HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Tripped up

Wildcats score two TDs in closing minutes to sneak past Raiders

Walt Moody

BELLEFONTE — Battered and bloodied, Central Mountain's Scott Zuback wanted back onto the field with his team facing an upset at the hands of inspired Bellefonte on the Red Raiders'; homecoming night.

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

The Bellefonte defense wraps up Von Walker during the game against Central Mountain October 19, 2009. CDT/Nabil K. Mark

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Once the bleeding from his nose stopped, Zuback returned to ruin Bellefonte’s party.

Zuback scored a pair of touchdowns inside the final 1:39 as the Wildcats survived in a madcap 33-27 victory Monday at Rogers Stadium. Zuback rushed 34 times for 210 yards, including and 10-yard touchdown run with 1:39 left and the game-winning 6-yard score with 27 seconds left.

“They might have played harder than any team we have faced this year,” said Zuback, who now has 1,035 yards rushing this season. “They played with a lot of heart and we did, too.”

Zuback’s heroics overcame opportunistic Bellefonte and emotional performance from receiver Torin Miller, who snared six passes for 135 yards and a touchdown in a game in which his father Todd, who died from brain cancer in May, was honored.

Central Mountain, which rushed for 316 yards in the contest, was primed to put away Bellefonte (1-6) twice, but the Raiders rebounded each time.

Trailing 14-0 in the second quarter after Central Mountain scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, Bellefonte was sparked by its defense and special teams.

Malik Breon picked off and errant Nick Turchetta pass and returned it 35 yards up the right sideline for a score to make it 14-7.

The Wildcats (4-3) fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Bellefonte recovered at the Central Mountain 42.

A 35-yard strike from Ty Warner to Miller on third-and-21 from the 40 set up Travis Stuble’s 3-yard score. A missed extra point made it 14-13.

A shanked punt led to a 28-yard scoring run by Zuback that made the score 21-13 before the half.

Zuback carried the ball 10 times in the Wildcats’ opening drive of the second half and was within two yards of scoring until Bellefonte linebacker Brad Grieb changed the momentum of the game. As Zuback was pushing in a big pile at the 2, Grieb stole the ball and returned it to the Central Mountain 47.

“That was just an awesome football play,” Bellefonte coach Zac Wynkoop said.

Bellefonte needed two plays to score as Warner connected for 33 and 14 yards to Miller, who made a pair of leaping catches. Warner’s conversion pass to Zach Tressler tied the game at 21.

Passes of 19 and 21 yards over the middle from Warner to Miller on Bellefonte’s next possession led to Caleb Williamson’s 1-yard go ahead score, but the Raiders missed the extra point to make it 27-21.

Miller, whose father was active in Bellefonte sports (especially baseball), was outstanding Monday.

“I don’t want to speak for Torin, but I’m sure I had a pretty good idea of his feelings and the way he was playing,” Wynkoop said. “I know his dad is proud of him and we’re proud of him. He stepped up and had a really big night.”

Miller was nearly the hero until Zuback took over on a 69-yard drive, one that began with him suffering a bloody nose on his first carry.

Zuback returned with his team on the Bellefonte 44 with the clock closing on the two-minute mark.

“I knew I needed to be out there,” said Zuback. “I got it stuffed up real quick and got back out there.”

He carried four times for 33 yards, bulling his way in from 10 yards out with 1:39 left. Turchetta missed to extra point to leave the game tied at 27-27.

Bellefonte took over with 1:38 left from its 29, but a 13-yard sack of Warner by Ski Stringfellow and two incomplete passes put the Red Raiders in punt formation. A bounced snap and a heavy Wildact rush led to a nine-yard loss by Warner. Zuback bulled over for the game-winner two plays later.

“You see the way he just keeps getting pounded every game,” Central Mountain coach Steve Turchetta said of his tailback. “They’re putting eight and nine men in the box and he just answered the call tonight.”

The Red Raiders forced four turnovers and made it close despite losing 59 yards on 25 carries, most on sacks of Warner, who was 10-for- 26 for 172 yards and four interceptions behind a patchwork offensive line.