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ROARING SPRING -- Longtime Central assistant Jerry Albright will have to wait a little bit longer to collect his first win as the school's head coach.
Bellefonte spoiled Albright's debut Friday night, forcing four second-half turnovers and scoring three times en route to a stunning 18-7 victory over the Scarlet Dragons on their home field.
"Central is a great program, a great team and to come out here and get the win is just fantastic," Red Raiders coach Tony Confer said. "I can't give enough credit to our coaches, to our kids."
Central scored 35 seconds into the game after Aiden Steele recovered a fumble on the first snap of the game by Bellefonte quarterback Liam Halterman at the 18.
Muthler capped the drive with a 1-yard scoring run, but Central was shut out the last 47-plus minutes of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference game by a stingy Bellfonte defense.
"We can either turn things in or go back and work and try to get better," said Albright, who replaced Dave Baker after the veteran coach retired at the end of last season. "I don't think the seniors are not going to allow the first thing to happen."
Baker captured seven District 6 championships in 13 seasons, including each of the past four years while registering a 46-7 record during that stretch.
Bellefonte was 2-9 in its first year of LHAC play last season and 8-30 the previous four years.
"This is really a huge win for this program, especially given how good Central has been," Confer said.
Play of the game: After stopping Bellefonte on a 4th-and-1 play at its own 39-yard line in the fourth quarter, the Red Raiders opted to punt.
The punt bounced off the hands of Central's Thaide Mickel and the Red Raiders recovered. A short time later, Halterman scored his first of two touchdowns to give Bellefonte the lead for good.
Player of the game: Halterman finished with 101 yards on 17 carries and scored on fourth-quarter runs of 2 and 5 yards. He also passed for 43 yards.
"When we get into the fourth quarter, we really don't want to take the ball out of his hands," Confer said.
Unsung hero: Bellefonte's Aden Howell scooped up a bad snap on an extra point and then rolled right and threw a strike to Quinn Park for the two-point conversion.
Most vital statistic: Muthler was held to just 93 yards passing. He was sacked three times and had four other passes bounce off the hands of receivers.
Notable: Muthler, 12-2 as Central's starting quarterback, passed for 289 yards and three touchdowns in his first varsity start a year ago, a 49-0 win over the Red Raiders. ... The Scarlet Dragons had to replace nine two-year starting positions on the offensive and defensive lines, as well as 2023 Altoona Mirror Player of the Year Hunter Smith. ... Bellefonte's Andy Gerasenko kicked a 30-yard field goal in the third quarter after missing a 29-yarder in the first half. ... The two teams combined for 120 yards in penalties.
Records: Bellefonte (1-0); Central (0-1).
Next week: Bellefonte hosts Chestnut Ridge; Central at Somerset.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellefonte 0 0 3 15 -- 18
Central 7 0 0 0 -- 7
First Quarter
C--Muthler 1 run (Steele kick), 11:25.
Third Quarter
B--Gerasenko 30 FG, 5:28.
Fourth Quarter
B--Halterman 2 run (Howell pass to Park), 4:36.
B--Halterman 5 run (Gerasenko kick), 3:10.
TEAM STATISTICS B C
First downs 15 10
Total yards 237 160
Rushes-yards 40-189 20-67
Yards passing 48 93
Comp.-att.-int. 15-8-0 19-9-2
Punts-avg. 6-28.0 5-37.4
Fumbles-lost 5-2 2-2
Penalties-yards 10-70 6-50
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING-Bellefonte, Halterman 17-101, Smith-Kirk 8-49, Gall 13-25, Howell 1-10, Price 1-4. Central, Beach 4-43, Muthler 11-21, Mickel 2-2, Musei 1-1, Blake 2-0.
PASSING-Bellefonte, Halterman, 7-14-0, 43, Park 1-1-0, 5. Central, Muthler, 9-19-2, 93, Black 0-0-0, 0.
RECEIVING-Bellefonte, Gall 3-28, Benner 2-8, Price 1-6, Gabrovsek 1-5, Howell 1-1. Central, Hoenstine 4-44, Black 3-24, Mickel 1-24, Musei 1-1.