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BELLWOOD -- It had been a tough couple weeks for Bellwood-Antis with losses to two of the better teams in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference in McCort-Carroll and Huntingdon, and starting quarterback Bradyn Partner on the bench with an injury.
But the Blue Devil defense put together their best effort of the season, blanking Central 20-0 on Friday evening at John R. Hayes Field at Memorial Stadium.
"Defense has been lights out all year," B-A coach Nick Lovrich said. "I think our tackling was great. Our secondary played well. All 11 guys are doing their job, and when all 11 guys do their job, your defense is going to be really good."
It was a matchup of backup quarterbacks as Brendan McNelis filled in for Partner, while Carter Schenk started in place of Jesse Muthler. McNelis went 3-for-5 for 52 yards, while Schenk was 16-of-27 for 89 yards, and also led the team in rushing for 48 yards.
Play of the game: With Bellwood leading 7-0 in the middle of the third quarter, Central had fourth-and-6 from their own 43. Dragon punter Adam Loucks instead threw a fake punt pass that fell incomplete and set up the Blue Devils with great field possession. Bellwood's Chase Plummer broke a 30-yard run for a touchdown two plays later.
Player of the game: Alex McCartney ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries. It was his sixth and seventh touchdowns for the season.
Unsung heroes: Bellwood's defense had the Central backfield scrambling all night. They brought down Schenk for a sack three times, and held the Dragons to 45 rushing yards.
Most vital statistics: Out of Central's 10 first downs, five of them came on the final drive, which ended on a Bellwood sack to finish the game.
Lovrich: "This is especially great for the kids. This week we really got back to the basics and tried to do the little things right. Our guys stepped up. They could have been down in the dumps for losing the last two games, but we lost to two really good teams. I'm proud of the effort they had Monday through Thursday at practice, and that's the entire team."
Central coach Jerry Albright: "It's been the whole season. We can move the ball, but we can't put the ball in the end zone. One little error, and it seems like everything blows up on us. It doesn't matter what the score is. You have to keep playing hard until the end, and they did that tonight."
McCartney: "This feels great. Our line blocked great. We executed every single possession. Now we just need to keep improving week-by-week."
Notable: The game was televised on WJAC. ... Bellwood-Antis' Colin Gibbons had an interception in the second half. ... Central was not penalized in the entire game, while Bellwood was flagged five times for 25 yards. ... Bellwood had two 100-yard rushers as Plummer crossed the century mark with 109 yards on 11 carries.
Records: Central (1-3);
Bellwood-Antis (2-2)
Next week: The Dragons host Bishop Guilfoyle, while the Blue Devils visit Tyrone.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Central 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Bellwood-Antis 0 7 7 6 -- 20
Second Quarter
BA--McCartney 7 run, (Smearman kick), 2:01
Third Quarter
BA--Plummer 30 run, (Smearman kick), 4:23
Fourth Quarter
BA--McCartney 1 run, (kick failed), 9:19
TEAM STATISTICS C BA
First downs 10 16
Total yards 134 320
Rushes-yards 27-45 41-268
Yards passing 89 52
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 16-28-1 3-5-0
Punts-avg. 3-32.3 2-42
Fumbles-lost 2-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 0-0 5-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Central, Schenk 14-48, Harbaugh 4-2, Musei 9-(-5). Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 23-126, Plummer 11-109, Gibbons 3-31, McNelis 4-2.
PASSING--Central, Schenk 16-27-89-0-1; Loucks 0-1-0-0-0. Bellwood-Antis, McNelis 3-5-52-0-0.
RECEIVING--Central, Moushlian 5-22, Harbaugh 3-17, Dunmire 1-15, Scott 2-13, Loucks 2-12, Musei 2-6, Decker 1-4. Bellwood-Antis, Shawley 1-39, Gibbons 2-13.