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JOHNSTOWN -- The Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils made a statement with a comfortable 33-6 victory over Bishop McCort Catholic at Sargent's Stadium at the Point on Friday evening.
Bellwood avenged a 21-6 defeat at the hands of the Crushers a year ago and took down the defending Laurel Highlands champions in convincing fashion to improve to 2-0.
The Blue Devils had it working on both sides of the ball as it started the game with a goal-line stand and promptly scored on a four-play, 98-yard drive after that. Bellwood-Antis rode the 1-2 punch of Alex McCartney and Chase Plummer, as the two senior running backs for the Blue Devils combined for 235 yards on the ground.
Bellwood's defense held Bishop McCort to less than 100 yards rushing, and aside from one broken play in the second quarter, kept the Crimson Crushers out of the end zone on their home turf.
Play of the game: It was not so much the play of the game, but the series that ignited the Bellwood-Antis defense. Bishop McCort broke off multiple big plays on its first possession and drove all the way to the Bellwood-Antis 2-yard line looking to establish an early advantage. The Blue Devils' defense stood tall on four consecutive plays and kept the Crimson Crushers out of the end zone, and promptly marched 98 yards in three plays to take the lead in an unlikely manner.
Player of the game: Senior tailback McCartney put together a workmanlike effort in this one. The bruising Bellwood back carried the ball 21 times for 183 yards and scored touchdown runs of 14 and 4 yards. McCartney ripped off six runs of 10 yards or more, including a 49-yard dash in the second half.
Unsung hero: Bellwood-Antis senior wide receiver Bradyn Partner simply made big plays. Partner only had four offensive touches but each one netted more than 20 yards. He was on the receiving end of two touchdowns, one that traveled 40 yards and another that ended up going for 23. He had another 41-yard reception and broke loose for a 37-yard reverse as well.
Most vital statistic: Bellwood-Antis did not let either of its two turnovers turn into points for Bishop McCort. Bentley Bainey, the Crushers' starting quarterback, also doubled up as an all-state defensive back. He picked off two passes, but neither amounted to anything for the Crushers. Conversely, when Curtis Shedlock picked off Bainey in the third quarter, it led to a five-play 80-yard scoring drive for the Blue Devils.
Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich: "Bishop McCort is a very good football team, and traditionally they've done well. The last couple of years they've been one of the top dogs. Last year they beat us, so this is definitely a big one for us to come here and win in a hostile environment."
Bishop McCort coach Tom Smith: "I'm going to give credit to Bellwood, their coaching staff and their kids. They played a heck of a game tonight. That 1-2 punch with McCartney and Plummer, that's going to be really good for them all year long, and I wish them the best of luck."
McCartney on the initial goal-line stand: "We've got grit on this team. We've got a great D-line, we've got great backers and we got great DBs. They stepped up after that and showed them what they're made of."
Notable: Bellwood-Antis had nine plays that traveled more than 20 yards. … Defending LHAC champion Bishop McCort has scored just two touchdowns in its first two games.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (2-0); Bishop McCort (0-2)
Next week: Bellwood-Antis hosts Huntingdon. Bishop McCort welcomes Chestnut Ridge to Point Stadium.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellwood-Antis 14 6 13 0 -- 33
Bishop McCort 6 0 0 0 -- 0
First Quarter
BA--Partner 40 pass from McNelis (Smearman kick)
BM--Wiley 54 pass from Bainey (kick blocked)
BA--McCartney 4 run (Smearman kick)
Second Quarter
BA--Partner 23 pass from McNelis (kick failed)
Third Quarter
BA--Plummer 9 run (Smearman kick)
BA--McCartney 14 run (kick blocked)
TEAM STATISTICS BA BM
First downs 16 9
Total yards 449 256
Rushes-yards 40-276 28-85
Yards passing 173 171
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 8-18-2 11-30-1
Punts-avg. 1-44 3-36.2
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-0
Penalties-yards 6-45 4-40
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bellwood, McCartney 21-183, Plummer 9-52, Partner 1-37, McNelis 1-3, Dorminy 3-2, Crisr 2-4, Shedlock 1-(-3), TEAM 2-(-2). Bishop McCort, Gordon 11-42, Bainey 9-38, Nash 3-12, Pensiero 2-6, Delia 1-1, TEAM 2-(-14)
PASSING--Bellwood, McNelis 8-17-1-173. Bishop McCort, Bainey 11-28-1-171
RECEIVING--Bellwood, Partner 3-104, Shawley 2-15, Plummer 2-31, Waite 1-23. Bishop McCort, Nash 4-33, Varga 3-52, Wiley 2-70, Putman 1-11, Delia 1-5.