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Buckeye Local’s Brody Keyoski (32) tackles Bellaire’s Bradyn Beckett on Friday at Nelson Field.

BELLAIRE — It was a historic Friday night as Bellaire played its first-ever night game at legendary Nelson Field. The Big Reds did not disappoint.

Bellaire took a whopping 18 penalties for 130 yards, scored just before halftime and added 18 more in the third quarter to pull clear of the Panthers 38-6 in front of a packed crowd.

“We repeatedly committed penalties in the first half, both offensively and defensively,” Bellaire’s veteran head coach Mark Bonar assessed his team’s slow start. “Maybe it was the nerves before the first game and maybe it had something to do with all the hustle and bustle that was going on there. Maybe we just weren’t focused enough.”

“Buckeye Local did a good job from the beginning. They had a good game plan.”

Late in the first half, Bellaire led 14-6 when Bellaire’s Luke Heatherington intercepted a Buckeye Local pass near the halfway line. It took the Big Reds six plays to go the full distance. Second-year quarterback Michael Dippel rolled to his right before firing a pass to a completely free Graham Campbell in the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown with 36.1 seconds on the clock. The PAT wasn’t good, but the hosts had a 20-6 lead and the momentum heading into halftime.

“We have a lot to do in the future,” added Bonar. “We have a lot of things to fix. We’ve thrown the ball pretty well at times, but our passing isn’t where it needs to be. Michael is only a sophomore and he’ll get better.”

Buckeye Local held up well defensively in the first half, but was unable to get out of trouble on offense and lost the ball three times – twice due to lost fumbles and the aforementioned interception.

“Bellaire is a good team, especially in this scenario,” Chris Kiedaisch, the new head coach of the Buckeye Locals, said: “Our guys came out and played really, really hard, especially in the first half, but you can’t lose the ball and you can’t make mistakes on the first day like we did in the first half and expect to stay in the game.”

“The fact that we made so many mistakes in the first half and still stayed in the game says something about our guys. The turnovers and penalties make the difference between a program (Bellaire) that’s used to winning and a program like ours that’s still trying to learn how to win.”

With three points in a row early in the third quarter, the OHSAA mercy rule was implemented and the Big Reds won easily.

Dippel, making his first start at quarterback for the team, found a leaping Raekwon Pettigrew in the right corner of the end zone from 15 yards out. After Campbell blocked a Panthers punt, Bellaire needed just two plays to reach the end zone again, this time on a 9-yard run by Bradyn Beckett. After a Buckeye Locals punt, Maurice Webb threw a ball to the left of the house from 52 yards out to cap the score.

“We have some athletes who can make some plays,” said Bonar.

Webb opened the scoring with an 18-yard run around the left end in the first quarter. Dippel ran after Kin from two yards out in the second quarter and then found Heatherington for the two-point conversion and a 14-0 lead.

Buckeye Local took the lead when quarterback Alex McDiffitt and Andrew Jones connected from 12 yards out midway through the second quarter.

Bellaire managed 375 yards on offense, including 214 yards on 30 attempts. Webb led the balanced attack with 82 yards on just four attempts, while Pettigrew added 59 and Beckett 58. Heatherington caught two passes for 64 yards and Landon Preston also snagged two air passes for 55 yards. Dippel was 7 of 13 for 161 yards, with two TDs and a similar number of INTs.

Brennin Takach and Xavier Eastham had the picks.

The Panthers were not effective running the ball, as 27 carries resulted in just nine yards. McDiffitt completed 9 of 17 attempts for 58 yards and the aforementioned TD.

“Our defense played well at times, but we received far too many penalties,” Bonar emphasized. “We won’t beat anyone who commits that many penalties. It won’t happen again.”

Webb and Alex Ney were able to achieve fumble recoveries for the Big Reds.

Both teams are on the road next week as Buckeye Local heads to Morristown to face Union Local while Bellaire travels to Barnesville. The Jets and Shamrocks both won on Friday night.

GAME NOTES

– Before the competition, a minute’s silence was held for the late Bruce Stolz and Stanley Stein, both of whom recently passed away.

– At halftime, a magnificent fireworks display was set off in the south end zone.