In a game played at 2:30 p.m. in the afternoon at Bellwood-Antis, on Sept. 30, 1944, The Blue Devils pounded Lilly-Washington High School 47-0.
After a series of plays by the Lilly Mountaineers were forced to kick. Runs by Ken Woodhall and Raymond Strunk quickly carried the ball down the field, with Strunk picking up the first score. Before the first quarter had ended, Bellwood-Antis scored again, when sophomore Woodhall tossed a touchdown pass to B-A end George Cody.
In the second quarter, Art Claar, who would lead the Blue Devils in scoring in 1944 with 10 touchdowns, increased the score to 27-0 with a pair of long TD passes from Woodhall.
Claar then scored a third TD in the third quarter, on another toss from Woodhall, who as early as his freshman season in 1943, was being billed as the best passer in the state. Ron Raugh, also a sophomore, rushed for a another touchdown in the same quarter.
With the second team in the game for head coach Duke Burkholder, Bellwood-Antis got their final score when Bobby Ehrisman returned an interception for a score.
Raugh booted five PAT kicks and the Blue Devils had 15 first downs to just four for Lilly. Woodhall’s four touchdown passes set the school record, which he would tie later in the 1944 season in the final game against Mount Union and would stand, until Scott Hunter threw five TD passes, all in the first half against Claysburg-Kimmel in 1974.
Bellwood-Antis evened their record at 2-2 on Sept. 30, 1955 with a 19-6 triumph over Osceola Mills. In the last of four straight season-opening games at Bellwood Memorial Stadium, the Blue Devils scored twice in the second quarter and then once more in the fourth for first-year head coach Andy Daskovich.
After a scoreless opening quarter, Bellwood-Antis got the ball, as a result of a poor Osceola punt at the OM-33. Max Kneidinger, who was the team captain and played right end, took a handoff from quarterback Barry Cory around left end for the nine-yard touchdown.
B-A forced another Indian punt and then marched 60 yards for their second tally of the quarter. Lynn Gault ran 14 yards foe the TD to complete the drive. For the second straight time, a successful extra point was nullified by a penalty and neither replay following then walk-offs was good.
I the final quarter, the Blue Devils added an insurance score when Cory tossed a 21-yard TD pass to Kneidinger for the score and then was on the receiving end of a pass for the PART and a 19-0 lead.
Osceola Mills added the final TD late in the game against the B-A reserves.
Cory was four-of-six throwing for 53 yards and one TD.
In a battle of unbeaten small school powers, Bellwood-Antis traveled to Altoona’s Mansion Park on Sept. 30, 2000, for a game with Bishop Guilfoyle. The B-A defense held the Marauders to minus yardage rushing as BG was the latest in the line of opponents that the Blue Devils had administered a beating on the football field in 2000, in a 31-0 Bellwood-Antis win.
The Blue Devil defense, led by Tom Kovac and Ryan McClellan, who spent considerable time in the BG backfield, chasing down Marauders, ever let the previously unbeaten BG squad get into their offense.
“Tremendous win,” said B-A coach John Hayes. “Saturday night up here (Mansion Park) is like Monday Night Football for high school. Everybody is out here watching,” referring to the packed Bellwood-Antis side of the stands.
The Blue Devils, who entered the game ranked number nine in the state, had the number one offense in the area and the number two defense. Through their first five games, the B-A defense had a scoreless streak that reached 17 straight quarters in this game.
Dave Miller scored two TDs and rushed for 160 yards on 15 carries, and caught two passes for 29 yards, Matt Garner added 123 yards and one TD on 20 carries, and Duane Ehredt also scored a TD. Chris Miller, Dave’s twin brother booted a 25-yard field goal to open the scoring and added four PAT kicks.
The B-A offense, uncharacteristically lost two fumbles and a pass interception, more turnovers than B-A committed in their first four contests.
With the B-A defense holding the Marauders to a minus 24 yards rushing, and a 3-0 lead, Bellwood-Antis drove 62 yards for their first TD Chuck Benton completed passes of 18 yards to Jeff Hostler, 15 and 14 to Dave Miller and a seven-yarder to Tyson Weiand. Dave Miller slammed in from four yards out for the score and Chris Miller added the extra point kick.
On their next series, B-A went to their trick book. Miller took a handoff from Benton and tossed a halfback pass to Brian Shura, who was all alone for 45-yard gain to the BG-26 on the opening play. Disaster struck when Benton, who completed five of eight for 56 yards was intercepted. The pick was carried all the way to the BA-14, where Dave Miller made a TD-saving tackle.
With their backs to the wall, the B-A defense responded. First Tom Kovac threw the BG running back for a three-yard loss, then Kovac sacked the Marauders quarterback for a loss of eight. On third down, Jeff Hostler tipped a pass and Troy Beaver intercepted it in the end zone.
The only third-quarter score came on a pair of long runs which keyed the 70-yard drive. Dave Miller rumbled 25 yards and then later Matt Garner scooted the final 34 for the TD.
In the fourth stanza, Miller had gains of 19 and 18 and Garner added 19 on four totes to set up Ehredt’s one-yard score. Finally, the Blue Devils drove 81 yards for their final tally. Garner carried three times for 26 yards and Dave Miller burst through the line and raced 48 yards for the score.
BG was in Bellwood-Antis territory exactly twice. The first time came on the interception and the second was on a recovery of a Blue Devil fumble at the BA-34.
