Bellefontaine relied on a couple of big offensive plays and a swarming defense to shut out Logan County rival Indian Lake on Friday.
Bellefontaine’s Grant Smith (15) finds a seam in the Indian Lake defense during Friday’s game at Indian Lake High School. (EXAMINER PHOTO | TONY BARRETT)
The Chieftain offense came up with a pair of passing touchdowns despite the poor weather conditions and the defense limited the host Lakers to just 44 yards of offense in a 20-0 victory.
Bellefontaine, which wrapped up the regular season with a 7-3 overall mark to go with its 3-1 league record, got some mixed news after the game. On the positive side, it learned that Springfield Shawnee knocked off Jonathan Alder, which gave BHS the out- right Central Buckeye Conference Kenton Trail division title.
However, the information coming in regarding Bellefontaine’s playoff chances was not as pleasant. The Chiefs did not get all of the help it needed from some other teams as it looks like they will be on the outside looking in when the final computer points are released by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Sunday.
Two Ohio computer points experts, Drew Pasteur and Joe Eitel, both listed Bellefontaine as finishing ninth in its region on their respective web sites late Friday night. The top eight teams get into the postseason.
“If this was our last game, it was great way to go out for our seniors,” said Bellefontaine head coach Toby Smith. “They are finishing their careers with three league titles in a row. That is something to be very proud of. Those guys will be sorely missed.”
For the Lakers, it was not all doom and gloom. After starting the season 0-5, they went 3-2 over the second half to claim a share of the CBC Mad River division crown with Northwestern and Urbana. It marked the fourth league championship in a row for Indian Lake.
“We’ve done some things over the last three years that we had never done before here, but this group earned the right to call itself a CBC champion, and that is a testament to their char- acter and determination,” said Indian Lake head coach Dave Coburn. “They found a way to turn the season around after starting 0-5, and I could not be more proud of them for that.”
Both teams were missing their marquee offensive players Friday. The Lakers played without standout junior quarterback Clay Jacobs, who was injured in last week’s game against Urbana. Bellefontaine junior running back Garrett Gross missed his second straight game with a leg injury.
Bellefontaine’s offense overcame the absence of Gross with 29-carry, 95-yard rushing performance by sophomore running back Ty Leeper and two Grant Smith touchdown tosses.
Without the talents of Jacobs, Indian Lake’s offense could not get anything going against a physical Chieftain defensive unit.
“It was a great effort given the circumstances by our offense, and the shutout by our defense was huge,” said Toby Smith.
The Lakers mustered 30 rushing yards on 34 attempts and 14 yards through the air on 2-of-4 passing.
“We knew we had a tough night in front of us,” said Coburn. “But I am proud of our guys for the way they handled the week with the adversity they were dealt.”
The outcome was largely a result of three key moments for Bellefontaine.
The first came on Bellefontaine’s initial offensive possession.
After forcing a three-and-out and an Indian Lake punt, the Chiefs took over at their own 41- yard line.
A pair of running plays resulted in Bellefontaine getting a first down, but then two penalties and a couple of ineffective runs backed the Chiefs into a long third down situation.
That forced Bellefontaine to go to the air. Smith hit Jack Clement in stride for a 60-yard touchdown connection. Derek Robb’s extra-point kick put the Chiefs up 7-0 with 6:41 left in the opening quarter.
“Any time you can jump out to an early lead like that it is big,” said Smith.
The second major turn of events came on Bellefontaine’s first offensive series of the second half.
Clinging to a 7-0 lead coming out of halftime, the Chiefs started on their own 3-yard line after their kick returner slipped on the wet field while picking up the ball.
Bellefontaine then engineered a 19-play, 97-yard scoring jaunt that chewed up nearly 10 minutes. Leeper capped the drive with a 2-yard run to give the Chiefs a 13-0 lead with 2:09 remaining in the third period.
“Give credit to Bellefontaine for that drive to start the third quarter,” said Coburn. “We thought we were going to be in a good position because they had a penalty at the end of the first half and we were hoping to kick the ball into the end zone. We felt even better after they had to start on the 3-yard line, but that drive was a testament to their offense and their coaches.
The Chiefs’ third and final dagger came with 5:45 left in the game when Smith found Cole Comstock in the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown pass.
“That’s what we’ve done all year,” said Smith. “We take a few shots (with the passing game) over the course of the game and we were able to hit a couple of those tonight. That is a testament to our kids for staying the course.”
Bellefontaine finished the night with 223 total yards. The Chiefs rushed for 141 yards on 50 attempts and Smith completed 2-of-5 passes for 82 yards and the two TDs.
Smith also added 46 rushing yards on 21 carries.
The Lakers were led by Austin Beck with 34 rushing yards on 17 carries. Beck also intercepted a pass on defense.
Defensively for the Chiefs, Leeper and Bradon Hayes each recovered a fumble and D.J. McDonald tallied 19 tackles.
CHIEFS @ LAKERS
Bellefontaine 7 • 0• 6 • 7 – 20
Indian Lake 0 • 0 • 0 • 0 – 0
TEAM STATISTICS BFN • IL
First downs 11 • 5
Total net yards 223 • 44
Rushes/yards 50/141 • 34/30
Passing 82 • 14
Comp-att-int 2-5-1 • 2-4-0
Punts/avg 1/38 • 3/23
Fumbles-lost 1-1 • 6-2
Penalties-yards 8-80 • 6-60
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