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The Bellwood-Antis community was split on the school district's decision to leave the Inter-County Conference and join the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference in all sports.
Finishing the first high school football season 2-8 in the LHAC did not help quell the concerns of people against the move after B-A had gone a combined 140-33 over the last 15 years in the ICC, which included eight seasons of at least 10 wins.
"For many years, we were in the ICC, and we didn't really have a hard game every week," Bellwood senior quarterback Holden Schreier said. "Last year, it served as a wake-up call. We realized we had to work harder in the offseason and get better for this year."
A year after starting off the season 0-5 and losing in lopsided fashion to rival Tyrone, Bellwood-Antis is 4-1 coming off a victory over the Golden Eagles.
"It's the complete opposite," B-A senior running back Cayden Pellegrine said. "This year, we're going into games thinking not only can we stay with them, how much can we win by? Last year, we were going into games wondering if we were going to get blown out."
The Blue Devils host Philipsburg-Osceola on Friday at 7 p.m., the team they beat for their first LHAC victory last season the same weekend legendary B-A coach John Hayes passed away.
Instead of just looking for a win this year, B-A is hoping to continue its push for the postseason. The Blue Devils are currently the third seed in a very even District 6 Class 2A playoff field.
"Our goals are always the same," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said. "We want to contend for a Laurel Highlands championship, and we want to make the playoffs and win a district championship. Just because we change conferences, we still have those same expectations for ourselves. Is it going to be hard? Yeah, it's going to be hard. But any goal you don't have to work hard for, it's not really a good goal for you. It started in November for us in the weight room and with speed training. Guys bought in, and it's been a real team effort and has almost been a whole-year commitment already."
Bellwood-Antis has had to deal with more than just adapting to a new conference. One of the players who excelled even last year and bought into the commitment to get better by attending every offseason workout was sophomore running back Alex McCartney, but he was lost for the season on an injury during 7-on-7 competition.
A week into the season, B-A lost one of the players trying to fill in for McCartney during a win over Penns Valley.
"(Our success) means a lot, especially with all the injuries we had in the offseason like Alex tearing his ACL and in the first week Chase (Plummer) tearing his," Pellegrine said. "Through all the uncertainty we had, we bonded as a team. Overcoming all these injuries has made this really special for us."
Pellegrine, Colin Gibbons and Bradyn Partner have combined to rush for 878 yards and along with Griffin Kyle have accounted for 36 of Bellwood's 40 receptions this year.
"We have Cayden Pellegrine, who has done some good things running and catching the ball," Lovrich said. "Bradyn Partner and Colin Gibbons have been very solid running. Griffin Kyle is catching the ball. Holden (Schreier) the last two weeks, he's been playing really well at the quarterback position."
Instead of just gearing up for a heavy load of McCartney, teams have more to consider.
"If we have three or four of us run the ball every game, it's hard for teams to plan against us," Pellegrine said. "All of us run differently, and we all complement each other differently. It definitely helps having three or four of us that can do it."
Schreier's development in his second year as the starting quarterback has helped the offense become more versatile.
"He's improving each week and starting to make plays with his legs a little bit," Lovrich said. "That's going to make teams respect him a little more, because he's becoming more of a dual threat. Our guys are running good patterns for him, and all of those things combined are making us a better team and him a better player."
Lovrich is keeping Bellwood's start in perspective. None of the Blue Devils' wins (Penns Valley, Westmont Hilltop, Huntingdon and Tyrone) came against a team with a winning record, but Lovrich's team was in that spot last year, and he knows his squad from a year ago had talent.
"Last year, the Laurel Highlands was just stacked," Lovrich said. "You look at some of the teams like Bald Eagle, they took Southern Columbia all the way until the final buzzer. Central won District 6, and there are still really good teams in the Laurel Highlands. Every week, especially on our side of the mountain, it's a tough game."
The win over Tyrone, which had just defeated defending District 6 Class 2A champion Bald Eagle Area in overtime, sent a message that Bellwood is improved rather than the teams it is playing simply having down years.
"It was great," Lovrich said. "We thought last year when we beat P-O for our first win was exciting. Then to start the year off with a win over Penns Valley was a big win, but that Tyrone win is always important. It's one of the biggest things ever. The guys will remember that and the packed stadium. It was a great moment for our football program."
The winning has changed the culture back to what Bellwood has become accustomed to over the years.
"Everyone is in a better mood and ready to work harder," Schreier said. "Everyone on the team likes each other, and it makes practice easy and fun."
And nothing is more fun than celebrating a win over a rival.
"It was probably the loudest and happiest we have ever been," Pellegrine said. "We haven't beaten (Tyrone) in two years, and to finally get over the hump, it signified that this year is different."