Oct 30, 2004 By Pete Riddell For The 3 min read

CANONSBURG – All season long, points have been a most precious commodity to Belle Vernon. In fact, only one Class AAA team, 1-8 Highlands, scored as few as the Leopards’ 91 points. Defense carried Belle Vernon into the playoffs. Unfortunately, it couldn’t carry them past a hungry and talented Canon-McMillan squad.

The Big Macs won their first playoff game since the 1950 merger that formed the school, blanking Belle Vernon, 22-0 in WPIAL Class AAA action.

In the process, Canon-McMillan improved to 8-2 and will face West Mifflin, a surprise winner over Franklin Regional last night, in the second round.

The Leopards’ saw their season end at 5-5.

“I said as long as we executed and didn’t make mistakes, we’d be all right,” said Belle Vernon coach Jesse Cramer. “We did neither.”

Lacking big-play capabilities on offense, the Leopards’ margin for error last night was slim. Despite accounting for minus-one yard of offense in the first quarter, Belle Vernon found itself trailing only 3-0 shortly before the half. But with 1:03 before halftime, leading rusher Mike Jurcevich couldn’t corral a pitch that was recovered by Canon-McMillan linebacker Doug Rheam at the Leopards eight-yard-line. Two plays later, Kendall Davis scored from four yards out to put C-M up 10-0 at the half.

“We’d planned on going in to halftime, 3-0, but it didn’t happen that way,” said Cramer. “We gave them the ball in positions you can’t expect anybody in a playoff game to overcome.”

The big play eased the growing concern of Canon-McMillan coach Guy Montecalvo, whose team had previously come up empty on a 60-yard drive, and failed to capitalize on Belle Vernon’s first fumble four minutes before the half.

“I was very concerned,” said Canon-McMillan coach Guy Montecalvo. “They’re a stingy defense.”

Up until the fourth quarter, the Leopards mostly contained Rheam, the Big Macs’ big-play quarterback, limiting him to 32 rushing yards and 42 passing yards after three quarters.

However, on second down from his own 20 early in the fourth, Rheam ran a straight quarterback sneak from a rare empty set, found daylight up the middle and then broke outside, outrunning the secondary for an 80-yard touchdown run that made it 16-0.

“That was just a breakdown,” Cramer said.

“But you’re only going to keep them hemmed in for so long. They’ve good some good backs.”

Rheam finished with 130 yards on the ground on 7 carries. Davis added 85 on 11.

The Big Macs added an insurance score with 2:54 left in the game on a one-yard run by Corey Peck set up by an interception by Rheam.

“They’re a very solid team,” said Cramer of the Big Macs, who returned 25 seniors from last year’s 8-2 team.

Jurcevich finished with 49 yards on 11 carries to lead Belle Vernon. Junior quarterback Nick Keefer added 30 yards on the ground, while completing four of seven passes for 44 yards.

After the game, Cramer praised the effort of his scrappy team.

“We had some shortcomings this year, but we played with a lot of heart and didn’t give up,” said Cramer. “We got this far. A lot of teams didn’t get this far.”

NOTES: The start of the game was delayed 50 minutes by rain and lightning. … Belle Vernon extended its season-long streak of not allowing a single point in the third quarter. … Canon-McMillan won its first playoff game after five straight trips to the postseason. C.J. Bell had an interception for the Leopards. … The Big Macs also set a school record for most wins in back-to-back seasons (16 so far).