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High School Bellaire Big Reds

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BrutusMaximus;645164; said:
Continuing to represent for the Valley :biggrin:

Noticed we ended up with a Bellaire discussion over on the Steuby thread. If somebody would be so kind as to move that over here?

Saw Bellaire at Park, first game of the year. I was thinking to myself "well, Park isnt too bad this year, but Bellaire really looks down." They have improved so much it's ridiculous. Talk about a coaching staff.
Click to expand...
A terrific bunch of coaches! :bow:
But, the head coach, Magistro, is leaving. I now the family.
 
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The Game!
Bellaire looks for second straight 10-0 campaign
By SETH STASKEY Times Leader Sports Editor


Just a mere six-plus miles separates them.

Other than the corporation lines? locations, not much else differentiates the communities of Bellaire and Martins Ferry.

The two ancient rivals are slated to tangle on the gridiron for the 101st time in the illustrious history of the two schools under the Friday Night Lights at Purple Rider Stadium.

The previous meetings have all created lasting memories for the players, coaches and communities, but this year?s meeting could create memories for the entire Ohio Valley.

?I can only imagine what the atmosphere is going to be like,? said Bellaire head coach John Magistro. ?It?s such a great game no matter what?s on the line.?

The subplots for the game are countless.

? Both teams striving for a 10-0 season.

? The OVAC Class 3-A title will undoubtedly go to the winner.

? The inaugurual Buckeye 8 Football title goes to the winner.

? Martins Ferry head coach Dave Bruney seeks his 200th victory.

? Bellaire head coach John Magistro is coaching his final regular season game.

?There are going to be so many people who are curious and just want to come out and see the game,? Magistro said. ?It?s a credit to both teams. What an honor and a privlege it is for these kids to get to play in a game like this.?

While all of the above are on the line Friday, two things are for certain. Both the Big Reds and Purple Riders will go back to work Monday regardless of the outcome. Both squads have sewn up spots in the Division IV Region 15 playoffs and more than likely both have sewn up a home game in Week 11.

?These are the games that people talk and dream about,? Magistro said. ?We are fortunate to be going out Friday night and playing. I am excited for our players. It?s going to be a great high school game between two good teams.?

Magistro knows when he and the Big Reds arrive at Purple Rider Stadium they won?t be the first people at the field.

?The funny thing about is when we pull in on the bus, it?s possible that both sides of the stands are filled,? Magistro said. ?We want this to be a fun game and let the kids play without putting too much pressure on them.? Despite the crazed atmosphere, droves of people and stakes, the Big Reds have approached it the same way this week.

?You can?t go out and play this game on Tuesday or Wednesday and you have to gear up for this one like you do all the others,? Magistro explained. ?The thing you have to realize on Friday is that there?s going to be a little more to it than the other games you play.?

The Big Reds have done it all season with the passing offense and senior quarterback Nick Rocchio who has flourished in his first season under offensive coordinator Gregg Bonar?s tuteledge.

Rocchio has answered all questions every week, landing 122-of-204 aerials for 2,218 yards. He?s thrown 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

He?s developed into more of a threat as a runner. He?s gained 164 yards on 64 carries, but he?s scored nine touchdowns. He had two rushing scores last week in the win over Indian Creek.

Rocchio?s proficiency has led to a second-straight big season for senior playmaker Trey Masciarelli. He?s caught 48 balls for 1,029 yards and scored 16 touchdowns. That equals the number of touchdowns Masciarelli tallied a season ago.

Senior speedster Jayson Keyser had a coming out party of sorts last week, scoring two touchdowns and catching three passes. All told, Keyser has made 19 receptions for 295 yards and four scores.

?Jayson has done well for us all year,? Magistro said. ?I tried to convey that to him all year. They had to pick their posion with who they were going to double with him or Trey and we made them pay for it.?

Senior running back Aaron Crow has made 19 catches for 240 yards and a touchdown. Senior Timmy Young -- who was slowed for a couple of games by injury -- has recorded 15 catches for 219 yards.

Nick Liberati, Kyle Barnes and Ty Tobiczyk have also developed into strong options for Rocchio and the Reds? passing attack.

When the Big Reds turn to the running game, Crow leads the way. He?s racked up 517 yards on 72 carries. Keyser has added more than 100 yards. Senior Artis Johnson is another weapon at the Big Reds? disposal.

?Martins Ferry has a lot of guys who can get to the football,? Magistro said. ?We have speed and they have speed, and that?s one of the factors that?s going to make this a great football game.?

The Bellaire offensive line has been a strength since the season?s outset. Senior Dustin Bruce is the center. He?s flanked by Jordan Traylinek, Alex Stevenson, Luke Spradling, Bobby Mansfield and Tyler Robinson.

