Cathedral Prep Advances with 49-21 Shellacking of Bellefonte (Highlight Film)

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Phil Myers | November 16, 2019

The Erie Cathedral Prep Ramblers used special teams and short fields to Mercy Rule the Red Raiders of Bellefonte at Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium in a PIAA Class 4A contest.  Erie Prep led at one point 49-7 before Bellefonte scored twice in the fourth quarter to make the final a little more respectable.  “Getting that early lead helped.  The blocked punt for a touchdown and the kickoff return after they cut the lead to two scores were big for us,” stated head coach Mike Mischler of the Ramblers.

Prep scored twice in the first five minutes of the game.  Jaheim Howard began the scoring with a 36-yard run on a lateral from quarterback Tamar Sample just as he was being tackled.  Moments later, Jaelen Carson fell on a blocked Bellefonte punt in the end zone.

The onslaught continued in the second quarter as Prep scored three more times.  Howard scored his second touchdown by bouncing outside when stuffed in the middle of the field and then jogged into the end zone from 12 yards out.  Cole Constable’s third of seven extra points put the Erie squad on top by 21-0.  After Bellefonte’s QB, Ethan Rossman, hit Trae Bauman with a 5-yard touchdown strike, Carson returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards and put Prep up 28-7.  Sample scored with 13 seconds left in the half on a 2-yard run to give Erie a 35-7 advantage.

Red Raider head coach, Shanon Manning said, “they had some athletes that were really hard to match in space.  You don’t see programs like that frequently.  They’ve won three straight titles for a reason, but our kids battled hard and I’m proud of their effort.”

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS BELOW GALLERY

The third quarter found Prep tallying two more times.  After a nice kickoff return by Carson, Luke Sittinger carried the ball on three straight plays, scoring on his last attempt from a yard out.  Cathedral Prep’s final score came when the Ramblers’ other quarterback, Collin Johnson, called his own number and traversed 31 yards into the end zone.

Bellefonte scored twice in the fourth quarter on a Nick Capparelle 4-yard run and his 80-yard return of a fumble that squirted into the air right into Capparelle’s open arms.

Howard led the Prep rushing with 72 yards on three carries and had a 57-yard punt return for a touchdown called back due to a penalty.  “We wanted to run the ball and were successful enough we didn’t have to throw it much,” said Mischler.  The Ramblers had a total of 271 yards, with 262 of that coming on the ground.  Bellefonte’s leading rusher was Rossman with 75 yards on 20 carries.  The Red Raiders had 210 total yards, 151 on the ground and 59 through the air.

Cathedral Prep (10-2) moves on tho play either Thomas Jefferson or Belle Vernon next week.  Mischler said, “I think both of those teams have a lot of talent.  We’re very familiar with TJ, but not familiar at all with Belle Vernon.”  Bellefonte, meanwhile, fell to 9-3

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