C-H outmaneuvers B-C in win
Chartiers-Houston’s T.J. Johnston drops back to pass Friday night during the first half against Beth Center.
Beth Center’s Trent Cunko scores a touchdown Friday against Chartiers-Houston.
Chartiers-Houston’s A.J. Myers catches a touchdown pass during the first half against Beth-Center.
Chartiers-Houston’s T.J. Johnston hands the ball off to Spencer Terling Friday night against Beth Center.
Beth Center’s Trevor Anderson is helped off the field after getting injured Friday night against Chartiers-Houston.
Beth Center’s Nick Pryor runs the ball Friday against Chartiers-Houston.
Beth Center’s Trent Cunko throws a pass Friday against Chartiers-Houston.
Chartiers-Houston’s Jordan Davis evades the tackle of Beth Center’s Bailey Lincoski Friday night.
FREDERICKTOWN – Coach Joe Kuhns and the Beth-Center football team knew what to expect from Chartiers-Houston.
Turns out knowledge doesn’t always equal power.
The Buccaneers took the lead of this Class AA Century Conference matchup from the first play from scrimmage, a 65-yard Spencer Terling scamper through and around the Bulldogs defense on the way to a 25-13 win Friday night.
“It helps when you have a balanced attack, definitely. Tonight was probably our most balanced football game offensively,” Chartiers-Houston coach Terry Fetsko said. “That makes you feel good going into the end of the season.”
Beth-Center used an effective and perplexing triple-option attack that led to the team’s first score, a 49-yard keeper by quarterback Trent Cunko late in the opening quarter. And it appeared the Bulldogs (1-2, 1-4) had a recipe for success if they could contain the Buccaneers (4-0, 5-1) on defense.
But an integral part of that strategy, junior fullback Trevor Anderson, sustained an injury while defending a 16-yard A.J. Myers touchdown reception for Chartiers-Houston four minutes before halftime.
“They kind of took that out of the playbook,” Kuhns said. “We had to find something else.”
That Myers score was his second touchdown catch on the night, the first coming less than a minute and a half earlier when quarterback T.J. Johnston located him in the end zone to convert on fourth-and-two from the Beth-Center 14-yard line. The quick response resulted from a Beth-Center fumble on the ensuing kick return that gave Chartiers-Houston possession inside the 50.
“Short fields killed us tonight,” Kuhns said. “And they took advantage.
Anderson remained down on the field after the play and trainers came out to tend to him. The injury required his being airlifted to Morgantown, according to Kuhns, who did not know the extent or nature of his injury postgame.
Beth-Center managed to cut into a 19-7 halftime deficit when Dominic Fundy bounced to the outside midway through the fourth quarter for a 20-yard touchdown run, it was not enough.
Terling would find the end zone for the second time on a three-yard plunge with 3:37 left in the game. And though the Beth-Center extra point team broke up the resulting C-H conversion kick attempt, it ultimately couldn’t put together a game-tying scoring drive when it got the ball back, driving to the C-H 39 before turning the ball over on downs. The Bulldogs ran the ball five times out of six on their final drive with their only three passes of the game coming on the Fundy touchdown drive that went 71 yards.
“They make you defend sideline-to-sideline. That’s what you have to do,” Kuhns said. “You can’t guess. You have to defend everything on every play.”