Sports
Recap: Tullius Leads Belpre To Blowout 53-6 Victory Over Miller [VIDEO]
By: WOUB Staff Writer
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A cold and rainy night couldn’t stop the Belpre Golden Eagles (5-2) from running away with a big victory against Miller by a score of 53-6. And with only two complete passes (both from Miller) in the entire game, this was a match that Belpre would run away with on the ground.
Back-and-forth was a theme in the first quarter as the ball was turned over five times. Penalties also proved to be troublesome as a punt returned for a touchdown by Belpre’s (5-2, 4-2 TVC-Hocking) Deijon Bedgood was pulled back because of a holding call.
But Bedgood didn’t lose his focus.
With five seconds remaining in the first quarter, he punched it into the end zone to give the Golden Eagles a 6-0 lead and the momentum heading into the second quarter.
However, on the ensuing kickoff, Miller’s (1-6, 0-5) Kody McKinniss returned the ball right into the endzone. But because of unsportsmanlike conduct on Miller, they missed the extra point to secure a lead and tied the score at 6-6.
After Belpre drove the ball from their 42-yard line to the Miller one-yard line, the Falcons defense held strong and stopped Belpre with a turnover on downs. But the momentum backfired on them as Lane Mulford was taken down by the massive Belpre defense in the end zone for a safety, putting Belpre up 8-6 with 7:23 left in the half.
Bedgood took over again on the ensuing drive, returning the kick to Miller’s 19-yard line. And two plays later he punched it into the end zone for his second and final touchdown of the game. A successful two-point conversion by Manny Tullius widened the Golden Eagles’ lead 16-6 with 6:29 left in the half.
And Tullius wasn’t just satisfied with just those two points. With 1:03 left in the first half, he plunged into the end zone on a nine-yard touchdown rush, and the Golden Eagles led 22-6 going into the locker room.
Belpre and Tullius dominated the second half, too, as he opened the second half by taking the kickoff back 80-yards for a touchdown, and then converted another two-point conversion to put Belpre up 30-6.
Tullius kept his dominance going, as he scored two more touchdowns in the half, and also forced another Falcons’ safety on defense as the Golden Eagles began to pour it on.
Belpre truly dominated the game, with 285 rushing yards, averaging 6.2 yards per rush. Meanwhile, Miller suffered the entire game with a measly minus-4 yards rushing and averaging a whopping one-yard per play on offense.
After suffering a huge defeat at home, Miller looks to bounce back as they play Federal Hocking (0-7, 0-5 TVC-Hocking). Belpre will look to extend their winning streak next week when they play Parkersburg Catholic (2-4).
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