BleacherCoaches.com

CLASS (A): BELLWOOD-ANTIS 28, STEEL-HIGH 8
Bellwood-Antis TB burns Rollers for 240
Saturday, December 02, 2006


The Patriot-News:

ALTOONA - With Steel-High's high-caliber running back confined to the sidelines, nothing prevented Bellwood-Antis' own gifted tailback from stealing the spotlight last night at wind-swept Mansion Park Stadium.

Senior Josh Kleinfelter, needing a mere 20 yards to breach the majestic 2,000-yard barrier for the second consecutive season, rambled for 240 yards and four touchdowns, banking the Blue Devils' 28-8 victory over the District 3 champions in PIAA Class (A) quarterfinal action.

Kleinfelter led the District #6 winners, who advanced to next week's semifinal round for only the second time in school history, to 22 second-half points, scoring on runs of 21, 3 and 10 yards. He carried 36 times for Bellwood-Antis (11-2), which did not complete a single pass.

"We're kind of like junkyard dogs. We've become a pretty cohesive unit," said Blue Devils skipper John Hayes, only slightly surprised by the margin of victory.

"Confidence is a big thing, and that's important in these types of games. Even defensively, we made some big plays that probably made the other side question some things."

Completely controlling both sides of the line of scrimmage, Kleinfelter broke a scoreless match in the second quarter, riding off tackle for a 4-yard plunge seven minutes before halftime.

Minutes later, Rollers sophomore Jeremiah Young, who brought 1,966 rushing yards to the Mansion Park turf, sprained his shoulder and never returned. He finished with nine carries and 35 yards, good enough to match Kleinfelter's 2,000-yard milestone.

After the break, the Rollers (11-3) managed just one first down as quarterback Andre Campbell scrambled to find Aaron Wilson on a streak to the Bellwood-Antis 8. The play set up Steel-High's lone score, a Campbell flip to fullback Jordan Hill, with 7:38 remaining.

"We never really got rolling," Steel-High coach Rob Deibler said. "We talked all year about turnovers and making mistakes and that's what we did. They played a tremendous football game. That's a good football team that beat us and they deserved to win."

Also this article:

CLASS (A): BELLWOOD-ANTIS 28, STEEL-HIGH 8
Steel-High hits the wall
Saturday, December 02, 2006
The Patriot-News:

ALTOONA - With Steel-High's high-caliber running back confined to the sidelines, nothing prevented Bellwood-Antis' own gifted tailback from stealing the spotlight last night at wind-swept Mansion Park Stadium.

Senior Josh Kleinfelter, needing "20" yards to breach the majestic 2,000-yard barrier for the second consecutive season, dissected the Rollers for 240 yards and four touchdowns, banking the Blue Devils' 28-8 victory over the District #3 champions in P.I.A.A. Class (A) quarterfinal action.

Kleinfelter's distinguished role -- he logged 36 of Bellwood-Antis' 73 rush attempts -- sent the District 6 champions to next week's semifinals for just the second time in school history.

The inspired surge also prevented the youthful, and certainly overmatched, Rollers from a second straight appointment to the Eastern finals.

As expected, the Blue Devils (11-2) will meet heavyweight Southern Columbia with a trip to Hershey on the line.

"We never really got rolling," said Steel-High head coach Rob Deibler, who watched the deceptively quick Kleinfelter swell Bellwood-Antis' modest 6-0 halftime lead with second-half scoring runs of 21, 3 and 10 yards.

"We talked all year about turnovers and making mistakes, and that's what we did. We were really flat at halftime. I didn't like the look in our kids' eyes," Deibler said. "This team pushed us around and they deserved to win."

With his mates in complete control of the line of scrimmage, Kleinfelter finally broke through in the second quarter, riding off tackle for a 4-yard plunge with seven minutes left in the opening half.

On the surface, the jolt seemed manageable. But it was only the beginning of a very long and unsatisfying night for the District 3 champions.

After Blue Devils defensive back Danny Campbell picked off quarterback Andre Campbell's pass to squelch Steel-High's opening possession, Bellwood-Antis recovered a muffed kickoff return by the Rollers (11-3) after Kleinfelter's initial touchdown.

Deibler's defense would hold on fourth down, but soon after the Rollers suffered a major setback when sophomore running back Jeremiah Young injured his right shoulder on his ninth carry of the game.

Young's 9-yard scamper put the 5-10 slasher over the 2,000-yard plateau for the season. But he was helped off the field and did not return.

"Losing Jeremiah certainly didn't help," said Deibler. "But after seeing how well [Bellwood-Antis] played in the second half, it might have made a little difference. Not much."

Still alive at the break despite their offensive struggles, the Rollers (11-3) managed just one first down over the final 24 minutes. It came on a mad scramble by Campbell, who found Aaron Wilson on a 56-yard streak to the Bellwood-Antis 8.

The play set up Steel-High's lone score, a Campbell flip to fullback Jordan Hill near the back pylon with 7:38 left.

In between came Kleinfelter's 21-yard TD run late in the third quarter, and his 3-yard blast only minutes into the final period.

The Rollers were held to 28 rushing yards on 28 attempts. And Campbell, facing constant pressure, was intercepted four times.

"We're kind of like junkyard dogs. We've become a pretty cohesive unit," said Bellwood-Antis coach John Hayes, whose linemen easily handled a more sizable Rollers side.

"Confidence is a big thing, and that's important in these types of games. Even defensively, we made some big plays, and that probably made the other side question some things along the way.

"Our kids just played with tremendous enthusiasm, and I don't think they were going to be denied tonight."

Leading Hayes' slanting defense was senior tackle Tyler Narehood and a secondary that locked down Campbell's passing lanes. And, the near-40 mph winds made precise routes nearly impossible.

Linebacker Jon Davila snared two interceptions, while Narehood had two of Bellwood-Antis' six sacks. The Rollers had 11 plays go for negative yardage.

"We were flat and didn't play well. We need to come out and play well to win," Deibler said. "We just couldn't get anything established, run or pass. They were a bit better defensively than we thought.

"I'm disappointed for them, but to get to the final eight teams in the state is a huge accomplishment on their part."