The day has finally come: The backyard brawl, a tale as old as time. The backyard brawl is a widely known rivalry game between Bellwood-Antis and Tyrone. For this year’s game Tyrone comes in at a record of 3-1, and Bellwood’s sitting at 2-2. Both of these teams are stacked full of talent which should make this game an instant classic. Bellwood has won 4 out of the last 6, but Tyrone is up 54-31 all time. With all this info it’s time to look back at some of the best games in the past 25 years.
1. 2019. I put this game at Number 1 because I can vividly remember this game, and it was just such an amazing game. In 2019 Bellwood beat by Tyrone with a score of 35-32. This game actually went to double OT and was an insanely entertaining game the whole time. The first quarter of this game ended with Bellwood up 7-0. By the end of the first half Tyrone was leading 15-7. After the 3rd quarter ended it was a tied ball game with the score 15-15. By the end of regulation, it was all tied up 29-29. The first OT had no touchdowns or points scored. The second OT had Tyrone scoring first with a field goal, however this wouldn’t be enough because just a couple plays later Bellwood scored a touchdown and the game was over. Bellwood won 35-32.
2. 2000. This game might not be as exciting as most, but it made my list because of the irony it had later on in the season. The reason I ranked this matchup so highly is because Bellwood completely upset the Eagles (defending state champs) by a score of 19-0. The reason that this is kind of ironic is because both of these teams were really talented, and they both made it to the district 6 championship where they faced off for the second time that year. Sadly, Tyrone ended up pulled away with a 28-3 victory. Since this game is an older one there aren’t that many stats, which I’m not able to go into depth/detail.
3. 2017. This game was an absolutely fantastic game, and one for the ages. The reason this game is at #3 is because it went to overtime, and Bellwood came out on top. Although this game didn’t hold too much scoring it was still a very entertaining game like usual. There was no scoring through the first quarter. During the second quarter Bellwood scored on a run by Eric Morder and ended the first half up 7-0. The third quarter had Tyrone scoring the equalizer, and then Ethan Vipond put Tyrone ahead with a field goal in overtime. But Shawn Wolfe sprinted for a 10-yard touchdown when the Devils got the ball and sent the home crows into a frenzy.
HM: 2024. B-A trailed at halftime but got four interceptions and in the second half to win 28-21.
