Bearcats open season with rout of Belpre 
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
BAINBRIDGE — In front of one of their largest crowds in recent memory, the Paint Valley Bearcats gave their fans more than enough to cheer about Friday night against Belpre.
Not only did the Bearcats cruise their way to a 39-0 shutout win over the Golden Eagles of Belpre, but their defense, which has been hampered the past couple seasons, held their non-league opponent to just 46 yards.
"We have to tip our cap to the defense and Coach (Evan) Gallaugher," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "We spent about 70 percent of our practice time this summer working on defense, and I hope we continue to make strides with them. They tackled well, and what I like is our defense was balanced."
The Bearcat offense, which didn't see any of the starters in the fourth quarter, totaled an even 300 yards, including offensive touchdown drives of 12, 9, 16 and 11 plays each to seal the win.
Bearcat senior quarterback Eli Barker led the way with 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Barker also went 6-of-13 for 65 yards passing.
"Eli helped put us in good situations, using what he's been working on all summer on the field (Friday)," Hollon said.
Sophomore running back Mark Clifford rushed for 120 yards and two scores on 15 attempts. For the game, the Bearcats combined for 300 yards on the ground.
"Our offense was individually balanced," Hollon said. "We had three guys with catches and five guys carry the football. What I liked the most was not one of our offensive starters saw the field in the fourth quarter."
Junior receiver Dallas Immell had two catches for 22 yards, and senior receiver Robbee Wallace had two catches for 36 yards.
PV (1-0) scored 14 points in the first quarter with Clifford capping off a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:12 left in the first quarter.
Just over a minute later, senior linebacker Dylan Fewster picked up the loose football and returned it 41 yards to pay dirt on a fumble recover touchdown, leaving 4:11 in the first quarter. Fewster finished with seven tackles (one for loss), while causing a fumble, returning a fumble and gaining an interception.
Barker ran the ball into the end zone on a 2-point conversion run, making it a 14-0 score.
The third Bearcat TD came with 6:21 remaining before halftime with Barker scoring on a 3-yard run. The drive lasted nine plays, totaling 61 yards. The PAT was good.
The drive of the game came at the start of the third quarter with PV going 81 yards on 16 plays, ending with Clifford scoring on a 1-yard dash to the end zone with 8:39 left in the quarter.
A few minutes later, the PV offense was back on the field, returning to the end zone with Barker gliding 15 yards for the score, leaving 6:12 in the third. The drive totaled 71 yards on 11 plays.
The final Bearcat touchdown came with sophomore Dylan Estep returning a fumble recovery 51 yards with 11:30 left in the final quarter.
"It's always special to play in Week 1 of high school football, especially winning at home," Hollon said. "We told them to enjoy the win, but once Sunday evening gets here, it is time to refocus and prepare for Williamsburg.
"We got to play in front of a huge crowd, and our players fed off that."
Defensively for the Bearcats, junior Riley Markko had six tackles (one for loss) and one sack. Immell had four tackles (one for loss) and an interception.
Logan Ackley, a senior, led PV with eight tackles.
"The tone of our defense was set by Tyler Murray and Markko up front," Hollon said. "That tone, along with our tackle rotation, helped out our linebackers fly everywhere."
The Bearcats will travel to Williamsburg on Friday, Sept. 2. Williamsburg opened the '11 season with a 28-14 loss to Summit Country Day.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
BHS 0 0 0 0 — 0
PVHS 14 7 12 6 — 39[[In-content Ad]]
Not only did the Bearcats cruise their way to a 39-0 shutout win over the Golden Eagles of Belpre, but their defense, which has been hampered the past couple seasons, held their non-league opponent to just 46 yards.
"We have to tip our cap to the defense and Coach (Evan) Gallaugher," PV head coach Pete Hollon said. "We spent about 70 percent of our practice time this summer working on defense, and I hope we continue to make strides with them. They tackled well, and what I like is our defense was balanced."
The Bearcat offense, which didn't see any of the starters in the fourth quarter, totaled an even 300 yards, including offensive touchdown drives of 12, 9, 16 and 11 plays each to seal the win.
Bearcat senior quarterback Eli Barker led the way with 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries. Barker also went 6-of-13 for 65 yards passing.
"Eli helped put us in good situations, using what he's been working on all summer on the field (Friday)," Hollon said.
Sophomore running back Mark Clifford rushed for 120 yards and two scores on 15 attempts. For the game, the Bearcats combined for 300 yards on the ground.
"Our offense was individually balanced," Hollon said. "We had three guys with catches and five guys carry the football. What I liked the most was not one of our offensive starters saw the field in the fourth quarter."
Junior receiver Dallas Immell had two catches for 22 yards, and senior receiver Robbee Wallace had two catches for 36 yards.
PV (1-0) scored 14 points in the first quarter with Clifford capping off a 12-play, 62-yard drive with a 3-yard touchdown run with 5:12 left in the first quarter.
Just over a minute later, senior linebacker Dylan Fewster picked up the loose football and returned it 41 yards to pay dirt on a fumble recover touchdown, leaving 4:11 in the first quarter. Fewster finished with seven tackles (one for loss), while causing a fumble, returning a fumble and gaining an interception.
Barker ran the ball into the end zone on a 2-point conversion run, making it a 14-0 score.
The third Bearcat TD came with 6:21 remaining before halftime with Barker scoring on a 3-yard run. The drive lasted nine plays, totaling 61 yards. The PAT was good.
The drive of the game came at the start of the third quarter with PV going 81 yards on 16 plays, ending with Clifford scoring on a 1-yard dash to the end zone with 8:39 left in the quarter.
A few minutes later, the PV offense was back on the field, returning to the end zone with Barker gliding 15 yards for the score, leaving 6:12 in the third. The drive totaled 71 yards on 11 plays.
The final Bearcat touchdown came with sophomore Dylan Estep returning a fumble recovery 51 yards with 11:30 left in the final quarter.
"It's always special to play in Week 1 of high school football, especially winning at home," Hollon said. "We told them to enjoy the win, but once Sunday evening gets here, it is time to refocus and prepare for Williamsburg.
"We got to play in front of a huge crowd, and our players fed off that."
Defensively for the Bearcats, junior Riley Markko had six tackles (one for loss) and one sack. Immell had four tackles (one for loss) and an interception.
Logan Ackley, a senior, led PV with eight tackles.
"The tone of our defense was set by Tyler Murray and Markko up front," Hollon said. "That tone, along with our tackle rotation, helped out our linebackers fly everywhere."
The Bearcats will travel to Williamsburg on Friday, Sept. 2. Williamsburg opened the '11 season with a 28-14 loss to Summit Country Day.
BOX SCORE
SCORE BY QUARTERS
BHS 0 0 0 0 — 0
PVHS 14 7 12 6 — 39[[In-content Ad]]