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Second Half ‘Cat Blitz Stuns Blue Devils, 28-13

By Staff | Sep 17, 2014

Brandon Cross rushed for 163-yards on 22 carries and scored four touchdowns to help lift the visiting Paden City Wildcats to a 28-13 victory Sept. 12 over the Beallsville Blue Devils.

The Wildcats played played on their heels for most of the first half, as Beallsville was in Wildcat territory for most of the period. But each time the Blue Devils threatened, the Wildcat defense rose to the occasion and halted each and every drive, including a pair of goal line stands.

With neither team scoring in the first half, the ‘Cats opened the second half with a Cross 20-yard kickoff return to their own 43 yard line. Cross netted two yards on first down, but, after an incomplete pass, Devin Price picked up the first down on a nifty end around to the Devil’s 41 yard line.

A quick jump pass from Paden City quarterback Hayden Hizer to Luke Cooper went for 37 yards, and the Wildcats were knocking at the door. The very next play Cross, took it in for the game’s first points. The PAT kick by Cooper was blocked and the ‘Cats were out in front 6-0.

The Wildcat special teams pinned down the Devils on the ensuing kickoff at the Beallsville 18 yard line. After a one-yard pass play, Cross stepped in front of a Beallsville pass for an interception at the enemy’s 33 yard line.

After a pair of penalties on each team, the Devils sacked Hizer for a loss and took over at their 39 yard line and quickly ran for a first down. However, the Wildcat defense made a tackle for a loss and Logan Carroll pulled down the Beallsville quarterback for a huge sack. The sacking, along with a huge personal foul, pushed the home team back to their own 23 yard line and forced a punt.

Hizer returned the punt 10 yards to the Devil 35 yard line with 4:45 left in period three. Cross gained 12 yards and then high-stepped it into the end zone for a 20-yard TD scamper to give the good guys a 12-0 advantage.

On the ensuring kickoff, Hizer made a nice open-field tackle at the Blue Devil’s 17 yard line. After a short gainer from the ground game, Beallsville went to the air for a nice 40-yard pitch-and-catch. But, a block in the back pushed the Devils back. However, the ‘Cats quickly drew a personal foul on a late hit giving Beallsville a first down at the 24 yard line.

Beallsville ended the drive with a quarterback scramble for a 17-yard TD. After the extra-point kick, the Devils closed the gap to 12-7 at the end of three rounds.

Paden City got the ball to the 32 yard line on the ensuing kickoff. After a Cross four-yard run, Hizer raced down the field on a nice gainer. But a block in the back pushed the ‘Cats back to the 41 yard line. On a first and 20, Cross got half of it back on a nice run, carrying half the Devil squad on his back.

Hizer ran for his life on the next play, but lost 25 yards. Later, on a third and the moon, Hizer was picked off at midfield. The ‘Cats Cooper returned the favor with a pick of his own at the Blue Devil’s 47 yard line.

The Wildcats moved the pigskin down the field on nice runs by Cross, Hizer and Kane Pyles before Cross took it home on a three-yard run. Cooper snagged the two-point conversion pass from Hizer and the Wildcats were now on top, 20-7 with 4:57 remaining in the game.

Beallsville returned the kickoff to midfield and, on a fourth and long, the Blue Devils raced 45 yards to pay dirt to make the game interesting at 20-13 and 3:33 left in the game.

A short kick gave Paden City the ball at midfield. On the first play, Cross rumbled and stumbled all the way to the Blue Devil 30 yard line. Paden City was called for delay of game, but runs by Cross and Hizer set up another Price double reverse but was stopped short of the goal line. Cross finished off the drive with his fourth touchdown of the game to put the game on ice after the conversion pass, at 26-13. with 1:34 left in the game.

Beallsville threatened, but Price intercepted a Beallsville bomb and Paden City ran out the clock.

Cross rushed for a game-high 163 yards and four touchdowns, while Price added 32 yards and Pyles picked up two yards. Hizer was 3-8 for 43 yards, with Cooper hauling in two for 38 yards and Craig Allen grabbed one for seven yards

Defensively, the Wildcats were led by Carroll with 11 tackles that included a sack. Spencer Billings recorded eight stops and one QB sack, while Cooper brought down seven Blue Devils and made an INTs. Price hijacked two Beallsville passes, while Pyles sacked the Devil quarterback once.,

“We played pretty well for the most part,” said Paden City Head Coach Brent Croasmun. “We made a few mistakes which helped them keep drives alive. But in all, we got the job done.”

The Wildcats will stay on the road Friday against a very tough Bridgeport Bulldog bunch at 7 p.m. in Bridgeport.