In our final look at Bellwood-Antis football for this year, we begin with the end of 1946.
On Nov. 15, 1946, Bellwood-Antis concluded their first perfect undefeated season. The Blue Devils knocked off Southmont 19-0 in the Inter-County Conference championship game. B-A finished the 1946 season 11-0 for coach Duke Burkholder and assistant Lewis Myers, just back from a stint in the Navy during and after the end of World War II.
Southmont was the 10th straight shutout win for Bellwood-Antis (11-0) after the Blue Devils had begun the 1946 season with a 26-6 triumph over backyard rival Tyrone. Bellwood-Antis gave up one score in the 26-6 win over Tyrone and then outscored the next 10 opponents 311-0.
Several special cars were added to Train # 19 due in Altoona at 5:15 p.m. on Nov. 15, 1946, to accommodate the B-A fans going to the playoff game between East Section champ Bellwood-Antis and West Section kingpin Southmont. The game was played at the Point Stadium in Johnstown, on Friday evening before a crowd of 6,000 people.
The Blue Devils’ backfield duo of Ron Raugh and Ken Woodhall took charge, as they did all year and the defense, led by the talented lineplay of Paul Garrahan, Charles Barr, Tom Conrad, Earl Henry, Buss Carr, Dwight Patton, Bill Campbell and Dick Thomas made Southmont the last victim in the line,
Woodhall was the leading rusher with 86 yards on 11 carries and also completed 11 of 22 passes for 163 yards, personally accounting for 249 yards offense, while Raugh scored all of the points on runs of 16, one and one yards, and kicked one extra point.
Woodhall is the single season TD pass leader with 14 twice (1944,1946) and All-time TD pass leader at B-A with 44, 19 better than the second place total of 23 by Chuck Benton. Raugh holds the one-game scoring record with 40 on six TDs and four extra points against Saxton-Liberty in 1946.
Southmont, which is now a part of the Forest Hills School District, received the opening kick but fumbled and the Blue Devils recovered at the Golden Tigers-41. Woodhall skirted right end for a gain of 13 yards for a first down and later on a third and one, Raugh smashed through the center of the line for 16 yards and a TD.
Several series later, Southmont drove to the BA-36 where Bellwood-Antis halted the march. B-A turned around and drove 64 yards for their second score. Woodhall rushed for 11 yards to move the sticks and later skirted right end for 10 more to the S-25. Raugh passed to Woodhall for six yards and Roy Pickens took a lateral for nine more. Raugh slammed off left tackle for the score and then followed that with the PAT kick.
In the third quarter, B-A took over on downs at their own 38. Woodhall went around the right side for 13 yards, then completed a pass to Dick Thomas for 10 more. Woodhall skirted left end for 14 yards to put the ball at the S-25. Don Igou caught a pass from Woodhall for 14 yards setting it inside the one and Raugh ripped off the one-yard TD for a 19-0 lead.
Earl Henry stopped Southmont’s last two scoring attempts with fumble recoveries and Woodhall ended the game with two straight pass completions to run out the clock. First Woodhall went to Pickens for 16 yards and to then Raugh for 25. Harry Campbell picked up nine yards on a rush as time expired.
On Nov. 15, 1947, Bellwood-Antis (10-1) won their fourth straight ICC crown besting Franklin Borough 12-6 for their 10th straight win.
Coach Duke Burkholder moved Earl Henry from his customary center position on offense to an end position and inserted Harold “Pete” Gleichert at center to begin the 1947 season. After Tyrone broke a 19-game win streak in the opening game of the 1947 season with a 14-0 win, Duke switched Henry back to center and moved Gleichert to end. The Blue Devils responded with 10 straight wins, including the Franklin game.
Franklin Borough was undefeated at 8-0 coming into the contest, outscoring opponents 111-20. None of the 11 Franklin starters had less than three years varsity experience and three of them had four years. Bellwood-Antis won the contest played on a snow-covered Altoona Mansion Park on grass, in the days before artificial turf was installed.
The worst kind of weather imaginable kept the crowd sparse and provided the gridders with slippery underfooting and a wet ball throughout.
Although the score was close, coach Duke Burkholder’s Blue Devils dominated the game and the statistics. B-A led in first downs 11-6, rushing 165 yards to 92 and passing 63 yards to 11. Franklin’s touchdown came on the only series of the game they had the ball in Bellwood-Antis territory and that began there on an interception.
Bellwood-Antis started early when Roy Pickens returned the opening kickoff 24 yards to the BA-34. A pass from Pickens to Gerry Treese pass gained nine yards and runs of 16 yards by Bob Sitman and 10 by Pickens fueled the 66-yard drive. Harry Campbell smashed over center for the score from six yards out.
Franklin Borough picked off a pass at the BA-30 to set up the Blue Jays only score. After failing three times from the BA-one, Franklin finally was able to push it over for a TD on fourth down to tie up the score.
The kickoff following the Franklin TD brought everybody to their feet. In a moment that seemed frozen in time, Campbell fielded the ball at the BA-25, ran to his right where he seemed trapped. The 155-pound speedster broke through several would-be tackles and raced down the sideline outdistancing all Blue Jay defenders for the game-winning 75-yard kickoff return.
Franklin had one more shot at a score, but Pickens intercepted a pass and Bellwood-Antis was able to run out the clock.
Campbell finished third in the Central Counties Football League scoring with 12 TDs for 72 points. Guida of Dubois finished first with 90 points and Bud Noel of Tyrone was second with 82. Earl Henry was chosen to represent Bellwood-Antis in a high school All-Star football game at Forbes Field on August 20, 1948.
Roy Pickens would become one of just two Blue Devils to rush for 1,000 yards and also pass for 1,000 yards in his career at Bellwood-Antis and is one of four Blue Devils to accumulate 3,000 yards total offense. Burkholder’s last three years (1946-47-48) as coach at Bellwood-Antis were a combined 29-3
