By Kenny Varner
BELLEFONTE – Playing its second game this week, the Bellefonte football team seemed none the worse for wear when they entered its Friday night contest with rival Bald Eagle Area.
The Red Raiders defended their home turf in the 2016 version of the Curtin Bowl shutting the blinds on the Eagles, 35-0 on senior night.
“I think we left three games out there that were very winnable. When you have a young team you need to finish and do some things differently,” Bellefonte head coach Shanon Manning reflecting on his season and his chances for a post season bid. “but I will tell you, these kids are tough, they give you everything on every single down. I’m real proud of them”
Manning had a lot to be proud of in his team’s performance against their rivals.
Senior Tyler Kreger finished with 108 yards rushing, he passed for 203 yards and was responsible for all of the Red Raider touchdowns.
He threw for three and ran for two. He also called his own number on a crucial 2-point conversion late in the second quarter.
Teammate Cade Fortney was the favorite pass receiver on the night catching seven passes for 176 yards in a winning effort.
Defensively, Bellefonte stopped the running game cold, allowing only 29 yards total rushing.
However, the Eagles got 103 yards in the air as Tanner Kresovich and Jordan Jones combined for 103 yards.
Bellefonte also found itself fighting for a playoff spot as it hoped to get its final regular record to 5-5.
In the first quarter, the Red Raiders took their second offensive drive and made their way in thanks to a 76-yard run by Kreger, putting the ball to the 25 of BEA. They would get the ball to the 20.
Kreger would fade back and then find a wide open Gaven Danneker to give them the 7-0 lead.
Before the Eagles could get settled in its second possession, the Red Raiders defense would get the first turnover of the night.
Dylan Deitrich picked off a Kresovich offering and gave his team the ball at the Eagles 38.
Eight plays later, Kreger marched in from 13 yards out, upping the lead to 14-0 with 3:10 left in the first.
In the second,both team struggled until Bellefonte got the ball at the eight minute mark.
It took just three plays for the “Red and White” to cash it in again.
Again Kreger got the call and muscled his way in from two yards out. He was just as tough on the 2-point conversion smashing his way in to make it 22-0.
Minutes later, the Red Raiders Colton Burd recovered the on-sides kick and his team made the most of it.
With the ball at midfield, Bellefonte once again rumbled down the field.
Kreger finished off the drive with a 19-yard hook up from Kreger to Tanner Helms, ending the first half with the Red Raiders ahead 29-0.
Early in the third, Bellefonte put the game into a mercy rule status when Kreger again found Fortney on a 23-yard touchdown pass to end the scoring at 35-0.
However, the Eagles continued to battle and even drove the ball down the field but fell short of any points.
“i’m really proud of the kids. This was a situation I thought we got better and better as the year went through. All along we fought in our games,” Bald Eagle coach Jesse Nagle said. “After the first loss we had I thought our kids did not fight. But we had a talk and I thought the kids fought the rest of the way I thought we fought to the end and that’s all you can ask for.”
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