Bellwood-Antis fell to the Central Scarlet Dragons at Memorial Stadium Friday evening with a final of 30-12. The Blue Devils opened strong offensively but ultimately couldn’t finish drives or defend against the pass.
Bellwood-Antis kicked off the first half with a 74-yard drive downfield. Senior Cayden Pellegrine helped move the chains with a pair of runs and a 13-yard reception. Sophomore Bradyn Partner capped off the drive with a 7-yard rush to the endzone. The Dragons were able to stop the two point conversion attempt producing a 6-0 BA lead.
Central’s offense quickly responded led by quarterback Eli Muthler. Muthler found senior wideout Thaide Mickel with a 33-yard pass up the middle to start Central’s scoring. The Dragons’ defense then put together a stop punctuated by their first sack of the game.
The second quarter began with the Dragons third possession of the game. Central raced down the field, eating up almost four minutes of play. Muthler was eventually able to find a seam from three yards out for another touchdown. After a botched hold on the PAT, Lukas Black hit Jaxon Detterline for two more to add on to a 16-6 Central lead.
Central’s defense then quickly turned the ball back over to the offense.
Before the end of the half, the Dragons were able to put together a nine-play drive with the help of a couple receptions by wide receiver Jay Hoenstine. Muthler eventually found Hoenstine on a corner fade route to tack on six more. The ensuing PAT was good, totaling a score of 23-6 going into the half.
The second half was slow offensively. The Blue Devils found themselves with an opportunity to close the gap after Holden Schreier landed a 45-yard pass to Pellegrine. This put the ball on Central’s 18-yard line. However, the following play Central’s defense forced a fumble to turn the ball over.
Bellwood-Antis was able to limit the damage, not allowing any points in the third quarter.
Junior Colin Gibbons commented on the defensive shift in the second half, saying “we made adjustments in the secondary, switching from zone to man, and we were all assigned on a man.” This created additional pressure on Muthler. Despite this effort, the fourth quarter opened with Muthler hooking up with Kyle Klotz for an 8-yard touchdown. After the successful PAT, the Dragons finished off their scoring with a 30-6 advantage.
The Blue Devils did construct a solid drive to end the game. As time expired, Schreier found running room and rushed from 12 yards out to set the final score at 30-12 Central.
Bellwood-Antis now looks to bounce back Friday the 20th against Tyrone. The Golden Eagles are 2-2 on the year led by senior QB Ashton Walk. Tyrone has outscored their opponents 104-99 in their first four matchups.
“We can use this loss as motivation to work on the little things and prepare for next week,” Schreier said.
You can link to a photo story from the game here.
