-Bulldogs Dominate Late at Bellbrook
By Brett Barnes
The Bellbrook Golden Eagle football team had statistically dominated the second and third quarters of their football game with Milton-Union on Friday night, and when quarterback Alex Fryman hit Evan Clark for their second touchdown of the game, Bellbrook had seized control leading 21-20 with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter.
Conversely, the Bulldogs, after a stellar first quarter and a half of offensive football in which they racked up 125 total yards and two Tyler Brown touchdowns, had been stymied. Since Brown’s second touchdown, M-U had run 10 plays for a total of 34 yards.
The kickoff floated down and landed in the hands of M-U’s David Karns at the 12-yd line. Karns sprinted up the middle of the field, and popped through the initial wave of defenders. One more move left the kicker behind and it looked as if he would score, but at the very last instant, a Golden Eagle defender dove and tripped Karns at the 3-yd line first and goal, an 85-yd kickoff return.
“With Chris Boggs out this week (injury), we really needed someone to step up,” quipped Coach Bret Pearce after the game. . It’s good to have David Karns back.”
This was not the first big play Karns had made on his way to a night on the gridiron Bulldog fans will not soon forget. In the second quarter Karns had gathered an overthrown ball from Fryman and returned the interception 74 yards for the Bulldog score, giving M-U a 20-7 lead. On the evening, Karns would account for 274 total return and rushing yards.
After the kickoff return, it took M-U just three plays to score, and all three plays featured the bruising Brown. His dive from the 3-yd line gave the Bulldogs a lead they would not relinquish 26-21. Bellbrook had the ball four times in the fourth quarter after M-U had taken the lead. Their first possession ended in a punt, after the Bulldog’s Josh Booher sacked Fryman on third down. The Eagles’ second possession ended with a loss of downs at the M-U 17-yd line.
M-U drove 83 yards in 2:09, and the drive culminated with Brown’s 4 th touchdown of the game, this time from 5 yards away. Nick Field boomed the extra point, and it was all Bulldogs 33-21.
Bellbrook’s third possession of the fourth quarter ended significantly when Austin Dickison stepped in front of another Fryman pass and intercepted the football. This was the third interception of the game for M-U, the second by a kid named Dickison. Kenton Dickison had picked off a pass early in the second quarter.
The fourth possession for Bellbrook ended with another incompletion, and Tyler Brown capped off an amazing evening with his 5th touchdown, giving M-U a 40-21 lead. After Bellbrook had taken that 21-20 lead, they gained just 10 yards in those four fourth quarter possessions.
Bellbrook did score a final touchdown with just .01 on the clock to make the final 40-28.
M-U moved to 3-1 with the win, Bellbrook dropped to 1-3. Coach Pearce summed it up, “Our offense got in the flow this week, and when we get in the flow our defense plays better. I feel good about where we are.”
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