DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
The Bellmont girls finished off an unbeaten season with an unblemished defensive record after beating DeKalb 3-0 at home Monday in our featured game of the week and up in Auburn, the boys pulled off a memorable upset by claiming their first conference victory of the season in dramatic, extra time fashion with a brace from senior captain Jake Hackman.
The girl’s victory capped off another outstanding defensive effort in NE8 play in 2025 and bettered last year’s performance, where the team won all seven games and allowed just one goal, by completing all 560 minutes of NE8 action without conceding a single goal.
The Braves had already secured a share of the NE8 title, but they had no plans to share the trophy with DeKalb and Leo. They even shifted their senior night activities to a week earlier in order to eliminate distractions for one of the most important games of the season.
The win was somewhat bittersweet for the Braves, who have usually had the promise or allure of more games at home in the postseason. That will not be the case in 2025, as the rest of the games for Bellmont will be away from Decatur.
Kaitlyn Barton got the scoring going in the 16th minute with a great shot that skimmed off the bottom of the crossbar and into the back of the net. That score held through the end of the first half as the sun set and the temperatures dropped significantly.
Ten minutes into the second half, Grace Ruble set up Ashley Bleke for a goal on a Bellmont corner kick, creating some breathing space for the Braves.
Despite the two-goal deficit, the Barons were unable to gain any extra possession or create more chances in the final half hour.
Lanie French was hauled down in the box in the 62nd minute and Oni Krueckeberg put the spot kick home to round out the scoring.
The team celebrated on the pitch after the match with the conference trophy.
The postseason will begin for the Braves on Wednesday with a rematch against New Haven. Bellmont will be heavy favorites to prevail in that contest. A win would pit coach Lee’s team against the winner of Canterbury and Norwell on Thursday.
The sectional will be held at Canterbury High School and fans of the Braves can hear each postseason game for Bellmont on WZBD Radio, 92.7 FM starting with Thursday’s semifinal against the Canterbury/Norwell winner.
Braves shock Barons to avoid winless NE8 campaign
Against all odds, the Bellmont Braves prevailed against DeKalb Monday, beating the fourth-place Barons to do nothing but spoil their Senior Night by taking the season finale to extra time and winning with just minutes remaining before a shootout that seemed imminent.
The junior varsity team, fresh off their first win of the season in shootout against Muncie Burris on Saturday, set the tone for the varsity by playing to a 0-0 draw in their 35 minutes of play.
Carsten Hudson put the varsity Braves on level terms with the Barons late in the first half, but a defensive lapse gave the home team a 2-1 advantage at the break.
In the 60th minute, the Braves were awarded a penalty and senior captain Jake Hackman converted, drawing Bellmont as close to an NE8 victory as they had been all season.
In the dying minutes, the Braves and Barons seemed destined for extra time, but with 20 seconds remaining, the home team rattled the post on a shot that could have made for a crushing defeat for coach Jake Briede’s team.
Instead, the two teams went to extra time and with just two minutes remaining before penalties, Hackman scored the game winner, beating the Baron keeper and providing some end-of-season relief for a team who had little to show in terms of results this season with just one victory.
The Braves were drawn against #5 Bishop Luers in their sectional opener. That tournament will be played on the Braves’ home field on Tuesday, October 7th.
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