By Michael Boytim

mboytim@altoonamirror.com

For now, Friday’s Backyard Brawl with Tyrone hosting Bellwood-Antis is the final time the rivals will meet in the first week of the regular season for the foreseeable future.

Both teams are leaving their respective conferences to join the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference in 2023, and though the teams will always play each other as division foes, the LHAC schedule calls for the first-week game to be against an out-of-division opponent.

“Nick Lovrich and I had a long talk about that about two weeks ago,” Tyrone coach John Franco said. “We think there’s still a chance that we might be able to get that back. We’re going to try and talk them into seeing if they can move that schedule. We’re going to play each other every year, so it doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal. We’re not giving up on it. Both he and I are going to try and get our athletic directors involved to try and make an arrangement where we can do that. We don’t think it’s a done deal yet. Maybe for next year it is, but we’re going to try to see if we can work with those guys and see if there’s a way to get that game to open the season because of the tradition involved in it.”

Lovrich pointed out it’s a tradition recognized across the state.

“We both agreed that this is such a big game, not just in our communities but at the state level,” Lovrich said. “People know about the Bellwood-Tyrone football game. They know about the Backyard Brawl, and it’s kind of a rallying cry for your whole offseason workouts from the time you start in December or January it’s all about ‘beat Tyrone,’ and I’m sure they are ‘beat Bellwood,’ and there’s that excitement. For the Bellwood and Tyrone people, it’s really big, because it is such a rivalry. It’s something that’s really special to both communities. It would be a shame if it can’t happen, so hopefully something can be worked out.”

Lovrich and Franco have both used the game as something to work toward in past summer camps.

“It’s a great motivator for both schools,” Franco said. “I’m a big tradition guy, and I love the idea of rivalries. Part of a rivalry is also when you play. When Pitt and Penn State had their rivalry, part of that rivalry was that it was the last game of the season. When it started opening the season or having it be the second game, it just wasn’t the same. I hope that wouldn’t happen to us. We’re going to try like heck to get that back and keep that tradition going.”

Bellwood-Antis has won three straight in the rivalry, including a 29-16 win in November of 2020 that ended the season after both teams had already been eliminated from the playoffs. The game had originally been planned to open that season, but it was pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We don’t feel like we have played our best game of the year against them,” Franco said. “That’s more because they have just outplayed us the last couple years. We have to play to the level we were always used to playing to in the past, and hopefully the hard work that they have put in will pay dividends for the first game.”

Bellwood-Antis is replacing several talented players, but Lovrich said it’s next man up as usual.

“Our older kids have been really good leaders,” Lovrich said. “That’s helped bring the team along. The last couple weeks, we have seen really good things. The kids that have stepped in are excited they get their chance, and they are ready to go. It’s their turn, and we’re looking for good things from them.”

Tyrone is returning many players after being really young last season and playing the second half of the year with a freshman quarterback.

“We know they have some really good players,” Lovrich said. “The quarterback Ashton Walk ended up becoming the starter last year, and he’s young, good and talented. He throws the ball well. From the things I have seen, he manages the game well, and Ross Gampe is a good receiver. Their line from last year is almost all back, and they will pose a challenge.”

For the Blue Devils, their success always starts up front.

“Bellwood always has excellent linemen, and they can run the ball on anyone,” Franco said. “They are very good against the run, and they come right at you. I think Nick does a fantastic job at using the strengths of his players.”

‘Coal Bowl’

Cambria Heights rolled over Northern Cambria, 35-0, last year in the return of the Coal Bowl, but with the game kicking off this season Friday at Northern Cambria, the Colts are much more experienced.

“We got them early last year, which helped us,” Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. “As the season went on, they seemed to be getting better. They were flying to the ball. I watched their scrimmage, and their defense flies to the ball. They have some nice athletes on offense they like to get in space. We’re expecting a challenge. When you only lose two seniors, and you’re returning all that experience, that makes you hardened. I think they are going to be one of the top teams in the conference this year.”

Of course, the Highlanders were the top team in the Heritage Conference last season — finishing their first season in the league unbeaten.

“They are big up front,” Northern Cambria coach Sam Shutty said. “I don’t think it’s a surprise what they want to do. They are going to run the ball. We have to stop them inside the tackles, and we have to make holes ourselves. We have to play our responsibilities and man up, because we are playing a bunch of men.”

Shutty said it hasn’t taken long to have the rivalry regain significance.

“This is a game the kids look forward to, because they have heard their dads talk about when they played in the game,” Shutty said. “It went away for awhile, so for them having a chance to play in this renewed rivalry, I think that’s a big deal for a lot of the kids. The coaches try to treat it as just a Week 1 game, but for the players, I definitely think there’s extra motivation.”

Though the opener is on the road, Lewis expects plenty of fans to make the short trek from Patton.

“The communities will be excited,” Lewis said. “It’s a game the kids are very excited about. It’s a game that our kids circle every year as an important game. Starting the season off with it was a great motivator in the offseason. No matter what our records were last year, both teams know they are going to be in for a battle that carries a lot of emotions.”