Bellefonte struggles to contain QB Jeff Hoenstine in 26-14 loss to Central
Bellefonte came into Friday night’s game ready to bounce back from a Week 1 loss to Tyrone, but instead saw a similar outing to last week’s game. The Red Raiders fell to the Central Scarlet Dragons, 26-14.
Their run-heavy offense paved the way on that side of the ball, but didn’t find the end zone enough to keep up with what — through two weeks — has proven to be a high-powered Central offense.
The Scarlet Dragons were led by sophomore Jeff Hoenstine who torched a Centre County team for the second week in a row. The quarterback finished last week’s 33-9 win over Bald Eagle Area with 199 passing yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-22 passing and followed up with another great performance this week.
He racked up 215 passing yards and three touchdowns on 20-of-29 passing. He added 53 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown to build upon his success through the air.
“He’s a great athlete. A great athlete,” Bellefonte head coach Shanon Manning said. “He’s a great competitor.”
The Scarlet Dragons got on the board first with a 34-yard pass from Hoenstine to Josh Biesinger, then scored again the sophomore quarterback hit Parker Gregg for a 28-yard touchdown. The 12-0 lead after two missed extra points was answered by Bellefonte with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from senior quarterback Ethan Rossman — the focal point of the Red Raider offense.
Central answered again in the third quarter when Hoenstine notched his third passing touchdown of the night by finding Devon Boyles for a 19-yard score and tacked on two more with a rush on the two-point conversion attempt to make it 20-7.
The Red Raiders were able to get some momentum when Rossman returned after a brief absence due to injury. The senior quarterback hit a wide-open Dylan Dann for a 60-yard touchdown after the Central defense bit on a fake screen.
Bellefonte was able to stop Central on the ensuing drive, but was unable to find its rhythm offensively and was held scoreless the rest of the game.
The team’s offense is consistently run-heavy, but Manning said that doesn’t make it any more difficult for the team to come back when it’s behind.
“Right there before the half we stayed run-heavy and we were able to still flip the field to get in and score.” he said.
After a successful season last year, which concluded with a state playoff berth, Bellefonte will have to get back on track now that it’s 0-2.
Manning saw improvement from his team compared to how it played last week, but said it has to hold on to the ball to get back on track.
“Turnovers have plagued us the first couple of weeks,” he said. “That’s probably where we need to start. I think our effort was definitely much better tonight. Our attention to detail was better tonight. As far as the turnover battle, I think we were minus-five. It’s tough to beat any team when you’re down four or five turnovers, let alone a team the caliber of Central.”
The Red Raiders were scheduled to face Clearfield next week, but the Bison had a player test positive for COVID-19 and that game has been canceled.
It’s unknown who Bellefonte will play, if they do.
CENTRAL 26, BELLEFONTE 14
(Friday at Bellefonte)
Central 6 6 8 6 — 26
Bellefonte 0 7 7 0 — 14
First Quarter
C — Biesinger 34 pass from Hoenstine (kick failed)
Second Quarter
C — Gregg 28 pass from Hoenstine (2-pt failed)
B — Rossman 2 run (Daniel Persiko kick)
Third Quarter
C — Boyles 19 pass from Hoenstine (Hoenstine run)
B — Dann 60 pass from Rossman (Persiko kick)
Fourth Quarter
C — Hoenstine 1 run (kick failed)
Top Rusher: C: Gregg 13-89-1. B: Rossman 14-91-1.
Top Passer: C: Hoenstine 20-29-3 215. B: Rossman 9-19-1-2 151.
Top Receiver: C: Boyles 4-54-1. B: Dann 1-60-1
Interceptions: C: Hoenstine, Demetrious Harbaugh. B: none.
Next Game: Central vs. Philipsburg-Osceola, Friday. Bellefonte vs. TBD, Friday.
This story was originally published September 19, 2020 at 1:12 AM.
