Devils steamroll Pirates in ICC showdown
Balanced attack too much for Williamsburg to handle
B-A won the battle of the trenches in a big win over Williamsburg on the road Friday.
October 3, 2016
The Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils continued to stay on top this week with a 34-6 victory over the Blue Pirates of Williamsburg on the road Friday night.
Going into the game both teams seemed to be evenly set. Both the Pirates and the Devils had a record of 4-1 and averaged slightly more than 33 points per game.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Devils knew they needed to up their game if they wanted to get the win.
“Every play we had confidence, and that allowed us to take over as the game went on,” said senior running back Duke Brunner.
Brunner scored in the first quarter before the Pirates came back to get within a point in the second at 7-6.
Brunner had another great night, rushing for 72 yards on 18 carries for 2 touchdowns. Along with Sawyer Kline, who ran for 50 yards on 12 carries, and Thor Schmittle, who had 34 yards on 6 carries and a third-quarter touchdown, B-A was able to win the battle at the line of scrimmage.
“The run game was good,” said Brunner. “Just because our running yards seem low doesn’t mean we’re bad. We work hard for every yard.”
Brunner pulled through with another touchdown in the second quarter with a 2-yard run into the end zone, followed by a PAT from Brendan Kowalski. That made it 14-6.
Then came the dagger.
In the final seconds of the first half Kowalski had a 68 yard completion from Jarrett Taneyhill to give the Blue Devils a 20-6 lead.
After halftime the Devils were able to keep a strong front and held the Pirates on defense while also scoring twice more.
Schmittle scored on a three yard run in the third with a PAT from Kowalski.
“I was happy to see B-A pride throughout the game,” Brunner said. “That gave us the desire to beat a good team.”
In the fourth quarter Taneyhill snuck in for eight yards to score and a PAT by Kowalski to follow to put the score at 34-6.
The Blue Devils showed improvement on their defense and held the Pirates for 146 yards.
Senior lineman Austin Desch said B-A’s attitude played a big part in the win.
“I’m always satisfied with our team, win or lose,” he said. “It’s a great team to be a part of. We beat a good team. We made plays when we needed them.”
