Jackson Detterlein was close on the goal line for Central on Friday night against Bellwood.
John Hartsock
From jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
SPRING BURNING FORCE — The Central High School football program has won four straight District 6 Class 3A championships over the past four seasons, but first-year head coach Jerry Albright said they may have started to take some things for granted this year.
The Dragons were caught off guard in the season opener, losing 18-7 to Bellefonte on their home turf, but Central took that as a wake-up call and has since rattled off three straight wins, including a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory over previously unbeaten Bellwood Antis, 30-12, on Friday night at Roaring Spring Athletic Field.
“I guess we started this season a little bit complacent with what our team has done the past few seasons,” Albright said. “We lost our first game, but since then we’ve practiced hard, played hard and come together again.”
Central High School senior quarterback Eli Musler completed 20 of 37 passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns and also ran for a score on Friday night as Central improved to 3-1 overall and in the conference.
Central answered back with a Bellwood (3-1, 3-1 SEC) touchdown pass by Mussler down the seam to senior wide receiver Tide Mikel in the first quarter after sophomore back Bradyn Partner scored a touchdown on a 7-yard run to cap off the Blue Devils’ 74-yard opening drive. Mussler then ran for three yards for a touchdown in the second quarter and threw a perfect 5-yard pass to senior wide receiver Jay Hornstein into the far right corner of the end zone late in the second period to give the Scarlet Dragons a 23-6 lead by halftime.
“I thought it was important how we responded on offense after allowing the first touchdown of the game,” Mazler said. “We made plays and were able to score.”
Highlight of the game: A nice touchdown pass from Musler to Mikel jump-started Central’s offense.
MVP of the game: After the Scarlet Dragons fell behind early, Mazurer’s strong passing arm helped Central pull back.
Unsung hero: Senior running back Braydon Beach ran 13 times for 122 yards for Central, keeping the Bellwood defense on its toes against the pass-heavy Dragons. Senior linebacker Lucas Black made two big stops, one in the first half and one in the second, as the Bellwood offense tried to move the chains in fourth-down, one-yard situations. Black also had a two-point conversion run and after another Central touchdown, he passed to senior tight end Jackson Detterline for two more points.
The most important stat: For the third straight game, Mussler completed eight passes to Hornstein for a 78-yard touchdown, but he also distributed the ball and six Central receivers caught at least one pass. Mussler also completed an 8-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Kyle Klotz late in the fourth quarter to put Central ahead, 30-6.
Albright: “Our goal tonight was to control their running game and force them to throw the ball as much as possible. Our defense stepped up and played tonight. If Eli Musler can throw in the pocket long enough, he’s sure to find an open receiver.”
“When you have a quarterback as skilled as Mazurer on your team, you’re bound to see him perform,” Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Loverich said. “Their receivers performed well, too. Overall, they performed well tonight and we didn’t.”
Veach: “We were pretty balanced offensively tonight with both the run and the pass, and we were well prepared defensively.”
Black (on the fourth-down stop): “We were reading the other guards defensively. Our defensive line did a great job tonight, as did our linebackers and secondary guys.”
Highlights: Bellwood-Antis’ Collin Gibbons intercepted a pass and Central’s Court Conley recovered a fumble … Griffin Kyle caught six passes for Bellwood and Gibbons had five. Senior quarterback Holden Schreier scored on a 12-yard touchdown run just before time expired for Bellwood.
Records: Bellwood-Antis (3-1), Central (3-1)
Next week: Bellwood Antis hosts Tyrone on Friday night, while Central takes on Bishop Guilfoyle Academy at Tiger Stadium in Hollidaysburg.
Scoring per quarter
Bellwood-Antis 6 0 0 6–12
Center 8 15 0 7–30
First Quarter
BA – Partner 7 execution (failed execution), 8:13.
C-Michael, 33 pass from Musler (Black run), 2:23.
Second Quarter
C-Mazurer 3 run (Deter line pass from Black), 7:46.
C-Hornstein 5, pass from Musler (steal kick), 1:27.
Fourth Quarter
C-Klotz 8, pass from Mussler (Hummel kick), 3:13.
BA-Schreier 12 runs, 0:00.
Team Statistics BA C
First Down 13 19
Total yards 334 366
Rush yards 38-197 25-149
Passing yards 137 217
Path (comp.-att.-int.) 14-21-0 20-37-1
Punts/Average 2-24 1-50
Fumble lost 2-1 0-0
Penalty Yards 4-25 9-75
Personal Statistics
Rushing – Bellwood-Antis, Partners 10-64, Gibbons 9-60, Pellegrin 7-29, Schreier 4-16, Kyle 1-(-1).Central, Beech 13-122, Mikel 4-18, Musler 6-5, Musey 1-3, Harbaugh 1-1.
Passing – Bellwood-Ante, Schreyer 14-21-0-137. Centre, Musler 20-37-1-217.
Receiving – Bellwood-Antis, Kyle 6-32, Gibbons 5-43, Pellegrin 2-56, Shorey 1-6. Central, Hornstein 8-78, Beech 4-16, Mikel 3-47, Klotz 3-26, Baird 1-34, Detterlein 1-16.
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