Oct 11, 2013 3 min read

PERRYOPOLIS – Frank Hoak’s name hung on the wall of the entrance of the Beth-Center football team’s locker room Friday night.

Hoak, who passed away this week at the age of 70, is the grandfather of Bulldogs running back Nico Brown. His team decided to dedicate Friday’s Tri-County South Conference game against Frazier to Hoak. Brown and Beth-Center responded behind the elusive runner’s two kickoff returns for touchdowns, defeating Frazier, 39-28.

“We actually dedicated this game to his grandfather,” Beth-Center head coach Ed Woods said. “It gave us a reason to play extra hard. He had a great game.”

With the Bulldogs (7-0, 7-0) overcome with emotion, the first quarter found the first-place team on their heels; committing four personal fouls and trailing 14-0. Woods could be seen shaking his head on the sideline following the final personal foul and his team responded. Sophomore running back Anthony Welsh, who ran for 118 yards, scampered into the end zone for the Bulldogs’ first touchdown and the team followed his run with a safety.

On the ensuing free kick, Brown picked up the low kick and wove through the Frazier (5-2, 5-2) special teams unit for a 55-yard touchdown. The Bulldogs scored 23 unanswered points in the first half and silenced a loud Commodores fan base.

“(My grandpa) is a really great guy,” Brown said. “It motivated the entire team to play for him. It was really important to come back and win the game this year after losing to them last year.”

The Bulldogs have all but clinched the Tri-County South Conference championship – one year after losing a close matchup at home against the Commodores. For Brown, revenge was added motivation for the emotional rollercoaster of a week he had.

On the opening kickoff of the second half, with the Frazier fans hoping for a defensive stand, Brown caught the kickoff deep in his own end and broke several tackles on his way to an 86-yard touchdown.

The Bulldogs overcame the mental mistakes and emotional drive of the game’s opening quarter.

“I was very disappointed (with the penalties) but I was very happy with the way our guys came back,” Woods said. “They showed a lot of character tonight, I think, coming back from a 14-0 deficit, especially against a very good quarterback.”

Frazier senior quarterback Charles Manack capitalized on those early B-C mistakes, completing 7-of-11 passes for 91 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter. The Bulldogs bounced back by limiting the penalties, and Manack only completed two of his final seven attempts heading into halftime. Manack finished the game with more than 300 passing yards and three touchdowns, but the Bulldogs stifled the Commodores’ attempt to control the tempo of the game.

Beth-Center was paced on offense by their three-headed rushing attack of Anthony Welsh, Matt Riggle and Justin Stay. Welsh, who leads the team with 14 touchdowns, turned what looked like negative plays into long runs with his quick burst and vision – allowing the Bulldogs to run the clock out in the second half.

“That’s 118 against a good football team,” Woods said. “That was our goal tonight, to keep the offense on the field and to keep (Manack) off the football field.”

The win puts the Bulldogs in position for a first-round home game in the playoffs. B-C still has matchups against Avella and Vincentian Academy to wrap up the regular season.

“Our goal from the beginning of the year was to win the conference,” Woods said. “Winning this game tonight puts us one step closer to that.”