Boone, receiving corps bring balance to Bellefonte offense

Jaiden Boone looked to his teammates as he talked about his first season starting on the Bellefonte football team.

The senior acknowledged his teammates while saying they have each other’s backs this season. He looked their way again while describing their excitement after his first varsity touchdown.

He mentioned them again before rejoining the rest of the Red Raiders ahead of practice Thursday.

“His unselfishness is what allows him to be good,” Bellefonte coach Shanon Manning said.

Boone is part of reliable receiving corps for the Red Raiders this season. Tight end Tanner Helms, wide receiver Cade Fortney and Boone have combined to make 21 of the team’s 30 catches in its first three games.

Boone has five catches for 36 yards to go with a 50-yard touchdown burst and a 75-yard punt return for a touchdown, emerging as a playmaker after spending much of last season on the sideline.

Boone and Bellefonte (2-1) are looking to win their third straight game when they take on Central Mountain (0-3) on the road Friday night. The Wildcats, who have lost to Williamsport, Hughesville and Shikellamy, boast a dynamic rusher in Justin Neff.

The Red Raiders own a balanced attack this season out of their new pro-style offense.

Opposing defenses can’t focus solely on stopping the run like they did last season.

“It felt like (opposing defenses) had 14 guys on the field,” Manning said. “It definitely did. Everybody was within nine yards of the football, and it felt very difficult at times.”

Bellefonte replaced the Wing-T with the pro-style offense designed to take advantage of the team’s talented receivers.

“It’s automatically better,” said Helms, who already has more catches (six) than he did last year (five). “It’s not just better for me, it’s better for everybody else. We’re playing to our skill players.”

The group includes Boone, who played sparingly as a junior.

He was a running back on a team filled with talent at the position and spent the first three weeks on the sideline.

“It’s frustrating not to play, but you just have to go your hardest and try to get in first string, try and get more playing time on varsity,” Boone said.

Boone made his first appearance in Week 4, returning two kicks in a loss to John Marshall. One week later, he got three carries for 22 yards in a loss to Tyrone.

But three days later, he suffered a concussion in the junior varsity game against Tyrone.

Boone’s contribution in his junior season was limited to two kickoff returns and three carries.

But he was determined to carve out a role in his final year.

“He came in with the mentality that like, ‘I am going to start,’” Helms said. “And he was set in stone that he wanted to play wide receiver and he wanted to be a starting wide receiver.”

In his first season as a starter, Boone said he feels pressure to produce.

But he enjoys running routes and making catches at his new position.

“I feel like you’re more free,” Boone said, comparing wide receiver to running back.

His coach points to two traits that have led to the senior’s early-season success.

“One, he absolutely, positively loves to get the ball thrown to him,” Manning said. “Two, he doesn’t gripe, whine or complain when it’s not. And those two characteristics make him fantastic at what he does because whether he’s catching the ball or not, he’s not over there pouting and moping and going on, he’s cool with it.

“He wants that ‘W’ at the end of the night.”

This story was originally published September 15, 2016 at 8:08 PM with the headline "Boone, receiving corps bring balance to Bellefonte offense."