Oct 4, 2014 4 min read

PERRYOPOLIS – Beth-Center head coach Ed Woods was disappointed in his players. Not only were the Bulldogs trailing by one point to Frazier at halftime, but two of his players were ejected and penalties cost the offense several long gains.

A scrum between two rivals is nothing new, but losing two starting linemen forced Woods to make personnel adjustments. He challenged his players in the locker room to either play smart or lose a shot at the conference title.

A 16-point fourth quarter, led by senior running backs Anthony Welsh and Nico Brown, propelled Beth-Center to a come-from-behind, 29-20, victory over the Commodores in a Tri-County South Conference game Friday night.

The win puts the Bulldogs (5-0, 6-0) in the drivers’ seat for a fourth straight conference title and left Frazier (4-1, 5-1) looking for answers.

“I was very disappointed with both teams,” Woods said. “It took a lot out of that game. I know their coach doesn’t tolerate it, and neither do I. I saw in my guys’ eyes that they felt confident at half and I knew they’d clean it up after that.”

Frazier and Beth-Center traded scores early in the first quarter before a brawl broke out. Commodores sophomore running back Alvin Ross ran a sweep up the left sideline and Welsh laid a textbook hit to stop him for a short gain.

Frazier’s players took exception. Welsh was pushed, others were punched and an official even tackled a Commodores’ player to stop the events from escalating. Bulldogs senior linemen Dakota Vilcoss and Daniel Smith were ejected, along with Frazier senior running back Nicholas Smalich, junior lineman Timothy Brodwater and one more unidentified player.

With a decimated front-seven, the Bulldogs allowed Frazier junior quarterback Hunter Patterson to score four plays later on a two-yard run for a 14-7 Commodores lead. Beth-Center answered with 3:32 remaining in the second quarter when senior running back Johnny Sofran ran a draw up the middle for a 32-yard touchdown. The ensuing extra point was blocked.

“It was for sure emotional,” Frazier head coach Mike Steeber said. “It has been that way between these two teams for the last few years. Tonight was no different. We teach the kids to play from the snap to the whistle, but emotions can get the best of you sometimes.”

On their first possession of the second half, Patterson led the Commodores on a six-play, 61-yard drive that he capped with a two-yard touchdown run to give Frazier a seven-point lead. Patterson finished with six completions for 76 yards, 51 rushing yards and three total touchdowns until leaving the game late in the third quarter after running for a seven-yard gain.

He also gave Frazier a 7-0 lead with a 33-yard touchdown pass to Ethan Weiser five minutes into the game.

Steeber inserted sophomore Christopher Pierce, who was effective. But communication issues with receivers led to incomplete passes. Without the clock moving from a lack of first downs, Frazier handed Beth-Center the football with plenty of time to put Welsh and Brown to work.

They took advantage. With less than six minutes remaining in the game, Welsh led the Bulldogs on a 55-yard drive and finished it with a one-yard TD run. He made the two-point conversion on a run up the middle as B-C took a one-point lead. The senior finished with 23 carries for 136 yards.

“We came out sloppy,” Welsh said. “We were more worried about going out there, and we didn’t play smart. Coach told us that we had to clean it up if we wanted to win. We got our heads in the game after that.”

Despite being penalized 11 times for 104 yards, Beth-Center found itself in the lead. Pierce completed three passes on the ensuing drive to march Frazier into the Bulldogs’ side of the field, but a forced pass on first down was intercepted on the four-yard line by B-C senior Tommy Strauss.

More flags were thrown than passes were completed, but playing without their starting guard and tackle did not affect the Beth-Center offense. Three plays after the interception, Brown took a pitch on the left hash and sprinted up the sideline for a 90-yard touchdown to seal the victory. The senior added 150 yards on 11 carries and scored the Bulldogs’ first touchdown in the first quarter on a four-yard run.

“It was pretty frustrating for us to take those penalties,” Welsh said. “The running backs would get a large gain and it would get called back or on defense it would hurt us. Beth-Center and Frazier don’t get along so it’s big getting this win.”