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EBENSBURG -- Central Cambria ended up needing just two big plays on Friday night to get a win over a team that was almost a mirror image of them.
The Red Devils got a 30-yard touchdown pass from Mason Pittsinger to Ridge Kutchman, and Ryan Chappell ran in a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter in a 13-0 win over Bellwood-Antis on Friday night.
"It was two mirror teams and two teams that pride themselves on being physical," Central Cambria coach Wade Klezek said. "They pride themselves on wearing the other guys down and making key plays in big moments. To do that against (Bellwood) as we're getting ready for playoffs gives us a lot of confidence. It makes these guys feel like they're really ready to go."
Chappell, who has been a workhorse that the Red Devils have leaned on all season, turned in another solid performance behind a stellar effort from his offensive line. Chappell finished with 142 rushing yards on 23 carries.
"We have the best offensive line in the LHAC. I'll stand by that," Chappell said. "Hayden Gaunt, Hunter Spochart, Kolten Strickenberger, Eric Jackson, Nolan Gironda -- those guys are dogs. I love running behind them."
The Blue Devils found themselves in Central Cambria territory six times in the game, but only once in the red zone. Bellwood was led by running back Alex McCartney with 23 rushes for exactly 100 yards on the ground.
"We just couldn't get drives finished," Lovrich said. "Hats off to Central Cambria. I thought they played a really good football game. They're tough kids."
Play of the game: On the first play of the fourth quarter, Central Cambria had a third-and-4 from the Bellwood 29. The Red Devils turned to Chappell, who burst through a hole for a 29-yard touchdown that gave Central Cambria a 13-0 lead.
Player of the game: Chappell finished with 142 yards on 23 carries. Most of it came in the second half when Central Cambria needed to burn as much clock as possible.
Unsung heroes: The entire Central Cambria defense put up a great effort to shut out the Blue Devils. Joe Giles had an interception in the first half, and the defense also got a fumble recovery in the second half.
Most deceiving statistic: Central Cambria only had one more yard than Bellwood, beating them in total offense, 208-207.
Klezek: "I'm super confident. I'll ride with this team through thick and thin. This is a group that just cares so much about each other, loves to play physical football, and they'll fight until the end."
Lovrich: "This loss is going to sting, but we're still pretty much where we thought we probably would be in the top-3 of districts. We have to bounce back from this and shower this off. We told them no one is going to care next week what you did this week. Those are the big games. Our kids just have to be ready to play."
Chappell: "We're all healthy. We're all good. We don't have any problems right now. No matter who we play, we have a good chance to beat them."
Notable: Bellwood's leading receiver in Ethan Shawley and lineman Bryson Hescox both left the game with injuries. ... The Blue Devils only needed to punt once, but it was just a 9-yard punt after the snap went over punter Jackson Dorminy's head and nearly went for a safety out of the end zone. ... Both teams had 11 first downs apiece.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (7-3); Central Cambria (8-2)
Next week: Central Cambria got the third seed in the District 6 Class 3A playoffs and will travel to No. 2 Cambria Heights. Bellwood is the third seed in the 2A playoffs and will host No. 6 Bald Eagle Area.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellwood-Antis 0 0 0 0 — 0
Central Cambria 0 6 0 7 — 13
Second Quarter
CC — Kutchman 30 pass from Pittsinger, (kick blocked), 2:29
Fourth Quarter
CC — Chappell 29 run, (Conner kick), 11:51
TEAM STATISTICS BA CC
First downs 11 11
Total yards 207 208
Rushes-yards 35-126 32-163
Yards passing 81 45
Pass (comp.-att.-int.) 7-14-1 4-8-0
Punts-avg. 1-9 3-29
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-50 4-30
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 23-100, Plummer 6-14, Partner 6-12. Central Cambria, Chappell 23-142, Pittsinger 4-12, Dawson 4-12, Team 3-(-3).
PASSING--Bellwood-Antis, Partner 7-14-81-0-1. Central Cambria, Pittsinger 4-7-45-1-0; Chappell 0-1-0-0-0.
RECEIVING--Bellwood-Antis, Waite 3-47, Shawley 1-29, Plummer 2-6, Shedlock 1-(-1). Central Cambria, Kutchman 1-30, Dawson 2-10, Conner 1-5.