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By Jon Fleck
For the Mirror
Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic tuned up for the district playoffs by making short work of Bedford Saturday night.
BG bolted out to a 35-0 first quarter lead with three rushing scores as well as touchdowns on both special teams and defense in a 49-14 win at Mansion Park to close out the regular season.
Players of the game: Chase Kissell, Hamilton Gates, Ryan Hagg and Kaden Wyandt all made impact plays on both sides of the balls.
Kissell scored the first touchdown on a 16-yard QB draw, then made an interception deep in Bedford territory to set up the second score. He also added a 10-yard TD pass to his brother, Jacob, at the end of the first half for a 42-0 lead.
Gates sparked the opening touchdown with a 12-yard reception followed by a 20-yard gain on a jet sweep, then helped continue the Marauders' early scoring barrage with a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown.
"We were planning all week for them to throw over top and knew we'd have to make a play," Gates said. "Once I saw the receiver hitch up and try to come back on the route, I took it."
Hagg had three catches for 45 yards and an interception late in the first half that allowed BG to score one more time before the break.
Wyandt scored on runs of 5 and 6 yards plus helped hold Bedford to just 4 yards on four first quarter possessions from his middle linebacker position. Bedford gained 90 yards in the second quarter, mostly through the air, but did not score until the second half with the running clock in effect.
"Kaden plays well for us everywhere. He didn't get the ball much tonight, but that was just kind of the flow of the game," BG coach Justin Wheeler said.
Nobody had an eye-popping statistical night for BG, however, as the starters did not play in the second half.
Plays of the game: Along with Gates' pick-6, special teams got in on the action when Will Tobin blocked a punt deep in Bedford territory and recovered it in the end zone for his first career touchdown.
Tobin flew in off the edge and arrived before the punter could even get his leg fully extended. The ball flew high in the air and bounced around in the end zone before Tobin emerged from the pile with the ball and the score.
"The blocker took a wide step out so I went out then made a quick swim move back inside. I was there so fast I almost could have caught it right off his foot," he said. "The whole season, I've been so close to blocking so many. This is my second one. I had one earlier in the season against Central. I lost where the ball was, but then I saw it in the end zone and hopped on top of it."
Vital statistic: BG won the turnover battle 4-0 with three interceptions and a recovered fumble.
"They're a good football team. We didn't have a good night. We turned the ball over. Didn't play well on offense. Didn't play well on defense," Bedford coach Kevin Steele said. "When you do that against a good team, that's a recipe for disaster. It snowballed pretty quick on us. It's been a long year for us. We're not used to seasons like this. We'll have to get back to work and get better for next season."
Misleading statistic: Both teams finished the game nearly equal in first downs (12-11 Bedford) and total yards (164-162 BG).
Unsung heroes: In addition to Tobin's blocked punt, the special teams had a great night. Michael Cacciotti was 5-for-5 on extra points and Carter Boland hit a pair as well. Cacciotti's deep kickoffs kept Bedford pinned deep in its own territory, and Nick McCloskey uncorked a 68-yard punt in the second quarter that gave Bedford poor starting field position as well.
"They were unbelievable. It was nice to see," Wheeler said. "Going into the playoffs, you have to be solid in every aspect, and I thought we were."
The defensive line got a pair of starters back from injury and played a strong game as well, Wheeler said.
"Joe Eckenrode was all-state last year for us as a junior. He's kind of the meat inside. Does some stuff real well for us," he said. "Tyson Bridenbaugh's back from an injury. He's been really good. Ryan Hostler's back from an injury as well, playing D-end for us, and Connor McElheny's been healthy and started all year for us. Those four are getting healthy at the right time and starting to come together."
Records: Bedford (3-7); Bishop Guilfoyle (6-4).
Next week: Bishop Guilfoyle plays at Bald Eagle Area in the first round of the District 6 2A playoffs. Bedford's season has concluded.
The Marauders opened with season with a 17-7 loss at BEA.
"Talented football team. They've got skill. Tight game. They scored right at the end," Wheeler said. "We know exactly what we're going to get. We know we're going to have to play our best football. Thought we'd run into them again. Hoped it would be the district championship game, but it just so happens to be round one. We'll take it."
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bedford 0 0 7 7 -- 14
Bishop Guilfoyle 35 7 7 0 -- 49
First Quarter
BG--Kissell 16 run (Cacciotti kick), 9:29.
BG--Wyandt 5 run (Cacciotti kick), 6:54.
BG--Tobin recovered block punt in end zone (Cacciotti kick), 5:07.
BG--Gates 60 int return (Cacciotti kick), 4:25.
BG--Wyandt 6 run (Cacciotti kick), :23.
Second Quarter
BG--J. Kissell 10 pass from C. Kissell (Boland kick), :03.
Third Quarter
BG--Gioiosa 10 run (Boland kick), 5:39.
B--Lynch 93 kickoff return (Horne kick), 5:22.
Fourth Quarter
B--Bauman 1 run (Horne kick), 10:44.
TEAM STATISTICS B BG
First downs 12 11
Total yards 162 164
Rushes-yards 33-114 24-85
Yards passing 48 77
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 3-14-3 7-11-0
Punts-avg. 2-17.5 3-41.0
Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 2-11 1-5
RUSHING--Bedford, Horne 7-28, Swaim 6-46, Huxta 8-12, Bauman 5-15, Lynch 1-5, Hale 2-6, Evans 2-6, Yokum 1-6, Noel 1-(-5). Bishop Guilfoyle, Wyandt 5-26, Gates 4-22, C. Kissell 4-17, Gioiosa 6-18, J. Kissell 4-(-8), Consiglio 1-10.
PASSING--Bedford, Huxta 3-12-3-48, Evans 0-2-0-0, Wertz 0-0-0-0. Bishop Guilfoyle, C. Kissell 6-9-0-68, J. Kissell 1-2-0-11.
RECEIVING--Bedford, Tedrow 1-11, Swaim 1-20, Noel 1-17. Bishop Guilfoyle, Gates 2-13, Hagg 3-45, J. Kissell 1-10, Gartmann 1-11.