A Perfect 10
By TRACY WATSON
While Bellaire still has business at hand with the Ohio Division IV state playoffs set to begin next weekend, coach John Magistro?s final regular-season game on the Big Reds sidelines will be one not soon forgotten.
Not only did the Big Reds complete their second consecutive regular season unbeaten, they also retained possession of the SPARKY Trophy, claimed the Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Class AAA championship and added the Buckeye 8 crown to their already illustrious collection of hardware.
Oh yeah, they also managed managed to knock off unbeaten arch-rival Martins Ferry on the hallowed grounds of Purple Rider Stadium.
Senior quarterback Nick Rocchio fired three touchdown passes in a span of 6:22 of the second quarter and the Bellaire defense did the rest in picking up a hard-fought, and cherished, 23-0 victory against Martins Ferry in front of a drenched, over-flow crowd.
The victory, the Big Reds? 20th straight in the regular season dating back to a 21-7 setback to the Purple Riders in the final game of the 2004 season, sends Bellaire back to the playoff with its fourth unbeaten regular season.
While the rest of Division IV will be kicking off the playoffs Friday night, Bellaire will be allowed to play host to a first-round game next Saturday afternoon at Nelson Field.
Meanwhile, Dave Bruney?s Riders fall to 9-1, but should still have enough points to play host yo a first-round playoff encounter next Friday night back at Purple Rider Stadium.
??I think we did a good job putting everything together,?? Magistro said. ??I am so happy for this group of seniors. We have at least one more week to play now, and we if keep getting better each week as we have been, who knows what might happen???
With the rain falling at a steady pace all night, the two teams managed 70 yards and five first downs in the opening quarter of play.
However, the Big Reds got all the offense they needed in the second chapter.
Taking over after a Ferry punt, Bellaire moved 65 yards on eight plays to put the first points on the board at 9:25 of the second quarter. But while the visitors were moving, things weren?t looking good late in the march.
Facing a second-and-37 following an intentional grounding call, Rocchio connected with junior Nick Liberati on a 24-yard gainer to the Riders 20. A third-down pass fell incomplete before the Big Reds got a little magic.
Rocchio lofted a fourth-down pass to the end zone for his favorite target, Trey Masciarelli, who was open. Before the ball could reach him, running back Aaron Crow snagged the pass out of the air for a 20-yard scoring strike.
Senior quarterback Jamal Murray got Ferry in more trouble on its next possession when he threw a jump ball that was pulled down by Bellaire?s Jayson Keyser at his own 36. Keyser traveled 49 yards to the Martins Ferry 15 before finally being knocked down.
The Big Reds needed four plays, scoring for the second time on a fourth-down call. On fourth-and-3, Keyser slid out of the backfield, crossed the middle and hauled in an 8-yard Rocchio pass for the score at 6:11.
Ferry moved to the Big Reds 36 on its next drive, but eventually turned the ball over on downs.
A 2-yard Rocchio carry and a 15-yard Purple Riders personal foul call pushed the ball to the Martins Ferry 46, before the quarterback made a connection with Masciarelli.
Masciarelli caught the ball 10 yards downfield near the sidelines, broke a tackle and headed toward the middle of the field. He avoided three more tackles on his way to the end zone for a 46-yard touchdown with 3:03 to play in the half.
The only score of the second half came at the 9:07 mark and was recorded by the Bellaire defense. Following a Nick Perko punt that pinned the hosts at their 13, a pair of running plays lost 4 yards to put the football at the 9.
On third down, Murray dropped back to pass and slipped and fell in the end zone for a safety and a 23-0 score.
??These weren?t the best conditions, but we did what we had to do,?? Magistro said. ??I think this kind of game tells you a lot about your seniors. They are all leaders who are just determined to win.
??I think our coaching staff also did an outstanding job and had these kids ready to play. Coach (Greg) Bonar made a couple of really big calls on fourth-down plays that got us touchdowns.
??The big thing for us was that we were able to protect Nick (Rocchio) and manage to get pressure on (Jamal) Murray on the other side. Our defense has been great all year. You see that we give up some points, but most of the time they come in the fourth quarter with our starters sitting on the sidelines.??
Rocchio finished 9 of 18 for 159 yards and the three touchdowns as the Big Reds put up 238 yards of offense.
Ferry, with Jeremy Murray being limited to 61 yards on 25 totes, finished with 126 yards.
With the rain falling even harder in the second half, the Big Reds picked up 51 yards, while the Riders had 27.
??Give Bellaire credit, they played a great football game,?? Bruney said. ??We had them in fourth-down situations twice in the second quarter and blew a couple of covers that they took advantage of.
??Maybe as coaches we tried too hard on defense and confused our kids a little bit, but Bellaire really is to be commended. It was a miserable night for football, but it was miserable for both teams.
??Hopefully this is something we can bounce back from and maybe do this again in the playoffs. John Magistro is a great friend of mine and one of the nicest coaches and people that I know, and I would love to have one more opportunity to play against him.
??Overall, we have watched our kids grow up and play against each other and I am very proud to be able to call that man a friend of mine.??
Magistro finished with kind works for his biggest rival also.
??Martins Ferry gave me a nice plaque before the game and I thank them for that,?? he said. ??I have a lot of friends up here in Ferry and I really felt bad for Dave when I had to hug him after the game, but we wanted to beat them.
??I wish them nothing but the best of luck, and who knows, maybe we will have the chance to do this one more time.??
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