Turning the page
B-C, TD Club leader Brown focus on playoffs after frustrating loss
Beth-Center’s goal of capping an undefeated regular season with a Class A Tri-County Conference championship ended in frustration last Friday night with a 22-20 home loss to California.
The Bulldogs (8-2) tried to climb out of a 22-point hole but fell just short, and now enter the postseason as the No. 8 seed in the WPIAL playoffs with a home game against No. 9 Burgettstown (8-2) Friday night.
“We had our opportunities and we didn’t take advantage of them,” B-C coach Tim Trump said of the loss to the Trojans. “We’ve got to forget about what happened and move forward. Now we’re in the playoffs. We have a home playoff game and we have to take advantage of that.
“I told our guys after the game, we’re still a good team and I still believe in them.”
Beth-Center running back Enzo Brown scored two touchdowns in the loss and will take a 24-point lead in the Herald-Standard Touchdown Club standings into the postseason.
Brown scored 23 touchdowns, a pair of two-point conversions and recorded one safety during the regular season for 144 points.
Belle Vernon’s Chace Petrosky is second at 120 points, Waynesburg Central’s Teagan Crouse (108) and Ky-mani Sumpter (106) are third and fourth, respectively with California’s Alan Dennis (94) rounding out the top five.
All five players remain alive in the postseason. Joining the Bulldogs, Trojans, Leopards and Raiders among local teams in the playoffs are Frazier and Mount Pleasant, with all six playing first-round games Friday with 7 p.m. kickoffs.
Belle Vernon (9-1) is fresh off a stunning 29-28 comeback win at Elizabeth Forward which gave it the Interstate Conference title. Coach Scott Bryer’s Leopards are the No. 4 seed in Class 3A and host No. 13 Shady Side Academy (5-5) at James Weir Stadium.
California is also at home. The Trojans (8-2) drew only a sixth seed in Class A after claiming the TCS title and play No. 11 Northgate (7-3) at Trojans Stadium.
Waynesburg, Mount Pleasant and Frazier will each open the postseason on the road.
In Class 3A, coach Joe Kuhns’ Raiders (8-2) were seeded 10th in Class 3A and play at perennial power Aliquippa (6-3), and coach Jason Fazekas’ Vikings (5-5) were slotted at No. 14 and go to No. 3 Hopewell.
In Class A, coach Tony Battaglini’s Commodores (5-5) travel to top-seeded Washington (9-1).
Beth-Center will be seeking its first playoff victory since defeating Cornell, 34-12, in 2010 when the Bulldogs were coached by, ironically, Ed Woods, who currently guides California.
“It would mean a lot for this team to get a playoff win,” Trump said. “I think it’s going to be good for these kids to go out and play and forget about last game and concentrate on this week and this game.
“I think everyone’s sort of forgot about us because we lost one game. This is a chance for these kids to prove themselves again.”
The Blue Devis are coached by Mark Druga, who Trump is familiar with.
“I’ve known him for a while. He’s a good coach and he has a good team,” Trump said. “They’ll be ready. They’ve got a real good offense. They do like to pass the ball.”
That strategy could play into the Bulldogs’ hands. Beth-Center has returned six interceptions for touchdowns this season, with three by Hunter Bobbs, two by Brown and one by Brody Bebout.
“We had another two or three called back,” Trump pointed out. “They’re ballhawks back there. These kids listen to details from their coaches so they know what’s going on.”
The rest of the Touchdown Club top 10 includes four players whose seasons have come to an end. Connellsville’s Linkon Keller is sixth (92 points), West Greene’s Joel Rizor is seventh (82) and Bobbs, Jefferson-Morgan’s Liam Rogers and Uniontown’s Marcus Evans are all tied for eighth (78).
Only Bobbs and his Bulldogs are playoff-bound of that group.
Crouse had a hand in seven touchdowns in Waynesburg’s 55-8 non-conference win at Valley.
Crouse threw four touchdown passes with two going to Jack Riccuiti of 35 and 24 yards and two going to Cole Phillips of 7 and 40 yards and also had scoring runs of 19, 6 and 30 yards.
The highest scorer of Week 10 was Rogers who reeled in touchdown receptions of 38, 2 and 31 yards from Triton Farabee while rushing for TDs of 25 and 27 yards in the Rockets’ 62-38 shootout win over West Greene at Parker Field.