John Fleck
For the mirror
After a slow start last week, Bishop Guilfoyle Academy placed extra emphasis on getting off to fast starts, and the Marauders put that and more into practice Saturday night against Bellefonte.
BG got the ball in the end zone on their first five possessions and once on defense in the game at Mansion Park to stay unbeaten with a 41-7 Mercy Rule victory. Hamilton Gates put on a show for the hometown fans, scoring four touchdowns in the first half.
“We came into practice this week with the mindset that we weren’t going to miss three attempts in a row at the start of the game,” Gates said. “We just wanted to get on them early and we did.”
Gates ran 47 yards on the second play from scrimmage and then ran 14 yards to score before jumping high to catch a pass at the goal line for a 10-yard touchdown. The senior wide receiver then received a screen pass 52 yards to the house.
He capped off the game with a deep pass from a defender and sprinted to the end zone for a 74-yard touchdown late in the first half, then completed a jump pass to Jake Kissel for the two-point conversion.
“I can definitely say he has made me a better coach,” BG coach Justin Wheeler said, “I’ve been fortunate to be around a lot of great athletes over the last 10-15 years at BG, but he’s in that top group. Every time he touches the ball, everyone in the stadium watches with bated breath because he can score at any time.”
Stars of the Game: Gates had five catches for 160 yards and four runs for 67 yards. Quarterback Chase Kissel also had a strong game, completing 10 of 13 passes for 215 yards and three touchdowns for Gates, and returning an interception 72 yards for a score.
Kissel said of the pick-six, “I saw a back coming out of the backfield, so I made a play on the ball. I saw a gap on the sideline, so I took it. I was a little out of gas. I was breathing hard, but I got into the end zone.”
Unsung heroes: Defensive ends Connor McElhenny and Jake Kissel played key roles in thwarting Bellefonte’s rushing attack, with McElhenny even recovering a fumble.
Wheeler: “We knew they liked to run the ball, especially on the perimeter, so we really communicated that to our defense. Connor McElhenney was great, running jet sweeps and making plays from sideline to sideline, while Jake Kissel really stepped up in the second quarter. Those guys really shined.”
Key stats: In addition to Kissell’s interception and McElhenney’s fumble recovery, Jesse Georgiana and Tyler Restich also recovered fumbles, helping BG win the turnover battle, 4-1.
Bellefonte coach Tony Kanfer: “I don’t think we had the right feeling when we got off the bus and we stumbled early on. We won with turnovers the first two weeks and obviously didn’t win (Saturday). When you play a team at that level, you can’t make any mistakes.”
Records: Bellefonte (2-1), Bishop Guilfoyle (3-0).
Next week: Bellefonte visits Clearfield. BG plays at Huntingdon.
Scoring per quarter
Bellefonte 0 0 0 7 —
Bishop Guifoyle 21 20 0 0 — 41
First Quarter
BG-Gates 14 run (kick failed), 8:17.
BG-Gates 10, pass from C.Kissel (J.Kissel from Gates), 3:46.
BG-Consiglio 13 run (Cacciotti kick), :00.
Second Quarter
BG-Gates 52, pass from C. Kissel (Boland kick), 9:47.
BG-C. Kissel 72 interception return (kick failed), 4:55.
BG-Gates 74, pass from C. Kissel (Boland kick), 55 seconds.
Fourth Quarter
B-Ad. Howell 13 run (Gersenko kick), 11:48.
Team Statistics B BG
First Down 12 14
Total yards 188 346
Rush yards 38-121 22-131
Passing yards 67 215
Path (comp.-att.-int.) 8-11-1 10-13-0
Punt Average 2-35.0 0-0.0
Fumble lost 3-3 1-1
Penalty Yards 4-41 4-46
Personal Statistics
Rushing-Bellefonte, Smith-Kirk 10-28, A. Howell 3-20, A. Howell 4-31, Gall 4-28, Halterman 8-(14), Park 1-32, Price 2-5, Jasse 2-3, Crawford 2-1, Hazlett 1-(-2), Huntsinger 1 (-3), Team 1-(-8). Bishop Guilfoyle, Gates 4-67, C. Kissel 2-7, J. Kissel 2-3, Consiglio 2-16, Riley 2-11, McCloskey 2-(-3), Gioiosa 2-17, Oconack 2-6, Wheeler 3-8, Team 1-(-1).
Passes – Bellefonte, Halterman 7-9-1-55, Huntsinger 1-2-0-12 Bishop Guilfoyle, C. Kissel 10-13-0-215, Wheeler 0-0-0-0.
RECEIVING – Bellefonte, As. Howell 3-30, Gall 1-(-8), Gabrovsek 1-24, Dufour 1-12, Benner 2-9. Bishop Guilfoyle, Gates 5-160, Riley 5-55.
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