Friday night, Bellwood traveled to Penn Cambria to take on the Panthers. Penn Cambria won the game 30-18 in an ugly fashion. The Blue Devils battled all game, but couldn’t come out on top.
Bellwood drops to a record of 1-7 and Penn Cambria improves to 7-1.
“We have talked to our guys every week that we can compete with every team on our schedule. We thought we battled with a very good AAA team Friday night. The effort and desire from the team was there. We have grown as a team the last couple weeks and that is part of the journey,” said Coach Nick Lovrich.
Readers can view the entire game below.
Penn Cambria opened the game with a dominant drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown catch by Carter McDermott. This was the start of a great game for the Penn Cambria wide receivers. McDermott and Gavin Harold both went over 100 receiving yards with a touchdown each.
Bellwood’s defense was able to keep the Panther’s out of the end zone for the rest of the quarter.
The effort and desire from the team was there. We have grown as a team the last couple weeks and that is part of the journey.
— Coach Lovrich
Regardless of the score, Bellwood’s defense played well all game. They totaled 7 tackles for loss, 4 sacks, and 2 interceptions.
Junior, Cayden Pellegrine, has stepped up big for the Blue Devil defense as of late. Pellegrine had 14 total tackles against the Panthers, with 4 being TFL’s. Pellegrine also added a receiving touchdown in the second half.
“Feels good. I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help us win,” said Pellegrine.
Penn Cambria struck again early in the second quarter on a 7-yard rushing touchdown by Thomas Plunkett. The Panthers led 14-0 at this point.
The next Blue Devil drive ended in a hit on quarterback Holden Schreier that resulted in a fumble. Penn Cambria took the fumble back for a touchdown to go up 20-0.
Bellwood Junior Griffin Kyle intercepted a pass by Panthers quarterback Brady Jones on the next Penn Cambria drive.
Jones looks like a very promising player for Penn Cambria. He is a Sophomore starting at quarterback with 1,280 passing yards and 17 touchdowns to 3 interceptions through 8 games. Bellwood is responsible for two of the three picks.
The Blue Devils capitalized off the interception and on the next drive scored their first touchdown of the game. Griffin Kyle caught a big pass and was tackled at the 2-yard line to set up the touchdown. Bellwood handed the ball off to Alex McCartney and he punched a 2-yard run into the end zone.
McCartney had 2 touchdowns and 56 rushing yards to push his season total to over 1,000 rushing yards as a freshman. This was somewhat of a down game for McCartney, who had been averaging 136.5 rushing yards per game before this contest.
McCartney’s low rushing total can be somewhat attributed to a Bellwood offense that passed the ball 26 times. The Blue Devils were down big early, so their hand was pushed when it came to taking more risks with the passing game.
“Our original game plan was not working so we made adjustments and that included throwing the ball more than normal. Holden did a good job stepping up when he needed to, not only with his arm but also his legs,” said Coach Lovrich.
The Blue Devils headed into the locker room down 20-6 with a two possession deficit.
Bellwood received the kick to start the second half and led another good drive. Schreier threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Pellegrine. The Blue Devils shrunk the lead to eight halfway through the third quarter.
Schreier had 133 passing yards and a touchdown. He was able to spread the ball around with 5 different receivers catching a pass. This was another promising game for Schreier’s future as he showed the coaches he can pass the ball well and break off some runs. Schreier had a 26 yard run after escaping from pressure in the backfield.
Penn Cambria was able to break a near 20 minute scoring drought with a 12-yard field goal late in the third quarter to put the Panther’s up 23-12.
A big story in this game was Penn Cambria’s penalty issue. The Panthers totaled 12 penalties for 100 yards. The Panthers weren’t scoring and were making it harder on themselves by not being able to play clean football.
Another big story was an injury suffered by Bellwood Junior Jackson Grassmyer. The game was delayed as the medical stuff loaded Grassmyer on to a stretcher for a very serious leg injury. Grassmyer is a starter on the offensive line for the Blue Devils.
The Panthers battled through this and put up another score on a 47-yard touchdown pass to Harold. Penn Cambria now led 30-12 with about 6 minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Bellwood came back at the Panthers and scored on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by McCartney, but it was too late for a comeback. Penn Cambria got the ball back and ran out the clock to end the game with a 30-18 lead.
Bellwood hosts Bald Eagle this Friday in another game against a good opponent. Bald Eagle is a pass heavy team averaging 266 passing yards a game. Bald Eagles only loss this season is against Clearfield. Bellwood will have to play a great game on Friday to come away with the win.
