Bellaire Wins Shootout vs. John Marshall
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BELLAIRE -- Bellaire’s playmakers threw enough haymakers at John Marshall on Friday night to emerge with an exciting, back-and-forth, 40-37 conquest before a copious contingent at Nelson Field.
The victory snapped a modest, two-game losing streak as the Big Reds will take a 2-2 record to next week’s game at Cambridge. JM, who beat Bellaire 34-26 last season in Moundsville, is now 2-1 and will be at home the next four weeks, beginning with their upcoming tilt with Hedgesville.
Senior Trevor Dowery was a persistent standout for Bellaire on Friday. The 6-2, 195-pound running back finished with 157 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries. There wasn’t much flash from this former offensive tackle, as the Big Reds kept sending him into the interior of the line and enjoyed his frequent forays into the JM defensive backfield. The Big Reds were getting some serious surge from their young offensive line (tackles Tycen Baker and Dalton Baker, guards Easton Welch and Colby McMahon, and center Dallas Frazier).
Bellaire would finish with 176 yards rushing, and 176 yards passing. QB Michael Dippel had his best outing of his senior season by going 8-for-14 with three scores and one theft.
On the flip side, John Marshall was playing without junior standout RB Dalton Cooper, still nursing an injured ankle from a hip-drop tackle last week.
Without Cooper, JM put its offensive focus on QB Jacob Cisar and top receiver Landon Snyder. Cisar would finish at 14-for-33 for 132 yards, two TDs and four interceptions. At one point he was intercepted three times in a span of five passes. Snyder caught a staggering 13 of the 14 completions for 123 yards and two scores, plus a two-point conversion.
“We knew Cisar was a nice player,” said Bellaire Coach Mark Bonar, “but they were without their best player.”
Bellaire, however, was not. Senior sensation Raekwon Pettigrew had his best game of the season. Shadowed by two JM defenders on every play, he still was able to catch three passes for 50 yards and a score; carry three times from scrimmage for 31 yards; and pick off a pass on defense.
“If you have the best player around, you’d better use him,” Bonar pointed out.
Pettigrew and Dowery were also standouts on defense, as were sophomores Zavien Scott and Ray’shawn Pettigrew, seniors Alexander Padgett and Kole Gonglik, and fantastic freshman Gavin Hibbitts.
The Monarchs received big games from junior speedster Brody Thomas, who returned a kickoff 68 yards to paydirt and continues to shine at cornerback; along with senior LB Hayden Fordyce and junior defensive lineman Gavin Myers.