Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils defeat River Valley in playoffs again
H.S. football extra
Trending
BLAIRSVILLE -- Bellwood-Antis has apparently found a home away from home.
The Blue Devils overcame a sluggish start and overpowered River Valley, 42-16, in a District 6 Class 2A quarterfinal round football playoff game at Panther Stadium on Friday night.
"It's a great facility. They're a well-coached team. They're a good opponent for us," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said.
It was the Blue Devils' second consecutive playoff win at River Valley. Bellwood-Antis emerged with a 43-14 victory in a first-round playoff game on Nov. 1, 2024.
Play of the game: Bellwood-Antis picked up 53 yards on a hook and lateral pass late in the second quarter. Bradyn Partner fired a 6-yard completion to Jeffrey Waite, who lateraled to Alex McCartney. Colin Gibbons' 30-yard touchdown reception immediately followed and gave the Blue Devils a 21-10 halftime lead.
"It was definitely a big boost, right before the half, getting up on them. It was huge," McCartney said.
"We should have tackled it. It was a gutsy play call," Panthers coach Ed Dalton said. "It was a well-executed play. The kid got the pitch, (but) we could have tackled him."
Players of the game: McCartney (game-best 118 yards) and Chase Plummer combined for 220 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
"They both work really hard. And they'd be the first to compliment the line. They did a good job making the holes for them," Lovrich said.
"They're very physical running the ball. I don't think there was anything different from what they had done. They just do a good job at what they do," Dalton said.
Unsung hero: Ethan Shawley sacked River Valley quarterback Max Persichetti twice in the first half, during which the Panthers managed only 40 total yards.
Playing a man short: River Valley made do without Brody Hutter, the team's second most productive rusher. The senior, who ran for 677 yards and 10 touchdowns during the regular season, was declared ineligible because of a PIAA bylaw that prevents any player who transfers schools after the start of his 10th grade year from participating in postseason competition. River Valley appealed on Hutter's behalf at a hearing on Thursday, but the PIAA voted in a 5-0 decision to uphold the decision.
"We had multiple preps. And those guys have been playing all the time. But (Hutter) is a little bit different in the veer," Dalton said.
Hutter also led a defense that had given up only six touchdowns in the last six regular season games.
"We prepared as though he was going to play in the football game," Lovrich said.
Most vital statistic: Bellwood-Antis fumbled the ball four times, losing one, in the first half. "That's something we need to take care of. We always talk about taking care of the little things. Whenever you want to win big playoff games, you have to be able to do that because the farther you go, the harder it is to overcome those mistakes," Lovrich said.
Coach Lovrich: "We knew we had to take care of ourselves. We knew we were playing a good football team. But it's about going out, playing football, having a good time, playing with intensity and passion. We wore them down at the end."
More coach Lovrich on the gradual shift in momentum: "They were doing a very good job of moving the football down the field, they stopped us a couple of times. But once we got that little bit of momentum at the end of the (first) half, that helped jump-start what was going on for us."
McCartney: "The coaches made the (halftime) adjustments we needed to make, and the line started doing great. They were playing great the whole game. Chase and I had to clean some things up, and we dominated the second half."
Plummer: "We started out really slow. But we came in at halftime, the coaches evaluated us, and we got everything done in the second half that we needed to do."
Coach Dalton: "We were within five with 8:13 left in the third quarter. We stopped them in three plays, got the ball back, and didn't have a good drive. Then they scored, and I don't think we played very hard after that."
Notable: Jake Woodring ran for the game's first touchdown, a 3-yard run that came three plays after the Panthers recovered a muffed punt at the Bellwood-Antis 11. ... McCartney countered with a 44-yard touchdown run. ... Cole Heckatorn's 33-yard field goal gave River Valley a 10-7 lead entering the second period. Plummer's 12-yard run put the Blue Devils ahead for good with 2:39 left in the half. ... Patrick Hilaire ran for a third-quarter score on the Panthers' first possession of the third quarter and pulled River Valley within five. ... Touchdown runs by McCartney (17 yards), Plummer (24) and Gibbons (9) sealed the victory. ... Partner completed 4 of 8 passes for 83 yards. He threw one interception. ... Persichetti completed 7 of 18 passes for 70 yards. He threw one interception and sacked three times. ... River Valley's eight-game winning streak came to a halt.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (7-4), River Valley (9-2).
Next week: The Blue Devils play at Richland, a 35-12 winner against United Valley, in a district semifinal game on Friday.
"We are looking forward to the challenge. I think we can handle them and win the game," Plummer said.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellwood-Antis 7 14 7 14 -- 42
River Valley 10 0 7 0 -- 16
First Quarter
RV--Woodring 3 run (Heckathorn kick), 5:44.
BA--McCartney 44 run (Smearman kick), 3:02.
RV--Heckathorn 33 field goal, :38.
Second Quarter
BA--Plummer 12 run (Smearman kick), 2:39.
BA--Gibbons 30 pass from Partner (Smearman kick), :46.
Third Quarter
RV--Hilaire 4 run (pass failed), 8:13.
BA --McCartney 17 run (Smearman kick), 1:34.
Fourth Quarter
BA--Plummer 24 run (Smearman kick), 9:24.
BA--Gibbons 9 run (Smearman kick), 6:45.
TEAM STATISTICS BA RV
First downs 17 12
Total yards 387 195
Rushes-yards 40-294 37-125
Yards passing 83 70
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 4-8-1 7-18-1
Punts-avg. 3-24.7 3-33.6
Fumbles-lost 4-1 3-1
Penalties-yards 9-80 3-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 15-118, Plummer 12-102, Colin Gibbons 4-40, Partner 2-18, Cooper Gibbons 1-14, Crist 2-1, TEAM 4-1. River Valley, Adair 6-44, Woodring 10-36, Persichetti 12-17, Hilaire 4-14, Wano 5-14.
PASSING--Bellwood-Antis, Partner 4-8-1-83. River Valley, Persichetti 7-18-1-70.
RECEIVING--Bellwood-Antis, Waite 2-8, Shawley 1-16, Colin Gibbons 1-12 McCartney 0-47. River Valley, Brezinski 4-32, Woodring 2-29, Hilaire 1-9.