Bellefonte notches first win for new coach; tops PO 22-6

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: September 3, 2021

Bellefonte 22, Philipsburg-Osceola 6

Philipsburg-Osceola 6 0 0 0 – 6

Bellefonte 0 7 0 15 -22

Scoring:

First quarter

PO – Nick Gustkey 17-yard TD pass to Matt Martin (2-point conversion failed), 1:54

Second quarter

B – Nolan Weaver 17-yard fumble recovery (Hayden Walker kick), 7:08.

Fourth quarter

B – Nicholas Way 11-yard run (2-point conversion), 5:09.

B- Weaver 25-yard Interception (Walker kick), 4:56.

TEAM STATISTICS

PO BEL

First Downs 10 7

Rushes-Yards 30-55 29-86

Comp-Att-Int. 7-13-2 6-13-0

Passing Yards 90 50

Total Plays-Yards 37 -145 35-186

Fumbles-Lost 3-3 3-1

Penalties-Yards 4-25 6-55

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: Bellefonte – Grayson Alterio 7-40, Way 12-20, Nolan Weaver 2-3, Sherman Lowry 3-8, Triston Woodring-Heckman 4-13, William Garrison 1-2. P-O— Andrew Faust 4-(-5), Luke Hughes 15-46, Ben Gustkey 6-(-4), Matt Martin 5-18.

Passing: Bellefonte – Way 6-13 50. P-O— Nick Johnson 0-3 0, Gustkey 7-10 90

Receiving: Bellefonte – Nolan Weaver 4-27, Logan Williams 1-22. P-O— Martin 6-73, Nick Johnson 1-17.

Interceptions— Bellefonte 2.

By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE – It was quite a defensive effort by Bellefonte defender Nolan Weaver as he picked off one pass and picked up a fumble to notch scores as the Red Raiders rumbled late to take the victory over Philipsburg-Osceola Friday night, 22-8.

It was a historical night on two counts at Rogers Stadium as new Bellefonte head coach Vaughn Donmoyer notched his first victory and the Red Raiders maintained possession of the Luther Trophy.

The Bellefonte defense made quite the statement as it limited the Mounties’ offense to 145 total yards.

“I was very happy with the defensive unit. The number of turnovers we had that was great and the number of scores defensively,” said Donmoyer. “You very rarely see defensive touchdowns let alone two like we did tonight. It’s extremely rare and it’s a tribute to Weaver. He’s such a hard working kid and a great individual to coach.”

Philipsburg-Osceola also played a tough defense, allowing only one Bellefonte offensive score in the game while limiting them to 186 yards total.

In the first quarter, the defenses came out primed and ready.

Field possession leaned to the Mounties’ way late in the first as they went on scoring run, thanks to a fumble recovery on a sack to Bellefonte quarterback Nicholas Way, which was revived by Philipsburg-Osceola’s Luke Hughes.

The recovery gave the Mounties the ball on the Red Raiders 24.

After moving the ball to the 17, PO quarterback Nick Gustkey hit a wide open Matt Martin who broke open down the middle for a 17-yard TD reception.

The 2-point conversion was unsuccessful as the Mounties took the lead 6-0 with 1:54 left in the opening period.

In the second quarter, Bellefonte started on an offensive run of its own. It took the ball down the field from its own 24 to it marched its way down the field, getting as close as the 13. Highlighting the drive was a 22-yard pass reception from Way to Logan Williams.

However, the Mounties held strong and forced a fourth down.

It was unsuccessful and the ball was out in Philipsburg-Osceola’s hands.

However, fortunes would change quickly on both sides of the ball as the stingy Bellefonte defense clamped down on Gustkey and sacked him three plays later.

While in the process of being taken down, Gustkey was stripped of the ball and it bounced right into the waiting arms of Weaver.

Weaver took the ball and went untouched into the end zone for the tying score with 7:19 left in the half.

With one kick from Raiders’ kicker Hayden Williams, the home team grabbed the slim 7-6 margin.

That’s how things would end in the first half.

“I’m just happy for the kids and for them to get their first win as a young group,” said Donmoyer. “I was glad to get over that hump and getting that first win under the new system. I’m extremely happy for the kids.they worked hard this week and tried to coach them up, stress the basics and I think that shown and came through tonight.”

In the second half, the game belonged to the Bellefonte defense as it was getting more and more confident as the game went on.

Neither team was able to put one across the end zone chalk in third and the game went into the final stanza with just a point separating the two.

However in the fourth, Bellefonte added some breathing room as it scored its only offensive score of the night as Way blazed his way in from 11-yards out, upping the score to a 13-6 contest with 5:09 left.

Bellefonte faked the extra point and had Way take it in once again for the 2-point conversion, making it 15-6.

A play later, Weaver and company put the game on ice as they anticipated a pass from Gustkey and took it to the house for a 25-yard interception for a touchdown.

With the Williams PAT, the Raiders held a secure 22-6 advantage.

The Raiders were able to run out the clock and notch their first victory of the year.

Bellefonte is back in action next Friday as it faces Tyrone.