B-C, Welsh stifled by Frazier defense
Beth-Center’s Edward Zellie (30) walks off the field Friday after the Bulldogs fell to Frazier.
Beth-Center’s Tony Welsh fights through the tackles of several Frazier players Friday during the first half.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Beth-Center’s Trent Cunko is taken down by Frazier during the first half of Friday night’s game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Beth-Center’s Jacob Mowl recovers a fumble from Frazier during the first half of the game on Friday, October 9.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Beth-Center’s Anthony Welsh fights to stay up while Frazier’s Timothy Broadwater tackles during the second quarter of Friday night’s game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Beth-Center’s Frank Dreucci tackles Frazier’s Hunter Patterson who handed off the ball to Christopher Pierce during the second half of Friday night’s game.
Katie Roupe/Observer-Reporter Beth-Center’s quarterback Trent Cunko looks to pass while evading getting tackled by Frazier during the second half of Friday night’s game.
FREDERICKTOWN – Shutout? Did anybody say shutout?
The Frazier High School football coaching staff didn’t say shutout.
Though Frazier sported the WPIAL’s top defense through five games – the Commodores had allowed only one touchdown and 10 points all season – not even head coach Mike Steeber and his staff even ventured to mention shutout during practice this week.
That’s because Frazier knew the offensive capability of Beth-Center and its 4,000-yard rusher Tony Welsh, who is one of the top running backs in the WPIAL. Shutting down B-C and Welsh, on the Bulldogs’ home field, would be a monumental task for Frazier.
The Commodores’ defense however, made it look rather easy.
Frazier held Welsh to a season-low in rushing yards and used three big pass plays to defeat Beth-Center 21-0 and take firm control of first place in the Tri-County Conference.
“We didn’t even mention shutout,” Steeber said. “All we talked about was forgetting the result of last play and focusing on the next one. Play one play at a time. Do that and then we’ll look at the scoreboard at the end.”
The scoreboard’s final numbers helped show the kind of game Frazier’s defense played. The Commodores (5-0, 6-0) held Welsh to 83 hard-earned yards on 21 carries. Of those 83 yards, 54 came on two first-quarter runs that produced no points for Beth-Center (4-1, 4-2).
The Bulldogs had 11 offensive possessions. They ended in seven punts, a fake punt that failed to produce a first down, a bad snap on a punt, one interception and one turnover on downs. The Bulldogs ran only seven plays in Frazier’s end of the field.
“We got beat by a better football team,” B-C coach Ed Woods said firmly.
Woods admitted he didn’t think his offense could be shut out. And this one came at home, where the Bulldogs had won 21 consecutive conference games. The last Tri-County South team to beat B-C on its home field was Frazier back in 2012.
“The bottom line is (Frazier) came to play football. I give Frazier a lot of credit.”
Despite giving up 21 points, Beth-Center’s defense played a strong game. The Bulldogs held Frazier to minus-31 rushing yards through three quarters and only two net yards on the ground for the game.
The Commodores, however, used three big pass plays to earn the win. One came on the final play of the first half and another on the first play from scrimmage in the second half.
Leading 7-0, Frazier tried to mount a last-minute drive in the first half. The Commodores converted a third-and-six play as quarterback Chris Pierce connected with Hunter Patterson for a 20-yard gain to the B-C 46-yard line. It was only the second first down of the game for Frazier.
“Patterson made a big play on that one,” Steeber said. “He put us in a position where the last play of the half was at least manageable.”
Manageable because Frazier went deep into its playbook for a reverse pass. Wide receiver Caleb Cox took a pitch on a reverse to the left. He lofted a long left-handed pass downfield to wide receiver Damon Lovis, who was several steps behind the B-C secondary. Lovis hauled in the pass, raced for the end zone, and while being tackled from behind managed to stretch the ball over the goal line by no more than the length of the football as time expired in the half.
“That play’s in the playbook,” Steeber admitted. “That’s not something we drew up in the dirt. We practice that all the time and the kids want to run it.”
The play gave Frazier a 14-0 lead and took the life of the pro-Beth-Center crowd.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against B-C on the touchdown helped Frazier get excellent field position to start the second half. On the first snap, Pierce lofted a 37-yard pass down the right sideline for Cox, who out jumped a B-C cornerback and went untouched into the end zone for a 21-0 lead.
That was more than enough points for Frazier’s defense, which won the battle of the line of scrimmage. Inside linebacker Cameron Roebuck was a force and helped hold B-C to only six first downs.
“Tony never got started,” Woods said. “They didn’t do anything different defensively. We knew they were going to spy on Tony. We tried to attack them in different ways but they had an answer for everything.”
The Bulldogs’ passing game was equally ineffective and couldn’t fuel a B-C comeback. The Bulldogs completed only four of nine passes for 28 yards.
“It should have been 7-0 at halftime, and field position definitely hurt us,” Wood lamented.
Frazier took a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter when wide receiver Josh Cox took a simple screen pass to the left side of the formation from Pierce, cut back inside, broke a tackle and outran the B-C defense for a 41-yard touchdown.
Frazier didn’t do much more offensively until late in the second quarter. The Commodores’ next three possession netted minus-10 yards, but Beth-Center couldn’t shake Welsh free.
“That was a total team effort,” Steeber said. “We had 11 players going to the football on defense. Our defensive line put on a lot of pressure. Welsh usually spins and breaks free from tackles for long runs, but with 11 people going to the ball there was nowhere for him to go.”