“The big emphasis this week was that this far into the season we should be at our absolute best and I thought offensively tonight we were pretty close to it,” Bellbrook head coach Jeff Jenkins said. “Defensively, too.”
The Eagles (6-2, 3-1) scored on their first four possessions and four of Bellbrook’s six touchdowns covered 31-yards or more.
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Brookville, which had a five-game win streak snapped, drops to 6-2, 3-1.
It was the first shutout in the series since Brookville won 14-0 at Bellbrook in 2008. The Eagles posted back-to-back shutout wins in 2004 (34-0) and 2005 (26-0).
Bellbrook has won nine of the last 10 against Brookville, including four straight.
Sophomore Seth Borondy scored the first of his three touchdowns on the third play from scrimmage with a 62-yard run. Senior J.R. McCormick’s 67-yard run on Bellbrook’s first play of the second series gave the Eagles a 14-0 lead. Junior Jonah Atchison’s 33-yard run and a 1-yard run by Borondy pushed the advantage to 27-0 at half. Bellbrook junior Alex Westbrock hit Borondy for a 31-yard touchdown pass on the Eagles first possession of the third quarter. Sophomore Zach Lopez closed the scoring with a 12-yard touchdown run.
Bellbrook’s lone blemish? A block in the back penalty that nullified an interception return for a touchdown by freshman Sam Barhorst. It was the game’s lone flag.
Defensively, Bellbrook forced two turnovers – senior Ben Borszcz had an interception – and recorded its third shutout of the season. The Eagles own the SWBL’s top scoring defense (allowed 70 points in eight games).
“I was very impressed with our effort,” Jenkins said. “It was exceptional all night long. That means something against Brookville. They play hard and you have to match that.”
Bellbrook rushed for 324 yards, while Brookville managed 104. The Blue Devils were averaging 277.
Brookville had three long drives end in an interception and two turnovers on downs in Bellbrook territory. The Blue Devils never reached the red zone.
“They were more physical than us,” Brookville head coach Mike Hetrick said. “They ran the ball the way they wanted to. We didn’t.”
Both teams – Bellbrook in Division III, Region 12 and Brookville in D-V, Region 20 – need wins in their last two games to make the postseason.
The Eagles travel to Oakwood (1-7, 0-4) next week, while the Blue Devils travel to Franklin (7-1, 4-0) with a chance to remain in league title contention.
“That’s going to be the message,” Hetrick said. “We need to put this behind us. We need to move forward from here.”
Said Jenkins: “We don’t look back, we don’t look ahead. We’re not really talking about playoffs. The next game – that’s our focus. Whatever happens…happens.”
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