The 2003 Inter-County Conference 2003 All-Star Recognition Luncheon was held Monday afternoon in the Casino at Lakemont Park. Bellwood-Antis had Blue Devils selected to 10 spots on the team. In 2003, First and Second Teams were chosen, instead of just one team and an Honorable Mention List as in the recent past.
Beginning the 2003 campaign with very little experience and being small in both numbers and size, the Blue Devils and their coaching staff put a four-game win streak together against tough odds in the middle of the season to finish 5-5. In the Nittany Division of the ICC, Bellwood-Antis won their first three games before falling by three points to Bishop Guilfoyle in a fight for the division title late in the season.
Bellwood-Antis placed six people on the offensive side of the football and four on the defensive side.
Running back Dan Houser, tight end Matt Plummer, and offensive lineman Ben Kleiner were named to the First Team Offense. Shawn Weiand was selected on Special Team to the First Squad as the kick returner.
Weiand also was named to the Second Team as quarterback along with offensive lineman Brian Buechele,
Buechele and Kleiner were solid blockers for a team that rushed for 1,663 yards and passed for 1,144 more, averaging 280 yards of total offense per game.
Houser was the top rusher for the Blue Devils with 825 yards and 11 TDs on 167 carries for just under five yards per carry. Dan also led Bellwood-Antis in scoring with 11 TDs and three PATs for a team-best 69 points and was tied for second in pass receptions, pulling in 16 for 142 yards. Plummer, who moved from guard where he earned two varsity letters as a sophomore and junior, had 16 catches for 284 yards and one score from his tight end position, as well as anchoring a young inexperienced line that jelled after a 1-2 start.
Weiand set a school record for completion percentage connecting on 81 of 150 passes for 1,134 yards, a 54 per cent total and was the sixth passer in B-A football history to throw for 1,000 yards in a season. He returned one kick and one interception for touchdowns in 2003.
Matt Plummer, who was the only underclassmen among ten 2002 Blue Devils to be named to the ICC First Team repeats on defense at defensive end in 2003. Dan Houser joins Matt in being selected on both sides of the line of scrimmage on the First Team as a defensive back. Ben Kleiner was named as Second Team defensive lineman and Weiand, who hasn’t played football since quarterbacking the junior high in ninth grade, choosing to play basketball and baseball only the last two years, made it for three places on the All-Star Team with a Second Team selection as a defensive back.
Joining the Blue Devils on the offensive team were: quarterback Brian Barefoot, tight end Jason Foltin, wide receiver Dan Novak and offensive linemen Luke Larson and Joe Fitzpatrick of Chestnut Ridge; running backs Matt Georgiana and Josh DeStefano, and offensive lineman Ryan O’Conner of Bishop Guilfoyle; wide receiver Matt Brubaker and offensive lineman Doug Leitch of Penns Valley and offensive lineman Levi Johnson of Mount Union.
In addition to Weiand on Special Teams, Curt Royer of Penns Valley was named the punter and Guy Finelli of Bishop Guilfoyle was the placekicker.
On defense the Blue Devils were joined by lineman Curtis Medairy, Georgiana and DeStefano at linebackers and Johnny Cotto at defensive back from BG; Jack McCartney and defensive back Trey McClain from Mount Union; defensive lineman Colby Stover, defensive end Jason Wert and linebacker Josh Hull from Penns Valley; defensive lineman Larson, linebacker Foltin and defensive back Mike Schade from Chestnut Ridge.
Second Team picks for Special Teams included Mike Sprouse of Bishop Guilfoyle as the kick returner, Randy Varner of Mount Union as punter and Tim Eck of BG as the place kicker.
Bishop Guilfoyle and Chestnut Ridge each placed eight on the Nittany first team and in a well balanced division, Bellwood-Antis and Penns Valley each had six picks.Division champ BG added 11 Second Team selections for an ICC-best 19 overall selections.Mount Union added three First Team picks.
Mountain Division winner MoshannonValley had the most First Team positions with 13, while champion Everett and second place Southern Huntingdon placed 10 and nine respectively on the Southern Division First Team.
Moshannon Valley’s Steve Holencik (First Team tight end, defensive end, punter) was the only player selected to three First Team positions and, although the Blue Devils’ Shawn Weiand was also chosen at three spots,two of the three were Second Team picks.
