Bruins own Panthers

St. Bede’s Adam Schwei-ckert takes a hit from the Panthers Friday at Erie. (BCR photo/Kevin Marsh)

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ERIE — If it were legal for one high school football team to own the other, the Erie-Prophetstown Panthers would have had to sign ownership over to coach John Bellino and the St. Bede Bruins’ program.

On a rainy, cold, and windy night in Erie, the Bruins dug in and played near perfect football, clawing their way to a 28-0 win while holding the Panthers to a mere 95 yards of total offense.

St. Bede got early momentum after E-P was forced to punt on their first possession. Bruin Senior Dan Rucinski blocked the punt attempt, giving the Bruins the ball on the E-P 37 yard line.

After three first downs of some hard running by Cody Shipp, Adam Schweickert got the scoring honors when he found the end zone from 11 yards out with 6:17 left on in the first quarter.

While the rest of the first half of the contest turned into a game of the defenses, the second half with the rain stopped favored the Bruins’ offense and ball control in the third quarter.

St. Bede took the kick off to start the half on its own 31 yard line and worked the ball down to the E-P 18 yard line. After back to back 15 yard penalties on the Panthers, Shipp hit the end zone from one yard out capping, a nine-play scoring drive with Schweickert running in the two point conversion.

“At half time we told them that we scored right a way, and I think we mentally weren’t tough,” Bellino said. We talked about coming out and making a statement, we made a couple of changes, our running back ran well.”

The Bruins’ next offensive possession had the Panthers on their heels once again, as they had no answers for Ryne Denis and the St. Bede offense. The Bruins starting out on their own 33 yard line marched the remainder of the field on 16 plays, giving the ball to Nick Hueneburg from two yards out for thier second score and a 20-0 lead with 21 seconds left before the start of the final period.

In the fourth, after shutting down the E-P offense to a quick three and out, it took only 1 minute 10 seconds before Denis took a quarter back keeper to the end zone from eight yards out for a comfortable 26-0 lead.

After only two snaps from center on their ensuing possession, E-P quarterback Kyle Carson tossed an interception to Hueneburg at the E-P 34 yard line. What looked like another sure scoring opportunity fizzled at the one yard line when St. Bede turned the ball over on downs.

On the next play the Bruins defense caught Carson in his own end zone for a safety to finish out the scoring for the night, 28-0.

The win is St. Bede’s second in a row, advancing them to 2-4 on the season.

“We went through the first four games, and we were lucky to get a first down, we think that we have settled on a good offensive line and we just want to get better,” Bellino said. “This is our second win for us, and we know that we can play with these teams, and were gonna give it the best shot we can.”

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