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Getting the ‘Brawl’ rolling: Bellwood-Antis wastes no time in jumping on rival Tyrone

By Andy Stine 5 min read

BELLWOOD -- Just a week after giving up a pair of interceptions returned for touchdowns in its first loss of the season against Central, Bellwood-Antis got one back at a key time from Jackson Dorminy.

The Blue Devils will always take one of them in the annual tradition of the Backyard Brawl against Tyrone.

The pick-6 came at a time when the Golden Eagles were putting together their first possible scoring drive when a Ben Walk pass was tipped and landed in the hands of Dorminy, who sprinted 65 yards for the score.

The pick-6 was just one example of a night where everything went right for the Blue Devils in a 37-14 victory over Tyrone at John R. Hayes Field at Memorial Stadium.

"That's a drill we do in practice -- the tip drill," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said. "He got it, and took it the whole way. The other 10 guys on the field were doing their job blocking. That's a team thing. It creates a lot of excitement."

Lovrich moved to 6-3 in the Backyard Brawl, including beating the Golden Eagles in the last three meetings.

Usually the rule is to throw the records out in a rivalry such as the Backyard Brawl because the game will almost always be close. But this year was an exception as Bellwood had a 37-0 lead at halftime.

The Blue Devils seemingly always had the ball in the first half as it ran 34 of its 49 total plays in the first two quarters.

"That was a great start by our kids," Lovrich said. "They had the stop to start the game, and then we went 96 yards for a touchdown. That's just awesome the kids were able to do that. That gave us some confidence."

It was Jason Jones' first experience in coaching the Backyard Brawl. Jones admitted his team needed to make a big play, but never did.

"Offense has been a little bit of a struggle for us," Jones said. "I thought we moved the ball a little better tonight, but we shot ourselves in the foot too much. It's something we have to clean up and we will. A game like this and you shoot yourself in the foot that many times, you're not going to get the outcome you want."

Play of the game: Dorminy's tip drill interception gave the Blue Devils a 21-0 lead on a night where the Bellwood defense was already shining.

Player of the game: There could be a lot of candidates for the Blue Devils, but give the nod to quarterback Bradyn Partner, who did damage with his arm and his legs. Partner carried the ball nine times for 97 yards, including a 47-yard jaunt on his team's first drive. He was also 3 of 6 for 40 yards passing.

Unsung heroes: Bellwood's run game, always a staple for Blue Devil football, went for 259 yards on the ground. Alex McCartney ran for 75 yards and two touchdowns, white Chase Plummer added 39 yards and another score.

Most deceiving statistic: Bellwood only had a 41-yard advantage for the game at 299-258. The Golden Eagles got a 90-yard rushing touchdown from Kayden Kustenbauder in the final minute of the game to make the number a little closer.

Lovrich: "We were probably doubting ourselves a little bit after last week's loss. Our kids stepped up and played really well tonight."

Jones: "It's easy to sit there and say, 'We didn't play our best game -- blah blah blah.' I still don't think at 37-14 we're a team that's that much worse than them. But they earned every bit of it tonight. They were as good as advertised. They're going to be tough for whoever plays them in the 2A portion of the district."

Dorminy on the interception returned for a touchdown: "I needed one. I hadn't had one all year. We all needed one as a team. That was our first defensive touchdown of the year, and it felt good."

Notable: The Backyard Brawl Trophy will remain in Bellwood-Antis' school for the third straight year. The trophy has been presented for the past 21 years and is now managed by the Tyrone Monogram Club. ... Both teams will want to clean up penalties. The Blue Devils had seven penalties for 75 yards, while the Eagles were dinged six times for 72 yards. ... Other than Kustenbauder's 90-yard TD run at the end, Reid Starr led Tyrone with 79 rushing yards on 19 carries.

Records: Tyrone (3-2); Bellwood-Antis (4-1).

Next week: Both teams are back at home. Tyrone hosts Bishop Guilfoyle, while Bellwood entertains Philipsburg-Osceola.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Tyrone 0 0 0 14 -- 14

Bellwood-Antis 14 23 0 0 -- 37

First Quarter

BA--McCartney 1 run, (Smearman kick), 5:32

BA--McCartney 31 run, (Smearman kick), :44

Second Quarter

BA--Dorminy 65 interception return, (Smearman kick), 10:21

BA--Partner 14 run, (kick failed), 5:05

BA--Plummer 11 run, (Smearman kick), 2:00

BA--Smearman 22 field goal, :00

Fourth Quarter

T--Emigh 36 pass from Walk, (Novak kick), 8:05

T--Kustenbauder 90 run, (Novak kick), :17

TEAM STATISTICS T BA

First downs 10 18

Total yards 258 299

Rushes-yards 23-162 43-259

Yards passing 96 40

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 5-15-2 3-6-0

Punts-avg. 3-36.6 3-36

Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-0

Penalties-yards 6-72 7-75

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Tyrone, Kustenbauder 1-90, Starr 19-79, Robinson 1-0, Walk 2-(-7). Bellwood-Antis, Partner 9-97, McCartney 14-75, Ch. Plummer 8-39, Cherry 5-20, Evans 2-10, McCloskey 1-8, Mountain 2-7, Crist 2-3.

PASSING--Tyrone, Walk 5-15-96-1-2. Bellwood-Antis, Partner 3-6-40-0-0.

RECEIVING--Tyrone, Emigh 5-96. Bellwood-Antis, Shawley 3-40.

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