This Friday the Bellwood-Antis Blue Devils take on the Tyrone Eagles at Memorial Stadium in the Backyard Brawl. The Backyard Brawl will be one of the biggest games of the regular season for both teams.
This matchup looks to be pretty even as the Devils have a record of 3-1 and the Eagles are 2-2. Tyrone seems to have the upper hand in the passing game with 858 yards so far. This is compared to Bellwood-Antis with 421.
The Eagles are led by senior quarterback Ashton Walk, who recently broke the Tyrone record for all-time passing touchdowns. He is going into Friday’s game with 65.
However, the Blue Devils take the cake in the rushing scene, carrying the ball 902 yards this season. Bellwood-Antis has been led by junior Colin Gibbons and sophomore Bradyn Partner on the ground. Gibbons has 42 carries for 357 yards in just the first 4 games. Partner is close behind with 36 carries and 261 yards.
“I think our line has done well this season”, he said. “We need to have good pass protection because we know that’s what their focus will be. We can’t be satisfied.”
Each team has key flaws they’re looking to improve on. The Blue Devils have struggled recently with turnovers in the Backyard Brawl . Last year, Bellwood-Antis gave up the ball twice while Tyrone turned it over one time. The Eagles ended up winning that game.
Tyrone’s main defect is their run game. They give up 184 rushing yards per game, and Bellwood-Antis puts up 225 yards per game on average.
This game really comes down to the Blue Devils’ ability to guard the Eagle’s passing game. Then, right along with that, can Tyrone defend the run? The Backyard Brawl is sure to be a dramatic display of talent and emotion.
