Bellaire 20 Cambridge 19 3OT @bellaireFB @wearethebigreds @CHSBobcatFB @PaFootballNews #BEYONDTHEKEYSTONE

Tagged under: Beyond The Keystone, Game Photos, Gameday Hub

David Burnworth | September 29, 2019

Yesterday I made another drive to Bellaire, Ohio to watch a game at Nelson Field, a place that is a favorite of mine. I will say there are to major pitfalls to the place. One is the PA system is GOD awful on the visitors side and two the seating on the home side is head scratching to say the least.
Defense ruled the first quarter with neither team being able to do much, when they had a turn. There were two plays that stuck out in the quarter and oddly enough one would be from the offensive side of things. First, there was a Jack Lambert type hit by Kaden Whaley on Andrew Littell of Bellaire causing a pass to be incomplete forcing a Big Reds punt. Then we had a nice scramble by Cody Moore for a gain of eleven.

The 2nd quarter like the first would be scoreless, but there was a heartbeat at times for the offense. At the 10:06 mark facing a fourth and one Cambridge gave the ball to #5 (not on either roster I have) and the talented running back easily picked up the first down, with 10:06 left in the half. The Bobcats would elect to go for it again on fourth and one, but this time TJ Bell stuffed the ball carrier holding him short of the first down line, at the 8:51 mark of the quarter. With 5:29 left in the half #11 (NOT ON EITHER Cambridge ROSTER) put the ball on the ground, when he was hit by Cody Albaugh pouncing on the ball for Bellaire was Trenton Wilson. Cambridge would get a pick by Kaden Whaley right before the half ended.

Just forty two seconds into the 2nd half a big hit by Jake Stolz forced #5 for Cambridge to put the ball on the ground and making the recovery for Bellaire was Wilson. Bobby Roth would find AJ McCarthy wide open for a 33 yard Bellaire touchdown. The point after kick by Cole Porter was missed keeping this a 6-0 game, with 8:44 left in the half. #15 (NOT ON EITHER CAMBRIDGE ROSTER) took the ensuing kickoff all the way back to the Bellaire 25 yard line. From there Cody Moore hit Sean Perkins for a 53 yard touchdown. The PAT was blocked to keep this a 6-6 game, with 5:18 showing on the clock. The rest of the third quarter would go by without any more scoring setting up what we thought was going to be a deciding final frame.

A fumble recovery by Case Wilson, who scooped the ball up and ran down to the Bellaire five, put the Bobcats in business, with 5:41 left in the game. twenty nine seconds later #5 plowed in from 4 yards out to give the Bobcats a 12-6 led. The PAT by Perkins brought the lead to 13-6. At the time it was unknown to most fans that the two kickers for the Bobcats had left at halftime to go to a soccer game, which makes my belief even stronger that soccer should be a high school spring sport. #33 (Not on either Cambridge roster) knocked a pass away from McCarthy to keep the seven point lead safe. The Scoreboard clock was under sixty seconds when Colt Sechrest did his best Jason Wittin impression by catching a pass over the middle then racing for a 33 yard Bellaire touchdown. Porter calmly kicked the game tying PAT to put this one in overtime.

Neither team scored in the first two OT periods, but the Bobcats had a major chance only to see the Perkins field goal attempt be low and short, from 20 yards out. In the third OT Cody Moore found Justin Bartlett for the 20 yard touchdown. The Bobcats elected to go for two, but Bellaire stopped the try. Bellaire’s offense took the field knowing they needed a touchdown, at least to stay in this game. After working the ball to the one yard line Bellaire called on Roth to follow his line into the end zone and that is just what the senior quarterback did. The crowd was still going crazy when Porter dropped back to attempt the game winning PAT. The senior watched the ball fly back to his holder, then he put his foot on the ball and watched it split the uprights to give Bellaire a 20-19 win.