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EBENSBURG -- After only allowing a total of seven points over its first two contests, the Bedford defense made yet another strong statement on Friday night.
The Bisons held Central Cambria to just one first-half score and kept the Red Devils' offense at bay over the final two quarters to claim a 10-7 victory in Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference action.
"We knew we were coming into a battle tonight, and that's exactly what it was," Bedford coach Kevin Steele said. "There were certainly a lot of mistakes, but both teams played with a ton of heart. I'm very proud of our kids. They overcame adversity, shook off some mistakes and found a way to persevere."
Bedford has now won its first three games of the 2024 campaign by a combined 73-14 score after winning just three contests all of last season.
The Bisons, despite entering the year with a low-numbered roster of around 30 players, are attempting to climb back up the level of the Bedford squad that reached the PIAA semifinals in 2020.
"Every single guy in this program wants to be here and wants to win," Bedford quarterback Quincy Swaim said. "It's so much better than having a lot of guys and only half of them want to be here. That's not us. We're proud to play for this team and get these wins for each other and the fans."
Play of the game: With the Bisons leading by three points with just less than three minutes to play, Central Cambria drove to the Bedford 37, where the Red Devils faced a third-and-8.
Red Devils quarterback Hunter Pittsinger attempted to find Grady Snyder open in the flat, but Bisons linebacker Jake Wilson made a stellar read and broke up the pass, forcing a Central Cambria punt.
Bedford was then able to run out the remaining 2:45 on the clock after drawing Central Cambria offsides on fourth down following the Red Devils' final timeout.
"I did my best to make my read and jump the route," Wilson said. "I was very excited. It really got the sideline and everyone hyped up. We got the momentum from there and it stayed with us."
Player of the game: Swaim completed 9 of 18 passes for 112 yards, while carrying the ball 24 times for 93 yards.
The senior quarterback helped keep the Bisons' offense on the field by converting multiple first downs on the ground, as well as leading the game-sealing drive in the fourth quarter.
Most vital statistic: The Bisons' defense forced three turnovers on downs along with the punt on the Red Devils' four second-half possessions.
"We definitely had opportunities," Central Cambria coach Don Fyfe said. "It's been the story of our season so far. We just can't sustain drives. After our first drive, we just had a bunch of mental errors, and that's something we have to clean up. That's a tough one to swallow."
Notable: All of the game's scoring came in the second quarter ... Ian Estep caught a 10-yard touchdown pass for the Red Devils ... Owen Horne hauled in an 8-yard score from Swaim and booted a 31-yard field goal ... Central Cambria fell to 0-3 for the first time since 2017 ... The Red Devils have dropped all three of their contests after holding the lead at some point in the contest, twice in the second half.
Records: Bedford (3-0), Central Cambria (0-3).
Next week: Bedford hosts Penn Cambria; Central Cambria travels to Greater Johnstown.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bedford 0 10 0 0 -- 10
Central Cambria 0 7 0 0 -- 7
First Quarter
No scoring.
Second Quarter
CC--Estep 10 pass from Pittsinger (O'Brien kick), 11:04.
B--Horne 8 pass from Swaim (Horne kick), 3:51.
B--Horne 31 FG, 0:30.
Third Quarter
No scoring.
Fourth Quarter
No scoring.
TEAM STATISTICS B CC
First downs 13 12
Total yards 244 215
Rushes-yards 33-132 34-150
Yards passing 112 65
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 8-16-1 13-18-0
Punts-avg. 3-29.3 1-47
Fumbles-lost 1-0 4-1
Penalties-yards 6-57 8-66
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bedford, Swaim 24-93, Nave 4-27, Horne 2-6, Evans 2-6. Central Cambria, Snyder 20-98, Pittsinger 9-41, Chappell 2-5, Garzarelli 1-5, Stevens 2-(-1).
PASSING--Bedford, Swaim 8-16-112-1-1. Central Cambria, Pittsinger 13-18-65-1-0.
RECEIVING--Bedford, Horne 3-16, Tedrow 2-33, Taylor 1-12, Livengood 1-37, Lynch 1-14. Central Cambria, Snyder 4-9, Burkett 6-44, Estep 1-10, Dill 1-7, Garzarelli 1-5.