BA’s Ethan Shorey (24) caught a pass for a big gain, then McCourt Carroll’s Brady Page (6) tackled him. Mirror photo: Roger Kerekes
JOHNSTOWN — The Bellwood Aunties Blue Devils survived a thrilling 34-33 loss to McCourt vs. Carroll Catholic on Friday night at Sargents Stadium at the Point to finish the regular season with a 7-3 record. Ta. Bellwood Aunties built a 34-21 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter thanks to one of senior Kayden Peregrine’s three touchdown runs.
From there, Bellwood-Antis had to endure a comeback attack from McCourt-Carroll, including a two-point conversion try that would have given the Crimson Crushers the lead. The Blue Devils’ defense also ended the game with a sack of McCourt Carroll quarterback Angelo Gallucci on the final drive that clinched the victory.
How the game played out: The Blue Devils were leading 21-16 in the third quarter when Bellwood Ante beat McCourt Carroll, but a pass play from Gallucci to wide receiver Bentley Vaney allowed the Crushers a 30-yard gain. , he fumbled the ball. , installed Bellwood Anti in the Crusher’s area. On the second play of the next possession, Bellwood Antis quarterback Holden Schreier uncovered Jeffrey Waite for a 55-yard touchdown. This sequence earned the Blue Devils one point, a lead they would not relinquish for the rest of the game.
Player of the Game: Holden Schreier has to accept this distinction. Entering Friday night’s game, the Bellwood Aunties were averaging just 118 passing yards per game, but Schrier was 16-of-25 passing for 355 passing yards. The senior quarterback threw for one touchdown and ran for another.
The unsung hero: Kayden Peregrine was tasked with colliding with the stout McCourt-Carroll defense throughout the game. It took him 26 carries, but he finished with 110 yards and three touchdowns. The senior back had a workmanlike effort and was a mainstay on the Blue Devils’ defense.
Most important stat: 355 passing yards from Bellwood.
-Anti attack. The Blue Devils haven’t shown that type of passing all season, but the steep slope created cracks in McCourt and Carroll’s defense that paid big dividends.
Bellwood Antis coach Nick Lovrich: “Our kids, they’ve been competing all season. It’s good that they’ve been battle-tested. Bishop McCourt is a very good football team. , it was a classic high school football game. This is what they dreamed about when they talked about the Laurel Highlands crossover, so the kids stepped up and finished it off. It was good to see them make some plays and win.”
McCourt-Carroll coach Tom Smith: “At the end of the day, I’d like to congratulate them. They played really tough tonight and came out here to get a big win at points, so ( Congratulations to Bellwood. We didn’t do enough to prepare the team tonight.”
Bellwood Aunty running back Kayden Peregrine: “Bishop McCourt, they’re a team you could see in the playoffs. They’re AA, District 6, they’re a really good team you could see in the playoffs. It shows that we can compete with the good teams in District 6 2A and that if we get the right momentum, make the right plays and play the way we can, we can go all the way.
Record: Bellwood vs. Antis (7 wins, 3 losses). McCourt vs. Carroll (5-5)
Score per quarter
Bellwood-Antis 8 8 12 6 — 34
McCourt-Carroll 7 8 6 12 — 33
1st quarter
BM — Gallucci 26 runs (conner kick)
BA — Peregrine 4 Run (Peregrine Run)
2nd quarter
BM — Delia 56 run (Gallucci run)
BA — Schreier 2 runs (Shorley pass from Schreier)
3rd quarter
BM — Delia 24 runs (missed pass)
BA — Waiting for pass 55 from Schreier (missed run)
BA — Execute Peregrine 33 (Execution Failure)
4th quarter
BA — Peregrine 5 runs (failure to pass)
BM — Farabaugh 29 Pass from Gallucci (missed kick)
BM — Delia 1 execution (execution failure)
Team statistics BA BM
First down 11 11
Total yards 501 453
Rush Yards 42-145 33-226
Passing Yards 355 227
path (comp.-att.-int.) 16-24-0 14-27-1
Penalty Yards 4-30 7-55
personal statistics
Rushing – Bellwood, Peregrine 26-110, Schreier 12-39, Gibbons 3-4, Kyle 1-1. McCourt-Carroll, Gallucci 14-77, Farabaugh 2-9, Delia 14-126, Spontac 1-9, Pages 1-5.
Passing – Bellwood-Antti, Schreier 16-24-0-355; McCourt-Carroll, Gallucci 14-27-1-227.
Reception – Bellwood-Anti, Gibbons 6-94, Shorey 6-130, Peregrine 3-76, Weight: 1-55. McCourt-Carroll, Dresic 5-81, Delia 3-36, Page 1-10, Baney 3-50, Spontac 1-21, Farabaugh 1-29.
