DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
Note: All stats are unofficial. No stats or information were received by the station from Bellmont.
DECATUR – The Norwell Knights needed just 16.5 minutes of game time and five offensive possessions to build a 42-0 lead against the Bellmont Braves and ruin a beautiful Homecoming Night. A late consolation touchdown against the second team defense for Norwell was the only prize for the enormous home crowd, who saw their team lose 42-7.
On the heels of a 76-0 loss in their NE8 opener on the road, the Braves hoped to use the momentum of a fun school day with all its Homecoming festivities and parlay it into a confidence-building start.
Those hopes never materialized and the Braves could do nothing right for the first quarter and a half.
The Knights did not run their first offensive series until there was under eight minutes to play in the opening quarter and with just under eight to play in the second quarter, they led 42-0.
The home team committed four turnovers in the loss, a week after turning the ball over six times at Columbia City.
With the running clock triggered for the entire second half, the Braves’ defense came up with two stops on fourth down, but the first was followed immediately by one of those four aforementioned turnovers.
By the time the Braves stopped backup quarterback Case Wireman and the Norwell B offense, they had 89 yards to go with the entire fourth quarter to play. Chuck Faurote engineered a drive that saw Jason Lykins pick up good chunks of yardage on the ground, alternating with catches by Mason White.
Jason Lykins punched it into the end zone to put a stop to the Bellmont scoring drought with a six-yard run with 71 seconds to play in the game. Newly-crowned Homecoming King Henry Faurote then attempted and made his first career PAT attempt to wrap up the game.
Charlie Faurote (shown below) finished 11 for 20 for 87 yards. He was sacked twice but still finished with 12 yards rushing on seven carries. Taking out the two sacks, he gained 23 yards on five QB keepers.
Lykins led the Braves with 38 yards rushing.
The Braves had 42 yards of rushing as a team.
Norwell struck first with a somewhat bizarre play after the Braves had already gotten off on the wrong foot, failing to pick up any yards on the opening kick return and then losing seven yards on the first offensive play. Faurote looked to have picked out Cole Barger along the sideline, but before the junior could complete the catch on a barrel roll, the ball found itself in the hands of Lance Meriwether, who bounced off of the sliding Barger and popped right back on his feet, scampering 13 yards for a shock touchdown.
Bellmont’s next drive ended with a blocked punt and Norwell needed to go just twelve yards in two plays to double their advantage.
Norwell answered each of the next two Bellmont punts with additional touchdowns. Then the Knights exposed a weakness in the Braves’ special teams setup, pooching the kickoff high and short, and when the ball landed, there were no Braves in the vicinity of the four Norwell Knights who pounced on the ball at the 28-yard line. After a penalty pushed the Knights back five yards, they took the next play to the house, throwing it over the top of the Bellmont secondary for Hunter Kurtz’ only passing touchdown of the night – a 33-yard bomb to Titus Edwards as he crossed the goal line.
Kurtz finished 7 of 10 for 115 yards. He was sacked four times but also had gains of 14 and 19.
Braxton Arriaga, Corbynn Omlor and Jaron Brickley (2) had the sacks for the Braves. Arriaga left the game in the second half with what appeared to be a significant arm injury. The Braves also lost sophomore Oliver Faurote (shown below) with a head injury for the rest of the game.
Cash Fegley led the Knights with 61 yards rushing. Cooper Bunn had three catches for 56 yards for the Knights, who had 286 yards of offense.
SCORING SUMMARY
Quarter 1
10:37 – N – Lance Meriwether 13-yard interception return, Trey Privett 2-PT run good, 8-0
6:58 – N – Lance Meriwether 8-yard run, Huffman PAT good, 15-0
3:37 – N – Ben Peterson 10-yard run, Huffman PAT good, 22-0
Quarter 2
11:14 – N – Cash Fegley 11-yard run, Huffman PAT no good, 28-0
8:31 – N – Adam Mahnensmith 1-yd run, Huffman PAT good, 35-0
7:31 – N – Titus Edwards 33-yard catch from Hunter Kurtz, Huffman PAT good, 42-0
Quarter 4
1:11 – B – Jason Lykins 6-yard run, Henry Faurote PAT good, 42-7
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