ALTOONA — Bellefonte linebacker Ian Button sprinted around the left side of Johnstown’s offensive line, creating a clear path to Johnstown’s Gervon Simon.
The junior quarterback didn’t fret. Simon stayed in the pocket and lofted his first-quarter pass toward Daquan Minter, who stopped, turned and jumped over Jonas Holderman for a 29- yard reception.
The play offered the Red Raiders a glimpse at the challenges they faced during Friday’s District 6 Class AAA final at Mansion Park.
Simon completed 15 of 18 passes for 305 yards and threw five touchdowns to five different receivers as the Trojans ended Bellefonte’s rebound season with a 49-8 victory.
The most frustrating part for the Red Raiders (7-4): They were in position to stop many of Johnstown’s big plays.
“Three touchdowns we had people there to make plays and they came down with the ball,” Besch said. “That’s just athletes being athletes and making great plays.”
At one point, Simon completed 10 straight passes, including five to leaping targets. Highlights included:
•Minter’s 28-yard touchdown catch with 2:35 left in the first quarter. Minter leapt over two Red Raiders to give the Trojans a 6-0 lead.
•Alkwan Williams’ 10-yard touchdown pass with 11:12 left in the second quarter. With Holderman and Torin Miller converging on the ball, Williams snagged Simon’s pass with his right hand. The grab still had people buzzing after the game.
•Dwight Andrews’ 8-yard touchdown catch with 4:41 left in the second quarter. Andrews jumped over Matt Watson to catch the ball in the back of the end zone, giving the Trojans a 28-0 lead.
“The kids made some big plays,” said Johnstown coach Tony Penna Jr., whose team faces Clearfield in next week’s District 6-9 sub-regional. “Bellefonte did a good job of defending us. We really have some amazing athletes. We always tell Gervon to get it near them and they can make a play. He put in near them and they made the plays.”
Simon’s final touchdown pass illustrated another challenge Bellefonte faced. The Trojans (10- 1), who amassed 529 total yards, are also fast. On Johnstown’s final offensive play of the third quarter, Simon tossed an inside screen to Marc Watson, who dashed his way to a 48-yard touchdown.
Simon also threw a 19-yard touchdown to Calvin Anderson in the second quarter. Andrews (four catches, 90 yards),Williams (4-59), Watson (3-55), Minter (3-52) and Anderson (2-49) all caught multiple passes. The potent group ranges in size, with Andrews the tallest at 6-foot-4 and Minter the smallest at 5-foot-11, 135 pounds.
“They are just ridiculous,” said Simon, who threw for 402 yards and five touchdowns during last week’s victory over previously-undefeated Forest Hills. “I don’t see any team in the state having as many talented receivers as we do. We have a lot of talent on this team and a lot of them are receivers. I just throw the ball to let them make the plays. They make my stats and they make our offense really.”
Bellefonte has its own talented receivers, but an athletic Trojan defense prevented the Red Raiders from establishing an offensive rhythm.
The Red Raiders didn’t get a first down until a pass interference penalty with 4:31 left in the first half. Bellefonte finished with 159 total yards, with 65 coming on Tyler Lucas’ 65-yard touchdown pass to Malik Breon on the first play from scrimmage in the third quarter.
Breon caught Lucas’ pass at the midfield and broke two tackles at the Johnstown 35 before outrunning Minter to the end zone. The touchdown was the final one in a season filled with big ones for Bellefonte.
One year after finishing 1-9, Bellefonte compiled a 7-3 regular-season mark. The Red Raiders won four of their final five regular-season games to reach the postseason for first time since 2007. Late-season triumphs included victories over Huntingdon, Indian Valley, Central Mountain and Bald Eagle Area.
A 19-member senior class fueled the team’s success. The group organized offseason workouts during a coaching search that ended with Besch’s hiring last April and made critical plays in exhilarating victories at Central and Huntingdon.
“We had a great season,” Besch said. “I can say this now. There wasn’t a single person who said, A, We would be 7-3; and B, be in the district playoffs. We are very fortunate to have the opportunities that we had. I can’t say enough about this football team. They battled each and every day. They did everything we asked them to do. We ran into a really good football team and they were able to make plays.”
