NE8 champs shut out Braves

MIKE MACKE

WZBD

Note: Bellmont football coverage on WZBD.com is supported by many community-minded sponsors, including the Brad Weber Family.

Columbia City, the defending NE8 champions, invaded Bob Worthman Stadium Friday night and took care of business defeating the Braves 49 – 0. It was the opening game of the conference schedule for each team as the Eagles look to repeat in 2023.

*Bellmont head coach Nick Hall was thankful to have senior Aiden Miller (#23) back in his lineup Friday.*

For the Braves, they played from behind immediately for the second straight game as James Getts ran back the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. On the PAT, the Eagles ran a little trickery as the holder pitched to the kicker Landon Urban who ran it in for a 2-pt conversion. 8 – 0 CC.

Bellmont picked up a first down on their first drive but stalled after 7 plays and punted. A nice return by Stratton Fuller set up the Eagles at the Bellmont 49. A few plays later, Noah Pletcher took it in from sixteen yards out for the second CC score. The PAT by Urban was good and it was 15 – 0.

Bellmont went three and out, giving the Eagles good field position at the 48. A nice 36 yard pass play put Columbia City at the Bellmont two yard line as they looked to score again. The Braves then showed their fight and moxie as they stuffed two plays in a row. On third and goal, Gavin Krull intercepted Grayson Bradbury in the endzone to end the threat.

*The Bellmont student section was one of the largest in the area Friday night.*

On the ensuing drive, Bellmont moved the ball from their twenty to the CC 44-yard line. A nice eleven yard run by Will Kintz and a pass interference penalty on a Will Franze attempt to Krull were the key plays in the drive. The Eagles took over at their own 36 and drove the field with Getts taking it in from eight yards out. An Urban PAT made it 22 – 0 and the rout was on. CC got the ball at the Bellmont 10 yard line three minutes later, and with 7:31 left in the half Pletcher took it in from six yards out for his second TD of the game.

Good field position set up the fifth score of the half for the Eagles, a 22 yard run by Cayden Sroufe. The final score of the half came when Bellmont slotback Christian Hatch was rocked on a running play and Columbia City recovered the fumble at the Bellmont 27. Bradbury hit Getts for a TD on the next play and with 1:27 left in the half, it was 43 – 0.

The second half was played with a running clock and the first drive by the Braves ate up much of the 3^rd period. Hard running by Aiden Miller and Dylan Velez gained tough yards and a shovel pass to Michael Hayduk gained 13 yards, but the drive stalled in the Columbia City half of the field. The final score of the game was a 20 yard run by Getts with 2:20 left in the third quarter. The PAT failed giving the final score of 49 – 0.

Bellmont didn’t quit as they threatened in the fourth. A nice run by Hatch around the right side was called back by a holding call. A little later, Hatch took it around the left end from 56 yards out and scampered down the sideline into the endzone for an apparent touchdown. That play was also called back on a questionable holding call and the Braves remained scoreless.

*Will Kintz returns a punt after the Braves defense made a stop in the second quarter.*

For the game, Bellmont ran for 107 yards on 32 carries. Velez had 34 of those with 13 carries. Hatch rushed 8 times for 33 yards. Miller picked up 20 in his first action since being injured in game #1 and Kintz carried twice for twelve. Franze was 8 for 14 for 25 yards as the Braves used a shotgun formation and some inside shovel passes.