FOOTBALL: Bobcats Tame Huskies in Second Straight Blowout

In some ways it was a night of "almost" for Bel Air.

Jay Delgado almost rushed for 100 yards (99.)

The defense almost got its second consecutive shutout (less than a quarter shy).

Ultimately, though, those milestones mattered little as the Bobcats tamed one of their fiercest rivals, Patterson Mill, 48-16.

A year after falling to the Huskies at home, the Bobcats returned the favor in their second consecutive blowout win, both of which featured a running clock by the third quarter.

One player who did have a perfect night, statistically, was senior quarterback Matt Sweitzer. The senior threw one pass—to classmate Tim Ireton—on the third play of the game for a 17-yard gain.

The next 251 of Bel Air's 264 total yards came on the ground after it netted a four-yard loss on two running plays to open the game.

"Really we're just trying to put guys into position to make plays. If I had to say we were offensive or defensive, both sides of the ball are going to be what wins," said head coach David Huryk, whose Bobcats have outscored their last two opponents 93-16. "I can't say that we favor either way because we've got guys going both ways."

One of those players is Delgado, a junior, who was quick to share praise.

"The line busted their butts working for me. I told them at the beginning of the game, 'Hey, if you guys have my back I will always run for you guys,'" he said.

In less than four minutes and just six plays, the Bobcats went 41 yards, 29 of which were from three of Delgado's 14 runs, on their opening drive. It was junior Ryan Monardo, though, who punched it in from the 1-yard line for the opening score.

After the Huskies second consecutive three-and-out to begin the game, the Bobcats had one of their own before Delgado picked off Patterson Mill senior Cameron Wann—the quarterback's first interception of the year.

Fittingly, Delgado's 24-yard touchdown run completed Bel Air's subsequent drive for a 14-0 lead.

Last week's star against Harford Tech, senior Dezmon Hall, was the catalyst for Bel Air's third score. Punting from its own 20, Patterson Mill could not stop Hall from blocking the kick. The ball squirted into the end zone where Sweitzer and senior Adrian Jordan jumped on it. Jordan was credited for the touchdown.

"We just ran into a big, physical, tough Bel Air team that just beat us up front," Huskies head coach Josh Mason said. "We would get two big stops, and then we'd give up a big play. Two big stops and we couldn't get that third big stop to get out of the series."

Up 21-0 entering the third quarter, Hall quickly erased two things—his negative rushing total from the first half (-14) and any chance that the Huskies would catch up.

On the second play of the third quarter Hall broke a 49-yard run after Delgado opened the half with an eight-yard gain.

After forcing the Huskies to turn the ball over on downs, Hall scored on a 24-yard run less than five minutes after his first score, and the Bobcats led 35-0.

"After three comes four—that's what me and Dezmon say," said Delgado, referring to his No. 4 jersey and Hall's No. 3.

Juniors Alex Love and Jake Queen scored the Bobcats' final two touchdowns in the fourth quarter on six and 44-yard runs, respectively.

Wann finally broke the seal for the Huskies with a nine-yard touchdown pass to junior Justin Palmer 20 seconds into the final quarter. After two offensive penalties, the Huskies converted a two-point try from the 12-yard-line to make it 35-8.

Palmer finished with eight receptions for 102 yards to go with his score.

Wann threw for his second touchdown of the night and seventh on the year with 90 seconds remaining in the game when he found senior Zach Zeller for a five-yard play. The Huskies were again successful on their two-point attempt, to make it 41-16.

"You know our kids didn't quit. I love our team; our team never quits," Mason said. "The effort at the end was what I really appreciated. We got beat by a better team."

Mason was not happy with the loss, but in addition to being encouraged by his team's effort, he was prepared to motivate them going forward.

"The great thing is our non-conference schedule is over. We get into our Susquehanna Division Conference next week … at Perryville," Mason said. "Our goals every year are beat Bel Air, win the division, make the playoffs. And the other two are still available."

Patterson Mill may not have gotten on the board a second time if Bel Air had not defended four consecutive plays, including the two-point attempt, with just 10 defenders. While such a mistake was inconsequential Friday night, it may cost the Bobcats in future games. Perhaps against inter-county rival Fallston, which is where Bel Air goes Sept 24.

"They're going to be a tough squad. We don't take anybody lightly, we know we have our work cut out for us in the county schedule," Huryk said.

Queen's score would come just 28 seconds after the 10-man gaffe to cap Bel Air's scoring.

Hall atoned for his sloppy offensive first half with 73 yards on three runs in the first six minutes of the third quarter—one of which was for no gain.

Delgado hauled in his second pick with a little more than a minute remaining in the first half, allowing Bel Air to kneel the clock down with a three-score lead.

Notes: Wann was 17-for-30 for 191 yards ... Patterson Mill had 31 yards rushing ... Five of Bel Air's seven touchdowns were plays of 20 yards or more, including the blocked punt ... The Bobcats had five sacks ... Bel Air has had an individual with two interceptions in each of the last two games (Hall against Harford Tech, Delgado on Friday) ... This was Huryk's second win in his first season as head coach at Bel Air.

All statistics were kept manually by Bel Air Patch and should not be considered official. Friday's game will air Monday at 7:30 p.m. on the Harford Cable Network.

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