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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
BELLWOOD -- Central is off to a 4-0 start, and the Scarlet Dragons' vaunted passing game is probably the biggest reason why.
Junior quarterback Eli Muthler possesses gifted passing skills, and he has several outstanding receivers to target.
One of them is 6-foot-4 senior wideout Jack Dunn, whose height and reach create matchup problems for opposing defenses.
Muthler completed 14 of 23 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns Friday night, with Dunn making nine receptions for 252 yards and three scores, as Central racked up a 41-20 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory over a spirited Bellwood-Antis team at John Hayes Field at Memorial Stadium.
Dunn caught a 75-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline from Muthler in the first quarter, shrugging off two tackles en route to the end zone, and also turned a Muthler pass into a 71-yard score in the third quarter, giving Central a 34-14 lead and a good leg up on the victory.
Dunn's other TD catch was an 8-yarder in the second quarter.
"It was an overall team effort tonight,'' Dunn said. "Muthler played a heck of a game, and the balls he threw tonight were great.''
Senior back Hunter Smith rushed for 91 yards on 17 carries and touchdown runs of 1 yard in the first quarter and 5 yards in the third quarter for Central, which also got a 5-yard touchdown pass from Muthler to junior tight end Jaxon Detterline.
"Our receivers are a lot taller than their defensive backs, and that made a difference,'' Central coach Dave Baker said. "Jack Dunn made several good catches tonight and displayed some excellent balance after making the catches.
"I'm happy with our offense -- I'm happy with all phases of our game. Bellwood played very well, too. They've been improving week-to-week, and they really looked strong tonight.''
Plays of the game: The biggest plays were the Muthler-to-Dunn touchdown connections that went for 75 and 71 yards.
Players of the game: Muthler and Dunn put on an outstanding show.
Unsung hero: Bellwood-Antis freshman running back Alex McCartney registered his fourth straight rushing game of 100 yards or more, gaining 133 yards and two TDs on 23 carries. "Alex ran the ball really well tonight, but I know that he would be the first to credit his blockers on the line and in the backfield,'' Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said.
Most vital statistic: Central piled up 453 yards in total offense, including the 319 via the pass.
Lovrich: "Central is a really hard team to defend. They have a lot of good athletes on their team. I thought that our kids played really hard and that they played with a lot of heart. Our goal is to keep getting better week-by-week. You hate to lose, but I thought we made progress tonight.''
Muthler: "It was a great game. Our offensive line was great, and a lot of guys stepped up for us tonight. Jack (Dunn) obviously had a spectacular game, but a lot of other guys played a very good game for us both offensively and defensively.''
Notable: Bellwood, which is now winless in four games, hung tough with Central through much of the third quarter, pulling to within 21-14 on a 13-yard scoring pass from junior quarterback Holden Schreier to senior tight end Chance Schreier midway through the third period, before Central pulled away ... Chance Schreier made an interception on defense for Bellwood, while Muthler made a pick on defense for Central ... Smith recovered a fumble from his linebacker position at the Dragons' 3 with six seconds left in the first half, snuffing a Bellwood scoring opportunity.
Records: Central (4-0); Bellwood-Antis (0-4).
Next week: Central hosts Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic; Bellwood-Antis visits Tyrone.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Central 14 7 13 7--41
Bellwood-Antis 0 7 7 6--20
First quarter
C--Smith 1 run (Smith kick), 8:34
C--Dunn 75 pass from Muthler (Smith kick), 5:54.
Second quarter
BA--McCartney 4 run (Dorminy kick), 10:14.
C--Dunn 8 pass from Muthler (Smith kick), 6:41.
Third quarter
BA--C. Schreier 13 pass from H. Schreier (Dorminy kick), 7:45.
C--Smith 5 run (Smith kick), 3:39.
C--Dunn 71 pass from Muthler (kick failed), 0:46.
Fourth quarter
C--Detterline 5 pass from Muthler (Smith kick), 3:42.
BA--McCartney 3 run (kick failed), 2:13.
TEAM STATISTICS C BA
First downs 17 14
Total yards 453 220
Rushes-yards 28-134 38-157
Yards passing 319 63
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 14-23-1 6-9-1
Punts/avg. 1-44 3-42.7
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 7-43 5-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Central, Smith 17-91, 3-29, Muthler 3-7, Mickel 3-6, Baker 1-1, Benton 1-0. Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 23-133, Kyle 2-23, Hescox 5-12, Gibbons 2-4, Dorminy 1-3, H. Schreier 5-(-18).
PASSING--Central, Muthler 14-23-1-319. Bellwood-Antis, H. Schreier 6-9-1-63
RECEIVING--Central, Dunn 9-252, Dionis 2-39, Detterline 2-22, Klotz 1-6. Bellwood-Antis, Dorminy 2-23, Kyle 1-15, C. Schreier 1-13, Gibbons 1-9, McCartney 1-3.