Bellaire is strong in special teams with senior Nick Perko doing the kicking and punting. He averages 52.2 on kickoffs and 39 yards on punts. He?s connected on 34 PATs and booted for field goals.

Martins Ferry?s offensive balance is something that concerns Magistro and defensive coaches Bruce Stoltz, Mike Sherwood and Mark Spigarelli.

?You can?t commit one way or another defensively because of (Ferry?s) balance,? Magistro said. ?We have to be balanced defensively and not try to make arm tackles. It?s going to require all 11 guys on defense to play a good football game.?

The Brothers? Murray are the pair that draws much of the headlines. Senior Jamal Murray triggers the attack at quarterback. He?s passed for better than 1,200 yards and 10 touchdowns.

He?s also an effective scrambler when protection breaks down.

Jeremy Murray is a speedy sophomore tailback who has tortured defenses both as a runner and as a pass catcher. Murray has scored some 28 touchdowns this season. He?s ran for more than 1,360 yards and caught passes for more than 400 yards.

?Martins Ferry is by no means a team with just one or two weapons,? Magistro said. ?They have some real nice targets in the passing game and Bowers is another quality option at running back.?

Senior Zac Bowers has ran for more than 300 yards this season and scored a touchdown. He also serves as the Riders? place kicker.

When Jamal Murray opts for the air and it doesn?t involve his brother, he usually looks junior Derek Edwards and rangy senior tightend Ryan Mirich. Those two have caught passes tallying more than 500 yards.

The Bellaire defense is led by senior linebacker Jordan Traylinek who has 105 tackles on the season.

Senior linebacker Ross Johnson is the second-leading tackler with 95 tackles. Junior linebacker Mike Reed has recorded 67 tackles, while Aaron Crow has made 40 stops.

Another defensive playmaker has been senior speedster Jayson Keyser. He?s made 40 tackles and has six interceptions. He?s scored two defensive touchdowns.

Senior Dustin Bruce anchors the defensive line from his tackle spot. Senior Nick Perko serves as one defensive end, while Zach Materkoski has been strong on the other end. Senior Timmy Young is another playmaker in the Big Reds? defensive backfield.

?Martins Ferry has really become a lot more balanced the last three weeks, and they are playing with a ton of confidence,? Magistro relayed. ?You can?t commit one way or another defensively, so as balanced as they are offensively, we are going to have to be balanced defensively.?
 
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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.??
http://www.theintelligencer.net/sports/articles.asp?articleID=12163
 
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Bellaire defeats St C. 49-21
Score was 42-7 at half.
With his three touchdown passes today, Nick Rocchio has tied Nate Davis for the single season school record of 35.
Next up.
Bellaire vs Westfall.
 
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Bellaire took on Williamsport Westfall tonight. Had 6 turnovers, and still managed to hang on to win 37-26.

Bellaire would have blown them out if not for all the turnovers, cause their D really shut Westfall down completely, especially in the second half. On to play New Lexington, who hammered Martins Ferry tonight, 35-14.
 
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Rocchio shreds New Lexington defense in 45-7 rout
By JOSH STROPE


For the third time in four weeks, the Bellaire Big Reds faced an undefeated team.

For the third time in four weeks, the Bellaire Big Reds handed that team its first loss.

Bellaire claimed its third Ohio Division IV, Region 15 championship in four seasons with a 45-7 pasting of previously unbeaten New Lexington Friday at Sulsberger Memorial Stadium in Zanesville.

??I?m mostly happy for the kids and for our coaches,?? Bellaire coach John Magistro said. ??They are the ones who really deserve this.?

While last week?s victory against Williamsport Westfall was marred by turnovers and penalties, this victory was almost perfect. And just like the rest of the year, it was Nick Rocchio slinging the ball and marching the Big Reds up and down the field.

Rocchio finished with 343 yards and four touchdowns, bringing his total scores to 43 on the season.

Also, on a pass to Artis Johnson in the third quarter, Rocchio eclipsed the 3,000-yard mark.

New Lexington won the toss and deferred, giving the Big Reds (13-0) a chance to strike first. Rocchio came out on fire, completing his first three passes. With the ball on the Panthers 25, Rocchio faked to Aaron Crow and found a wide-open Jayson Keyser streaking down the sideline for an easy 7-0 lead.

Two series later, Bellaire doubled the lead as Crow put the Big Reds in good field position with a 50-yard punt return.

On a fourth-down play from the 20, Rocchio connected with Johnson, who gathered the ball in and stayed on his feet to walk into the end zone.

New Lexington tried to make a game of it on its next possession, marching 72 yards down the field and scoring on a 1-yard run by running back Travis Cook as time expired in the first quarter.

