Bedford Blitzes Injury-Depleted Belmont

A banged-up Belmont High football team fell 34-0 Thursday night at Bedford.

Already bitten by the injury bug, the Marauders (0-2-0, 0-0-0) saw two starting offensive linemen go down early in the first half while wide receiver Mark Rocha also left the game with what was believed to be a collarbone injury.

After losing two lineman, Belmont struggled to control the line of scrimmage with only two projected starters protecting sophomore quarterback Michael Richardson from Bedford's relentless pressure.

All things considered, Belmont coach Kevin Gildea said he was pleased with his team's fight.

"The players who were out there were giving a great effort," he said.

As a steady rain fell on Bedford's grass field, Belmont got off to a sloppy start. The Marauders fumbled on their first possession and then, after a quick Bedford touchdown, fumbled again on the first play of their second possession. Bedford quarterback Christian Boivin hooked up with wide receiver Dajaan Clark on a touchdown to cap the ensuing 32-yard drive and give Bedford an early 12-0 lead.

"We have to do a better job of taking care of the football," Gildea said. "We put the ball on the ground a lot tonight, and we gave them short fields on offense."

Bedford's offense was led by senior running backs Steven Adams and Demetrius Steed.

On Belmont's next drive, Bedford forced a fourth-and-long and then Francis Fay blocked a punt, which was returned by teammate Najee Matin for a touchdown to make it 18-0 three minutes into the second quarter.

Bedford (1-0) got a safety on Belmont's following drive, and Boivin found Clark again, this time on a 33-yard bomb with 27 seconds left in the half, to put Belmont down 28-0 at the break.

The teams were fairly even in the second half, as both coaches opted to run and play backups in the fourth quarter.  Steed scored Bedford's first touchdown, while teammate Taylor Dawson ran the ball in for the game's only second-half score.

Gildea said Richardson, a sophomore, is improving every day. When he had time in the pocket, Richardson strung together a couple first downs through the air. Belmont's Joe Monteiro had a solid outing. The senior captain had a couple of decent-size gains at running back and played a punishing middle linebacker.

The Marauders open Middlesex League action at 7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 24, at Melrose. Belmont played Bedford on Thursday, instead of Friday, due to the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.