The Blue Devils received a rough welcome to the LHAC with a 33-12 loss at Penns Valley on Friday night. Bellwood didn’t score until the second half and by that time the Rams had all the momentum.
Penns Valley started hot, returning the opening kickoff 90-yards for a touchdown, and never lost the lead. The Rams continued to put together good drives, but the Blue Devil defense kept them from scoring any more points in the first quarter.
Sophomore wide receiver Colin Gibbons had a 34-yard catch in the second quarter, which was the longest completion for Bellwood. Both teams went cold on offense until Rams running back Ty Watson scored a 71-yard rushing touchdown late in the second quarter to make it 14-0.
Bellwood received the kickoff after half and led a promising drive to the 7-yard line, but it ended in a fumble that Penns Valley recovered. Later in the 3rd quarter Penns Valley wide receiver John Meyer caught a 19-yard touchdown from quarterback Jackson Romig. The Blue Devils finally put points on the board with 1:32 left in the third quarter. Junior quarterback Holden Schreier threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Josh Dorminy. The PAT was missed and kept the score 21-6 in favor of the Rams.
Both teams were able to run the ball extremely well and the passing game wasn’t bad either, but Penns Valley was able to convert on more opportunities in the red zone. Bellwood scored on only two of their nine drives and to make things worse they missed both PAT’s.
“We played hard and didn’t give up, but in the end little mistakes hurt us,” said Dorminy.
The Rams continued to put it on Bellwood and scored another touchdown two seconds into the fourth quarter. Penns Valley was able to battle through penalty struggles all night. The Rams had 10 penalties for 70 yards compared to Bellwood who only had 4 penalties for 31 yards. The Blue Devils refused to quit and scored after Freshman running back Alex McCartney broke free on a 44-yard rushing touchdown. The PAT was missed and the score was now 27-12 with 10:09 left in the fourth quarter.
McCarntey was a bright spot for the Blue Devils the entire game and helped keep them in it. He ended the game with 23 carries for 208 rushing yards. Bellwood was able to get the ball back pretty quick, but a fumble in the end zone recovered by Penns Valley for a touchdown made the score 33-12.
The Blue Devils started the year against a rough opponent, but it’s a long season and there were many things to be happy about. The Blue Devils will try to bounce back on Friday against Westmont Hilltop for their first home game of the season
