed 37 of 62 pass attempts for 754 yards. Beatty has thrown four TD passes and been intercepted three times. Beatty has spread the aerial attack around with junior Corey Lightner (5-10, 155) grabbing 12 passes for 330 yards, Hall catching eight for 239, Hoffmaster eight for 124 and junior tight end Jeremy Norris (6-2, 225) with seven catches for 125 yards.
Foreign exchange student Sven Mross has been successful on 40 of 47 PAT kicks and has booted five field goals, the longest 38 yards to score 55 points for the Hornets.
The Hornets have defeated West Branch 38-0, Glendale 37-0, Southern Huntingdon 36-7, Claysburg-Kimmel 52-6, Tussey Mountain 35-0, Northern Bedford 21-7, Moshannon Valley 48-0, Williamsburg 48-0 and Mount Union 49-0 during the regular season. In last week’s District VI-A quarterfinal, Juniata Valley conquered Mo Valley again 27-0.
“Juniata Valley uses a 4-3 basic defense and they kind of rotate to the strength of the opponent,” said Hayes. “They blitz a lot out of it. This is a very quick, explosive, pressure defense. They are very quick and have simply overwhelmed their opposition. They have allowed just three scores in 10 games and their defense has given the offense lots of opportunities and their offense has come through.”
When Bellwood-Antis opened their district playoffs last week by mauling Laurel Valley 52-8, B-A put up a school record 636 total yards. Included in that total was an individual 307 yards rushing effort for sophomore tailback Josh Kleinfelter, also a school record, and 102 yards rushing by senior fullback Travis Ehredt. That was the first time the Blue Devils have had two 100-yard runners in the same game since the first playoff game against Marion Center in the 2001 season when Duane Ehredt (105) and Cory Daly (155) both achieved the 100-yard plateau, in a game won by Bellwood-Antis 37-6.
Kleinfelter surpassed the 1,000-yard mark in the Laurel Valley game as well and has 1,263 yards rushing overall in 2004. Ehredt has rushed 108 times for 510 yards.
Junior Kyle Drost has completed 11 of 28 pass attempts for 155 yards, no TDs and three interceptions, and has led the Blue Devils to three straight wins since taking over for senior Zach Tomchick, who is done for the season with a knee injury. Tomchick completed 36 of 73 attempts for 504 yards, with four TD passes and five interceptions.
Derrick Hoffer leads the team with 14 catches for 195 yards. Ehredt has nine catches for 62 yards, Kleinfelter has seven for 91 and one TD, Dan Kovac has five catches for 175 yards and one score and tight end Troy Brunner has four receptions for 55 yards.
The Bellwood-Antis offense has powered out 2,039 yards rushing (204/game) and 705 passing (70.5/game) and on defense has given up 1,358 rushing (135.8/game) and 667 passing (66.7/game).
Bellwood-Antis is ranked 10th statewide in the latest PA Football News poll and has been listed as Honorable Mention in the Patriot-News poll. Juniata Valley is listed as Honorable Mention on both polls.
B-A will start Tony DelGrosso at center, Brandon Cherry at left guard, Adam Martin at left tackle, Dwayne Cherry at right guard and Dustin Hoffer at right tackle. Troy Brunner will be the tight end, Chris Edmiston, Elliot Geist and Aaron Geis share the duties at wide out, Kyle Drost will be the quarterback, Josh Kleinfelter will be the tailback, Derrick Hoffer will go at wingback and Travis Ehredt will be at fullback.
On defense, Jonathan Davila and Brunner will be the ends, Brandon Cherry and Martin are the tackles and Tyler Narehood will be the noseguard. Dwayne Cherry, DelGrosso and Dan Kovac will be the linebackers. Derrick Hoffer and Kleinfelter will be the cornerbacks and Edmiston will be the safety.
