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Bellaire Gets Past Indian Creek in Football, 42-7

photo by: Kim North

Bellaire quarterback Jake Heatherington runs with the ball Saturday against Indian Creek at Nelson Field.

BELLAIRE — After starting the season 0-2, Bellaire has reeled off three wins in its last four outings to reach the .500 mark.

The Big Reds (3-3) latest victory came Saturday afternoon at sun-drenched Nelson Field in the form of a 42-7 workmanlike decision over a youthful Indian Creek squad on Homecoming. Senior Elizabeth McAninch was crowned as the Queen at halftime.

Bellaire ran at will against Indian Creek, which has an underclassman roster filled with 20 sophomores and 25 freshmen. The Bigs Reds racked up 232 infantry yards on 29 carries and saw four different ball carriers reach the end zone.

“This was probably our most balanced effort all season,” Bellaire head coach Mark Bonar noted. “I’m happy with the way we played, but there are still some things that we need to work on. We weren’t perfect and, as a coach, that’s what you want to be.”

Senior Brayden Roth did the most damage with 116 stripes, including a 21-yard jaunt to get the scoring started in the first quarter. The touchdown run came just three plays after Mac Mac Pettigrew stripped an Indian Creek runner of the ball and Teryn Frazier recovered at the Redskins’ 26.

“We’re getting a lot more kids playing on the lines and it’s helping us,” Bonar added. “The kids aren’t getting gassed like they were when it was 100 degrees. The weather is helping and the guys are working hard.”

Bellaire’s defense rose to the occasion late in the first quarter when it stopped the visitors on fourth-and-short from inside the 20. That led to a lengthy Big Reds’ touchdown drive.

The hosts marched 86 yards on 11 plays, chewing up more than four-and-a-half minutes. Senior quarterback Jake Heatherington found Logan Edgar in the left flat and Edgar bulled his way into the end zone to complete a 9-yard scoring strike. Heatherington passed to Roth to make it 14-0 with 8:27 left in the half.

That was enough time for Bellaire to find the end zone twice before the buzzer sounded.

After once again stonewalling Indian Creek on a fourth-and-1 near midfield, the Big Reds took over at the visitors’ 49. Seven plays later, junior Drew White powered his way across the goal line and Lucas Littell’s PAT made it 21-0 at the 2:10 mark.

Another three-and-out by the Jefferson Countians gave the ball back to Bellaire at the Big Reds’ 46 with 34.7 seconds remaining. Heatherington connected with Jake Dowling for 21 yards to the Indian Creek 33, and then found Ray Ray Pettigrew for six. The visitors were flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty, moving the ball to the 12 with 17.2 showing. Heatherington dropped back to pass, but finding no open receivers, he tucked the ball and scrambled to his left and into the end zone from 12 yards out. Littell made it 28-0 with 5.2 left on the clock.

Things didn’t get any better for head coach Andrew Connor and his Indian Creek team. On its first possession of the second half, it picked up a pair of first downs behind the running of sophomore Zion McGee. However, a pass in the right flat was picked off by Bellaire’s Mac Mac Pettigrew and returned to the Redskins’ 34.

The Big Reds only needed five plays to capitalize when Heatherington speared Ray Ray Pettigrew from nine yards out. Littell’s placement made it 35-0 and kicked in the OHSAA 30-point mercy rule with 4:13 on the third quarter clock.

Heatherington’s younger brother, sophomore Lucas, ran in from 12 yards out to give Bellaire a 42-0 lead in the fourth quarter, but Indian Creek avoided the shutout when McGee burst up the middle for a 21-yard scoring run. Gavin Gross split the uprights.

“We still need to work on the fundamentals. There were times that fundamentals hurt us today,” Connor said. “Things as simple as lining up in the right spot or reading your keys on defense. Those are the things we need to get better at.

“Bellaire is a good team and I don’t want to take anything away from them, but there are some things that we need to do better,” Connor added. “We had some good moments, but we had some moments where we just didn’t do what we needed to.”

McGee finished with 161 yards on 28 carries, but, as a team, the Redskins managed just 193 on 43 totes.

“He runs very hard. There are some positives, but we just make too many mistakes.”

Bellaire collected 302 total yards as Jake Heatherington passed for 70 and two scores on 8-of-15.

The Big Reds travel to St. Clairsville on Friday night, while Indian Creek heads south on Ohio to Martins Ferry.

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