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PHILIPSBURG -- With 7:35 left in the game, Philipsburg-Osceola held a 17-point lead over Bellwood-Antis and faced a fourth-and-2 on its own 42. Rather than punt, P-O coach Jeff Vroman opted to go for it.
Colton Chapman, who had 20 carries for 120 yards in the first half, was stopped 1 yard shy of the first down.
"We were going for it," Vroman said. "Hey fourth-and-2 we're trying to win the game. We're not messing around. There was no second guess on that. If it happens again, I'm doing it again."
The inspired Blue Devils, who had lost three fumbles, mounted a frantic comeback with two touchdowns to close within three points.
But P-O's Robert McClenahan intercepted quarterback Bradyn Partner on fourth down to secure a white-knuckle 31-28 win on a beautiful Friday night at Mountaineer Stadium.
"It was a good win," Vroman said. "They (Bellwood-Antis) played hard. Chapman got some respect tonight as a back. As the game played out, (the carries) are what happened with it. He ran hard though. I was really proud of him. That's probably the most they've been gashed all year on the ground I would think.
"We made a couple errors late in the game and made it close, but a win is a win. I'll take it."
"It feels good, especially knowing I couldn't play last year with an injury," Chapman said.
It was a rare win by P-O (4-2) over the Blue Devils (3-3), who made it interesting in the fourth quarter.
"I'm proud of the effort," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said. "Our kids never gave up. Hat's off to P-O. They played a really good game. They made plays when they had to make plays."
Sequence of the game: After B-A pulled to within three points in the third, Chapman answered with a 47-yard run to the B-A 8. Three plays later, quarterback Archer Baughman threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Nick Dillon with 1:31 left in the third quarter to make the score 24-14.
Player of the game: Chapman finished with 182 yards rushing on 32 carries and scored on TD runs of 6 and 5 yards in the first half. He also recovered a fumble on defense.
"I expect the most out of myself every game," Chapman said, "but I've got to give it to the line and my lead backs. They were stepping up. I had some good runs, but it wasn't just me out there."
"He's such a hard runner," Lovrich said. "We thought we had him and he was able to make plays. He ran really well. He's a big-time player."
Unsung heroes: The P-O defense limited McCartney to 90 yards on 22 carries, recovered three fumbles and picked off a pass.
"When you win the turnover battle that's huge," Vroman said, "especially in a big football game like this. I thought defensively we did a nice job against their run game. They really never got going with that."
Rallying cry: Partner scored from 12 yards out with 4:53 remaining to draw to within 10 points. Partner then threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Colin Gibbons with 2:38 left in the game.
Big field goal: Braylon Phillips booted a 33-yard field goal as time expired to give the Mounties a 17-7 halftime lead. The field goal turned out to be a big one.
Notable: B-A's Jackson Dorminy intercepted a pass. ... Aaron Davis and Jayden Jones also recovered fumbles for P-O. ... Davis and Jones recovered onside kicks in the fourth quarter.
Next week: Bellwood-Antis hosts Bishop Guilfoyle. Philipsburg-Osceola hosts Bellefonte.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (3-3). Philipsburg-Osceola (4-2).
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellwood-Antis 0 7 7 14 -- 28
Philipsburg-Osceola 7 10 7 7 -- 31
First Quarter
PO--Chapman 6 run (Phillips kick), 4:38
Second Quarter
PO--Chapman 5 run (Phillips kick), 10:54
BA--McCartney 4 run (Smearman kick), 7:23
PO--Phillips 33 field goal, :00
Third Quarter
BA--McCartney 7 run (Smearman kick), 4:52
PO--Dillon 9 pass from Baughman (Phillips kick), 1:31
Fourth Quarter
PO--Baughman 1 run (Phillips kick), 10:31
BA--Partner 12 run (Smearman kick), 4:53
BA--Col. Gibbons 19 pass from Partner (Smearman kick), 2:38
TEAM STATISTICS BA PO
First downs 14 12
Total yards 202 285
Rushes-yards 34-122 47-191
Yards passing 80 94
Passing (comp.-att.-int) 7-17-1 5-7-1
Punts-avg. 2-38.5 3-32
Fumbles-lost 5-3 2-0
Penalties-yards 1-0 4-42
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 22-90, Plummer 2-15, Col. Gibbons 1-10, Partner 9-7. Philipsburg-Osceola, Chapman 32-182, Jones 3-16, McClenahan 3-12, TEAM 1-(-1), Baughman 8-(-18).
PASSING--Bellwood-Antis, Partner 7-17-1-80. Philipsburg-Osceola, Baughman 5-7-1-94.
RECEIVING--Bellwood-Antis, Waite 2-28, Dorminy 2-27, Col. Gibbons 1-19, Shawley 1-7, McCartney 1-(-1). Philipsburg-Osceola, McClenahan 3-64, Witherite 1-21, Dillon 1-9.