TIPP CITY — Bellbrook High School football coach Jeff Jenkins told his players, after a season opener against Tippecanoe High School’s football team on Friday, Aug. 21, they went from being a group to a family during preseason practice.
“The connection of a group is everything,” Jenkins said. “Right now we have that connection, that bond. When you’ve got it, you’re going to have a special team.”
The Golden Eagles showed their connective abilities in Friday’s opener. They scored the last two touchdowns and beat the Red Devils 27-14 at City Park Stadium.
It was what Jenkins hoped for from a senior-laden group following a 6-5 finish last year.
“We’re all really angry about last year and not reaching our goals. We didn’t play up to our level,” Jenkins said. “We’re all angry, and we feel like we’ve got something to prove.”
The Red Devils scored the first touchdown of the second half to take a 14-13 lead. Bellbrook put together a lengthy drive, and Kenton Gerdes capped it with a 7-yard TD run with 11:42 left in the fourth quarter. Senior quarterback Grant Diorio threw a two-point conversion pass to Jack Kosins to give the squad a seven-point lead.
The Golden Eagles forced Tipp to punt on its next two possessions, then Kosins, a senior running back, broke free and darted by defenders on a 34-yard touchdown run up the visitor’s sideline with 2:30 left. A two-point conversion attempt failed, but the Golden Eagles’ defense forced a turnover on downs 45 seconds later to secure the win.
Bellbrook had several key passes that kept drives alive, but the running attack led its offense against the Red Devils. Tipp didn’t allow more than 14 points in a game during an undefeated regular season a year ago.
In the teams’ opener last season, Tipp held the Golden Eagles to less than 50 rushing yards and an average of 1.3 yards per carry in a 21-0 victory.
“These kids have obsessed about this game for a year,” Jenkins said. “We felt we had a really good shot to win this one, and they believed in each other.”
A plethora of players made key plays for Bellbrook, but Kosins stood out. He also scored on a short TD run in the first half and was a menace for Tippecanoe to deal with at linebacker.
“He’s one of the best players in the state in Division III in my opinion,” Jenkins said. “Playing both ways against a team like Tipp and making plays all over the place, that shows it.”
Tippecanoe has a plethora of returning starters and big expectations. Coach Matt Burgbacher said the game showed the group has work ahead if it wants to meet its goals.
“We’ve got a lot of things we’ve got to clean up, and as a coach, that’s on me,” Burgbacher said. “I’ve got to do this better. If I’m going to expect it from the kids, I’ve got to expect it from myself.
“… It stinks to lose. It stinks because there’s a lot riding on this game, with computer points and that stuff. But we’ve got to take care and just focus on us and what we can do to be the best we can be.”
The game didn’t start until shortly after 9 p.m. due to lightning delays, and it took a while for both squads’ offenses to get going when play started.
The teams punted on each their first possessions. Bellbrook methodically ran down the field on its second drive and scored on an 8-yard TD run by Diorio with eight seconds left in the first. Tipp blocked a low extra-point try to keep the gap at 6-0.
After the Red Devils punted again, Bellbrook again muscled its way down the field and scored on a 2-yard TD run by Kosins with 6:07 left in the second to take a 13-0 lead.
Jenkins credited Bellbrook’s offensive line for setting the tone early.
“They were aggressive tonight, there’s no other way of saying it,” Jenkins said. “They believe in each other. We have some big, strong kids here that we haven’t really had a whole lot of in the past on our offensive line, and credit to them. And our defense played pretty damn well as well.”
The Red Devils got going on offense right before halftime and scored on a 4-yard TD pass from senior QB Larkin Thomas to Grant Titley with 2:30 left to cut the halftime deficit to 13-7.
Thomas threw a 72-yard TD pass to Titley, a senior receiver, with 2:30 left in the third to give Tipp a 14-13 lead, but Bellbrook battled back.
The Red Devils begin Miami Valley League play in Week 2 when they travel to Piqua. The Golden Eagles are scheduled to travel to Bellefontaine in Week 2.
It’s the final time the teams are facing off in a season opener, which they have done every year since 2021.
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