From there, it was all Bellaire.

With Bellaire on the Panthers 12, Rocchio lofted a pass toward the back corner of the end zone and Crow made a diving grab to put the Big Reds back up by one score.

That drive took eight plays; the next one was much quicker.

After Rocchio hooked up with Johnson and Trey Masciarelli for a combined 39 yards, Keyser did it this time on the ground, darting 17 yards up the middle. Bellaire went into the half up comfortably 28-7.

??What I was surprised the most about was our effort defensively,?? Magistro said. ??That is a good football team with a good offense, but we were able to slow them down some good old fashioned, hard-nosed defense.?

A Nick Perko 30-yard field goal was all the scoring in the third quarter, but Bellaire struck quickly in the fourth. Another three-play drive ended as Rocchio found Keyser on a screen pass and the senior dashed 55 yards untouched to seal the game and send Bellaire into next week?s rematch with Youngstown Mooney, a winner against Orrville Friday.

Backup quarterback Tyler Rose finished the scoring for Bellaire with a 35-yard run.

??I think we were embarrassed last week with all the turnovers and penalties,?? Magistro said. ??They were on a mission (Friday) and wanted to show they were a better team than they played.

??They came out today and were clicking on all cylinders.?

The only mistake the Big Reds made the entire night was a fumbled snap on the New Lexington 2-yard line that the Panthers recovered to make the score a little more respectable.

Youngstown Mooney awaits Bellaire in a rematch of last season?s 20-13 Cardinals victory.

??Youngstown Mooney beat Warren G. Harding, and that makes them one of the best teams in the entire state regardless of division,?? Magistro said.

??A win like that tells you a lot about a club and our kids are going to look at this as a challenge.

??And one thing about these kids is that they like challenges and we want to beat the best teams.?

If Rocchio plays anything like Friday, the Big Reds may be headed to their first state championship game since 1996.

??He?s amazing,?? Magistro said. ??The thing about Nick is that when he makes a bad play, he follows that up with three or four really good ones.

??Coming into the year, that was one of the things I was worried about, how he would handle making mistakes. You see how far he has come.?

The game against Youngstown Mooney will be played at a site to be determined Sunday.
 
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Mighty Mooney moves on


Star Beacon





Perry's 20 seniors make sure Pirates battle to the end

By BOB ETTINGER

For the Star Beacon
TWINSBURG - Perry football coach Mike Elder and his Pirate football team knew exactly what they needed to do to have a chance to win their Division IV regional semifinal football game with Youngstown Cardinal Mooney Friday night.
The Pirates turned the ball over on their first possession and the Cardinals capitalized. It was all Cardinals after that in a 41-0 Mooney victory.
"We told the kids we had maintain our composure and just weather the storm that first few minutes," Elder said. "It was third (down) and one and we fumbled the ball. You can't give a good team like that a short field. We were in trouble from the get-go."
Mooney (11-0) will play Orrville in a regional championship Friday at a 7:30 p.m. at a site still to be determined. Perry's season comes to a conclusion with the loss.
"Youngstown Cardinal Mooney is every bit as good as advertised," Elder said. "But I'd rather talk about my team. We had a group of 20 seniors that I'm extremely proud of. We were oversized and outmanned, but they played their hearts out. I'm extremely proud of them and the season they had. This is a gutsy group and they had nothing to be ashamed of."
After the Pirates turned the ball over on their initial possession, Mooney was able to take a 7-0 lead with 7:37 left in the opening quarter. Michael Zordich capped a seven-play drive that spanned just 35 yards with a 12-yard run.
The Cardinals used their offensive line to push the Pirates' defense around to the tune of 505 total yards in the win.
"We're a big football team," Mooney coach P.J. Fecko said. "Obviously, we're a little bigger than they were. Off the ball we wanted movement. We wanted to control both lines of scrimmage."
"Those kids are big," Elder said. "They average 297 pounds on the line and I'm sure that if you checked Ohio State's offensive line, it wouldn't be much different. But they aren't just big, they're pretty darned good."
Mooney tallied for 393 yards rushing on 55 carries. Jamelle Bowers led the way with 124 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts. Brandon Beachum totaled 120 yards and a pair of scores on 12 carries and quarterback Dan McCarthy ran for a touchdown and 90 yards on just five carries.
"We wanted to go straight at them," Fecko said. "We didn't want to get into battle laterally with them. We wanted to wear them down and tire them out. After that, we wanted to go to the perimeter and take advantage of our quickness."
The Cardinals took a 21-0 lead into the half following a 63-yard touchdown run by McCarthy and a 12-yard scoring run from Beachum.
 
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