BG defense shuts down Bellwood-Antis
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The old sports adage holds that defense wins championships.
If that's the case, the Bishop Guilfoyle Academy football program, which has won five PIAA Class 1A state championships since 2014, could be a good bet to capture a sixth this December.
The Marauders' lock-down defense has allowed an average of less than eight points per game and registered its third shutout this season on Saturday night, helping Bishop Guilfoyle win a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference showdown with county rival Bellwood-Antis, 10-0, at Mansion Park.
"Our saying on defense is to bend but not break,'' said BG all-state senior defensive end Rocco Cacciotti, whose big fourth-down stop at the Marauders' 29 stifled Bellwood's best drive of the night midway through the third quarter and kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard.
The Marauders did just that -- bending but not breaking -- through all four quarters of Saturday's victory, which hiked BG's record to 6-1.
Bellwood (5-2) had two excellent scoring opportunities early in the first quarter thwarted by the BG defensive unit.
On the game's opening offensive series, Bellwood marched from its own 37 to the BG 13 before Marauders junior safety Jay Wheeler made a big fourth-down stop on Blue Devils senior star running back Alex McCartney, keeping Bellwood 2 yards short of extending the drive.
After a pass interception by Bellwood senior Bradyn Partner on BG's ensuing possession, Bellwood lost 4 yards on a running play and had two incomplete passes before attempting a 43-yard field goal that sailed wide.
"We played pretty well defensively tonight,'' BG coach Justin Wheeler said. "Our defense bailed us out all night.''
That fact, plus another very strong offensive game from Wheeler's son, Jay, at the quarterback position, gave BG enough of a foundation to win a classic rock fight.
The fleet-footed Jay Wheeler rushed for 190 yards on 27 carries, and played the lead role in the only touchdown drive of the night scored by either team, in the second quarter.
BG's Jay Wheeler picks up yardage before getting stopped by Bellwood's Curtis Shedlock. Photo for the Mirror by Jeremy Boland
BG put together a 78-yard, 10-play drive that was fueled by Jay Wheeler's 26-yard run and a 21-yard pass completion from sophomore quarterback Landon Shellenberger to junior tight end Monroe Gates. With BG facing a fourth down-and-9 situation at the Bellwood 34 moments later, Jay Wheeler took a direct snap, found an opening in the middle of the field and raced all the way to the B-A 1-yard line, from where he scored on the very next play.
"He's been great all year long,'' Justin Wheeler said of his son, who also had a third-quarter interception on defense. "The best players step up at the biggest times in games, and he has done a great job.''
Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich saluted BG for making all the necessary plays, particularly on defense.
"Hats off to BG,'' Lovrich said. "We stood toe-to-toe with them tonight, but they're the number one (ranked PIAA Class 1A) team for a reason. They made several stops against us in the red zone tonight. They're a very good football team.''
Even so, the game wasn't secured for BG until late in the fourth quarter, when a strip by junior defensive lineman Declan Peterson caused a fumble that was recovered by senior BG nose guard/defensive tackle Enzo Lascoli at the Bellwood 17, setting up a 35-yard field goal by Marauders junior kicker Carter Boland with 25 seconds left, that set the 10-0 final score.
"I was getting double-teamed, I spun out of it, I saw that the ball had been punched out, and I jumped on it and cradled it,'' Lascoli said.
Play of the game: Jay Wheeler's 33-yard second-quarter run took the Marauders from the fourth down-and-9 yards situation to the doorstep of the end zone, paving the way for him to score the game's only touchdown moments later.
Player of the game: While BG's entire defensive unit deserves to take a bow, Jay Wheeler's 190 rushing yards, touchdown run and defensive contributions made a pivotal difference in the outcome of the game.
Most vital statistic: Bellwood had drives stalled by the BG defense at the Marauders' 13-, 26-, 29- and 36-yard lines.
Notable: The Marauders celebrated senior night with the pregame introduction of players, cheerleaders and members of the marching band. BG seniors who were recognized included Cacciotti, Lascoli, Evan Schimminger, Jack Gioiosa, Connor Okonak and Xavier Rogers ... Chase Plummer had an interception, and Griffin Blake recovered a fumble for Bellwood.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (5-2); Bishop Guilfoyle (6-1).
Next week: Bellwood-Antis hosts Chestnut Ridge Friday night. Bishop Guilfoyle hosts Forest Hills Saturday night.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellwood-Antis 0 0 0 0 -- 0
Bishop Guilfoyle 0 7 0 3--10
Second Quarter
BG--Wheeler 1 run (Boland kick), 5:33.
Fourth Quarter
BG--Boland 35 field goal, 0:25.
TEAM STATISTICS BA BG
First downs 10 14
Total yards 163 246
Rushes-yards 32-137 41-210
Yards passing 26 36
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 6-26-1 3-10-2
Punts/avg. 4-37.5 2-39
Fumbles-lost 1-1 5-1
Penalties-yards 8-50 5-35
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bellwood-Antis, McCartney 16-61, Partner 12-47, Plummer 4-29. Bishop Guilfoyle, Wheeler 27-190, Hewitt 8-16, Schimminger 4-13, Shellenberger 2-(-9).
PASSING--Bellwood-Antis, Partner 6-24-1-26. Bishop Guilfoyle, Wheeler 1-6-1-10, Shellenberger 2-4-1-26.
RECEIVING--Bellwood-Antis, Shawley 4-19, Waite 1-6, McCartney 1-1. Bishop Guilfoyle, Schimminger 2-15, Gates 1-21.