DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
GARRETT – Garrett rolled up 400 yards of offense and kept Bellmont off the board until late in the game to advance in the local 3A sectional and set up a semifinal against Heritage next Friday with a 35-7 victory.
The Bellmont Braves did not go down without a fight, however, sticking to a game plan and annoying the home Railroaders through much of the first half.
A bit of coaching brilliance paid off for coach Nick Hall on the opening kickoff, as he instructed new kicker Jack Riehm to pull off an onside kick. The junior delivered a beauty, smashing a low, line-drive kick right at a Garrett player on the front line and the Braves recovered.
The Bellmont offense could not muster anything, however, and the trend of the entire season continued for the Braves as they struggled to move the ball on the wet, sloppy grass.
Garrett got on the board first with a short run by Brayden Nussbaum, capping off a grinding drive by the Railroaders. A pair of penalties on the extra point kept the score at 6-0.
Midway through the second quarter, the Railroaders struck again when Calder Hefty faked the handoff to the right and rolled left, picking out Levi Chaney, who was wide open in the middle of the end zone for a seven-yard score. Garrett converted for two points and took a 14-0 lead.
Hefty finished the game 9 of 13 for 158 yards and the one passing touchdown. He was very effective in organizing the Garrett running game, which ended the night with 250+ yards on the ground.
The Braves did force a couple of turnovers, recovering a fumble and picking off Hefty. Job Hoffman finished the final game of his career with an INT.
The game was littered with penalties throughout, with many of them coming
Cam Ruble put the game away with a rumble up the middle of the field untouched for 57 yards. Ruble ended the game with 211 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He scored again towards the end of the third quarter from 39 yards out.
The highlight of the game came after one of the lowest moments of the game for Bellmont. After putting together a good drive and making it into the red zone, the Braves elected to go for it on 4th and goal, but Dylan Velez was stopped just short of the goal line. On the very next play for the Railroaders, the ball was fumbled and bounced directly to the senior, who picked it up and rightfully claimed his touchdown.
The eighth and final touchdown of the season for the Braves went to Velez, who will undoubtedly be another first-team all-conference selection in the coming weeks in the NE8.
Alex Guzman, who had coughed it up on Velez’s scoop and score, redeemed himself on the next possession, taking a toss from Hefty and running down the left sideline untouched for a 42-yard score, the final one of the game.
The Braves finished the season 0-10 for the second consecutive year with a loss at the Railroaders’ home field.
No stats were provided by Bellmont.
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