Leopards rally past Albert Gallatin, 48-14
Thalia Juarez
Belle Vernon linebacker Derek Thomas (14) records a sack in a game against Albert Gallatin last season. Thomas returns for his senior year in 2017.
Thalia Juarez | Herald-Standard
Albert Gallatin’s Willy Hymes (28) intercepts a pass intended for Belle Vernon’s Derek Cesovski (4) during Friday’s game at Albert Gallatin High School.
Albert Gallatin’s Domonick Lewellen (9) throws a pass during the Colonials' game against visiting Belle Vernon Area High School.
Albert Gallatin’s Elija Ferro (24) and his teammates celebrate after the Colonials scored a touchdown during Friday's game against visiting Belle Vernon Area High School.
Thalia Juarez | Herald-Standard
Belle Vernon’s Mike Fine (15) scores a touchdown during Friday’s game at Albert Gallatin High School.
Belle Vernon’s Tim Labuda (5) avoids being tackled by Albert Gallatin’s Braeden Moody (7) during Friday's game at Albert Gallatin High School.
YORK RUN — After forcing Albert Gallatin to punt, Belle Vernon was approaching the Colonials’ red zone before sophomore linebacker Braeden Moody jumped a screen pass intended for the slot receiver and returned it 73 yards for a touchdown.
Jumping ahead 6-0 did not help spark the underdog’s upset hopes, as the Leopards tied the game four plays later and then scored a touchdown on each of its next five drives for a 48-14 win over the Colonials in the Big Nine Conference opener for both teams.
“In hindsight, I think (the interception) was a great thing that happened to us because you always want to test if your guys can come back from an adverse situations like that,” said Belle Vernon head coach Matt Humbert. “You think they can, but when bullets are flying and it’s kind of live action on the field, you want to see. That’s a good situation that you could test the temperament of your team to see if they can just brush it off.”
Albert Gallatin head coach Shawn Liotta, who is in his first season with the Colonials, said the interception was a great way to start his team’s season and despite the loss, he thought his team showed some positives to take into next week.
“You know you’re talking about a program that has struggled and we came out played the conference champs toe-to-toe in the first quarter,” Liotta said. “We moved to football and you know we were able to get some first downs. We were able to keep them off-balanced on the first couple drives, there, with our no huddle and pounding the ball in the interior.”
Following Moody’s interception return for a touchdown, the Leopards returned the kickoff past midfield, broke off back-to-back 20-plus-yard plays and senior quarterback Mike Fine scored on a 1-yard quarterback sneak.
The Colonials (0-1) then drove into Leopards’ territory, but an incomplete pass on fourth down gave the ball back to Belle Vernon.
The Leopards ripped off plays of 15, 17 and 27 yards before Fine ran for his second touchdown of the game, this time from seven yards out. The score gave Belle Vernon its first lead of the game, which the Leopards would not relinquish.
Albert Gallatin fumbled on the second play of its next drive, leading to another Fine touchdown run. The 17-yard designed quarterback run was Fine’s third touchdown on as many drives.
The senior finished the day with 68 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, while completing 9-of-15 pass attempts for 119 yards. Senior wide receiver Tim Labuda caught eight of those passes for 112 yards.
His coach said Fine’s throwing has improved despite throwing two interceptions, which he said has earned him a full scholarship to St. Francis University.
“The thing with Mike is, you know, anybody who knows anything about us and what we like to do offensively is we love to run a quarterback. We always find a kid it seems like, and Mike (Fine) encapsulates that, who is everything that we want to do from a quarterback standpoint,” Humbert said. “Last year he was a gifted runner: big, powerful and tough. But (he) wasn’t the most refined passer. But with that being said, he has a really strong arm and put in a lot of time in the offseason,and I think you can see that.”
Senior running back Nick Hall ran in the next two scores for the Leopards, from one and four yards, respectively, to give Belle Vernon a 33-6 lead going into halftime. Hall finished the game with 35 yards rushing on eight carries.
Belle Vernon didn’t slow down to start the second half, as Fine ran for his fourth and final touchdown of the game, while sophomore running back Joey Federer scored on the ground from four yards out.
In the fourth quarter, Albert Gallatin drove the ball downfield, leading to a 4-yard touchdown run from junior running back Trevon Oliver. The 5-9′, 225-pound back was a force up the middle, running for 99 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while also gaining two yards through the air on three receptions.
Liotta said it’s important for his team to run the ball well, especially with having a freshman quarterback in Domonick Lewellen.
“You have to run the football. I think we’re pretty balanced. We’ve got a freshman quarterback, and I thought he did a nice job for his first game. You know out there as a freshman, I thought he was very poised,” Liotta said. “I think Trevon Oliver ran the ball extremely well. We moved the ball well sometimes on a pretty good defense today.”
Junior running back Derek Cesovski also had a good day on the ground for the Leopards, rushing for 122 yards on only five carries.
Belle Vernon will host Uniontown next week at 7:30 p.m., while Albert Gallatin will travel to Ringgold at 7 p.m.
Big Nine Conference
Belle Vernon 6-27-15-0 — 48
Albert Gallatin 6-0-0-8– 14
First Quarter
AG: Braeden Moody 73 interception return (pass failed), 8:05
BV: Mike Fine 1 run (kick blocked), 6:39
Second Quarter
BV: Fine 7 run (run failed), 11:54
BV: Fine 17 run (pass failed), 10:56
BV: Nick Hall 1 run (Fine run), 6:08
BV: Hall 4 run (Cameron Guess kick), 4:06
Third Quarter
BV: Fine 4 run (Fine run), 8:54
BV: Joey Federer 3 run (Guess kick), 0:55
Fourth Quarter
AG: Trevon Oliver 4 run (Tavian Mozie pass from Domonick Lewellen), 8:29