Monday’s junior varsity football game against Bishop Guilfoyle was a genuine effort by the Bellwood-Antis football team. “Everybody played real hard,” was a quote from B-A coach Randy Miller. However in that same breathe, coach Miller also replied, “but special teams killed us.” Bishop Guilfoyle (3-1) defeated the Blue Devils 9-6, on a 31-yard field goal with just seven seconds remaining on the fourth-quarter clock to send Bellwood-Antis’ record to 1-4.
Defense was king in this game, as the evenly matched contestants battled back and forth. Bishop Guilfoyle scored all their points on blocked or partially blocked punts and Bellwood-Antis scored following a big runback of an interception that set the Blue Devils up at the BG-10.
Bishop Guilfoyle managed just 79 yards rushing with Ben Kleiner, Brandon Cherry, Dwayne Cherry, Travis Ehredt, Lance Lafferty, Matt Sneath, John McFalls, Mark Rogers and the rest of the Blue Devil defense doing quite a job. BG quarterback Adam Trybus was able to complete only five of 19 pass attempts for 52 yards and was intercepted once. Mike Bender was the leading rusher in the game with eight caries for 78 yards, although 29 of those yards came on one play on the first offensive series of the third quarter for the Marauders, when the B-A defense bent, but forced a 35-yard field goal try which fell short.
Bellwood-Antis was slightly better on the ground, rushing for 89 yards, but didn’t complete a pass and had three intercepted. Mark Rogers was the leading rusher for the Bellwood-Antis Jayvees with 61 yards on 14 carries.
All the scoring as a matter of fact, followed breaks by the defensive team.
Bishop Guilfoyle blocked a Matt Sneath punt and recovered at the BA-16. After The Marauders picked up a yard on the first play, a pass interference penalty gave BG a first down at the Blue Devil seven. Brent Massaro went over left guard for the seven-yard TD on the next play. The PAT failed and with just 1:11 to play in the first half, the Bishop Guilfoyle junior varsity took a 6-0 lead.
In the third quarter, on the Marauders next series following the failed field goal, Trybus went to the air. Mark Rogers picked off the pass attempt and returned the pick 25 yards to the BG-10. Switching to offense, Rogers had his number called on the first play for four yards and after Travis Ehredt bulled for a yard, Rogers burst in for the five-yard score to tie the contest at 6-6. Rogers attempted to run for the 2-pt. PAT, but was stopped short, the game remaining tied with 1:39 to play in the third period.
Neither team was able to do much against the other’s defense, until with time running out, Bishop Guilfoyle partially blocked another B-A punt. With the ball at the BA-24, Trybus was able to complete one pass for eight yards to Jim Moschella, who caught all of Bishop Guilfoyle’s pass completions, to the 16 and picked up three more on a keeper. With just seven seconds left on the clock, this time Guy Finelli was true, knocking the ball through the uprights from 31 yards out for the game-winner.
The Bellwood-Antis junior varsity will play play Penns Valley at home next Monday, Oct. 7, at 6 p.m.
