BA goes toe to toe against a talented Southern Huntington squad
Nick Watters is one of four B-A running backs with more than 300 rushing yards this season.
October 20, 2017
Following an extremely close game against Mount Union, the B-A Blue Devils face off against a strong 7-1 Southern Huntington squad at Memorial Stadium tonight on Senior Night.
It’s agame that has implications in the conference and for the upcoming District 6 playoffs.
The Rockets only loss this year came against the Trojans.
On paper Southern Huntington has the stronger defense of the two teams. The Rockets have allowed 105 total points this year, compared to the Blue Devils’ 107.
It may not be a big difference, but the B-A defense has been considered one of the best in the conference.
When it comes to offense, the Blue Devils seem to have the advantage. B-A has outscored Southern Huntington 318-270 over the course of the season.
The Rocket’s work horse is Nic Devlin, who has an astounding 140 carries already this season for 1,045-yards and 11 touchdowns. Compare that to the Blue Devils main running back Thor Schmittle, who has 85 carries for 707 yards and 11 touchdowns
The Blue Devil defensive line ran out of gas a little last week against Mount Union’s Duante Marti, and they look to recover against another talented back.
Chris Wertman had some insight for how the D-line is going to stop Devlin.
“We just have to clog the gaps and let our linebacker come in and make tackles. It’s just like any other running back,” he said.
The Blue Devils offense is deep, using three main running backs. Bellwood-Antis has four backs with more than 300-yards: quarterback Shawn Wolfe, Eric Morder Morder, Schmittle, and Nick Watters.
Blue Devil kicker Alex Schmoke has been in the background scoring unrecognized points. Alex has hit 41 of his 42 PAT attempts this season and 2 of 3 field goals, for 47 points. Schmoke is playing his first season on the Blue Devil squad as a junior. Prior to football he was a soccer player.
Alex changed his fall sport of choice to football because “Mr. Lovrich had a lot of influence on my decision. It’s a football town and I knew there was an opening at kicker, so I figured to be a part of the high school football experience.”
In a game as closely matched as B-A’s tilt with the Rockets tonight, Schmoke’s leg may be a factor.
Come out and support your Blue Devils tonight at 7 at memorial stadium. Tonight is also Senior night, the seniors will be recognized before the game starts.
