SKIP BAUGHMAN STADIUM - For the second consecutive season the St. Marys football season came to a halt at the hands of a potent Bellevue offense in the first round of the Division III, Region 10 playoffs.
The Redmen combined the passing of Jeff Polley and the running of Chad Beamer to amass over 450 yards of offense and a 35-21 victory over the Roughriders Friday at Skip Baughman Stadium.
Balance was the key for Bellevue coach Edward Nasonti.
"We thought we could run on them," he said. "I thought we passed the ball very well, and that loosened them up so we were able to move the ball on the ground when we had to."
"I was surprised by their ability to run the football," St. Marys Coach Doug Frye said. "They took advantage of their offensive line against our defensive line. They controlled the line of scrimmage when they had to, and the team that wins the trench battle will win most of the games."
Beamer, who rushed for 570 yards during the regular season, shredded the Riders for nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns while Polley connected on 16 of 24 passes for 261 yards.
"I thought we executed our game plan very well," Nasonti added. "We were able to control the ball very well."
The Redmen jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but it wasn't always that easy, as the Riders battled back to tie the game, and actually took the lead briefly in the second half.
Bellevue scored on its opening drive after it appeared the Riders had them backed up in the red zone. A penalty and a rare sack had the Redmen loking at a third-and-23 from the St. Marys 25. Polley completed a 16 yard pass to J.J. Foos and then on fourth down, the Riders committed a costly interference penalty that set Bellevue up with a first-and-goal from the four.
Beamer burst through a big hole on the next play to get the scoring started.
The St. Marys offense answered with an impressive drive of its own, however the Riders stalled when a sweep play was stuffed inside the Bellevue 10 on third down. Stephen Kill attempted a 23-yard field goal, which was wide right.
Polley and company picked up where they left off with three plays and three first downs. The Riders finally slowed the Redmen down, but only momentarily. On fourth-and-four from the St. Marys 38, Polley found a wide open Ben Snyder for a 34-yard gain inside the Rider five yard line.
Two plays later, Polley rolled out and connected with Foos in the end zone.
After its first PAT kick was blocked, the Redmen went for two and scored on a pass from Polley to Snyder for a 14-0 lead with 10:28 left in the half.
St. Marys came roaring back with another impressive drive, marching 71 yards 13 plays – all of them on the ground. Quarterback Tyler Sampson went the final yard and Kill’s PAT made it 14-7 with 5:12 left in the half.
The Roughrider defense came up with a big play on the next series as Dustin Alexander stepped in front of a Polley pass and returned it across mid field.
Six plays later, fullback Chuck Owens broke free on a trap play and rambled 26 yards to tie the score at 14.
After an explosive first half of offense, it appeared which ever team would be able to play defense in the second half would be the winner, and the Redmen set the tone early, stopping the Riders on their first drive of the second half.
The Bellevue offense did not let up, scoring on its first drive, as Polley and Foos connected for a 16-yard strike with 5:22 left in the half. The Redmen went for two and missed, leaving the door cracked for the Riders.
And St. Marys took advantage, thanks to a big kick-off return by Alexander, who took the ball to near midfield. From there Owens and Kill responded with big gainers. Kill went the final three yards and booted the PAT for a 21-20 St. Marys lead with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
But that lead was very short lived.
Bellevue responded with a two-play drive – a 25-yard pass from Polley to Matt Jacobs, and a 44-yard jaunt to the end zone by Beamer. The Redmen went for two and Polley’s pass to Snyder looked ridiculously easy as the lead was re-established at 28-21.
“The pivotal moment of the game was when we took a 21-20 lead, and let them off the hook” Frye said.
The Riders were never the same, as Bellevue’s offense dominated the rest of the game.
Following a St. Marys punt, the Redmen scored on a four play drive, and Beamer gamed 15, 17 and four yards, followed by a 27-yard pass to a wide open Foos.
“At halftime, I told our guys that we had to tackle,” Nasonti said. “I thought our defense did a great job in the second half. We did a great job of tackling and came up with a few big stops.”
The Rider offense was held to 78 yards in the second half.
Homan paced the Riders with 104 yards on 23 carries.
"I'm real proud of our kids," Frye commented. "This group of seniors did a wonderful bringing the program back to (playoff) level. The challenge now is to take it to the next level."
