B-C runs for 567 yards in victory
FREDERICKTOWN – Much was on the line Friday night between Bentworth and Beth-Center as the winner would not only finish second in the Tri-County South Conference but also would secure a home playoff game.
Both offenses looked playoff-ready as the teams combined to produce more than 1,000 yards.
In the end, the Beth-Center ground attack was a little better than the Bentworth air attack as the Bulldogs came away with a 52-40 win, clinching the second seed in the conference.
B-C (7-1, 7-2) ran for 567 yards and eight touchdowns, including 353 yards from Tony Welsh and 189 from Frank Dreucci. Welsh and Dreucci each scored three rushing touchdowns.
“I was really happy with the way we ran the ball,” said Beth-Center head coach Ed Woods. “The offensive line played well and all of our backs ran hard.”
Bentworth (6-2, 6-3) wouldn’t be outdone and even took a 27-26 lead on a Josh Hughes four-yard touchdown pass to Noah Peternel with just a minute left in the third quarter.
But the Bearcats attempted a failed onside kick even though they had B-C on the ropes.
Two plays later, Welsh broke loose for a 21-yard touchdown and Beth-Center never looked back.
“We took a shot with the onside kick,” said Bentworth head coach Ron Skiles. “It just didn’t work out. We execute that in practice.”
The Bentworth quick-strike offense was on display right off the bat.
Beth-Center had success moving the ball on their opening drive but turned it over on downs at the Bentworth four-yard line.
One play later, the Bearcats struck when Hughes hit a streaking Ty Mitchell for a 96-yard touchdown pass.
Hughes had a big night, completing 22 of 37 attempts for 355 yards and five touchdowns. Mitchell was his favorite target, hauling in eight receptions for 164 yards.
Bentworth got as far as the B-C six-yard line on its next possession but elected to not kick a field goal and turned the ball over on downs.
That decision proved to be costly as Bulldogs’ running back Frank Dreucci broke loose with a 65-yard touchdown run to tie the score 7-7 after one quarter.
B-C took a 13-7 lead in the second quarter when quarterback Trent Cunko capped off a lengthy drive with a three-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak, the first of two rushing touchdowns for the quarterback.
The Bulldogs controlled the game on the ground and extended their lead when Dreucci broke another long touchdown run, this time a 48-yard score, making it 19-7 with just 24 seconds left in the half.
Mitchell made sure that Beth-Center didn’t hear the last of him though as he returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown to give Bentworth some momentum heading to the locker room, cutting the B-C lead to 19-14.
“I didn’t think we played very well defensively and on special teams,” Woods said.
The shootout really began in the second half.
After a Cunko touchdown run extended the B-C lead, Hughes came back with a pair of TD passes, one each to Noah and Ben Peternel.
But then Welsh took over, scoring on runs of 21, 93 and 15 yards. Welsh gained 255 of his yards in the second half . The 93-yard sprint, in which Welsh went untouched, was a backbreaker for Bentworth.
“We played with them for a while,” said Skiles. “We just allowed too many one- and two-play touchdown drives.”
Bentworth tried to mount a comeback as Ben Peternel caught two of his three touchdown passes during the fourth quarter. Bentworth scored the most points that Beth-Center has allowed in a conference game since joining the Tri-County South in 2008. The Bulldogs came into the game allowing just 12 points per game on the season.
The Bearcats, however, simply couldn’t stop the B-C ground attack, which will look to stay strong heading into the playoffs.
“We are just going to keep doing what we are doing well,” said Woods.
While the loss means that Bentworth will open up the playoffs on the road, it has still been a solid regular season for the Bearcats, who were one of the surprise teams in the area.
“We have to get some things cleaned up,” Skiles said. “But we will be ready.”