Belle Vernon withstands McKeesport in overtime

By: Jeremy Sellew
Saturday, September 9, 2023 | 12:02 AM

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Friday night’s game against McKeesport seemed eerily similar to last season’s game for Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert.

But in the end, the Leopards found themselves right at home — with their backs on their goal line in crunch time. Twice.

The Leopards defense did it again, this time keeping the Tigers out of the end zone from the 2-yard line on a fourth down in overtime to preserve a 21-14 win in nonconference play.

“That’s it, 100%,” Humbert said. “Our defense played lights out the entire game. It’s just a lot of practice. A lot of practice for what McKeesport does, and our defense stood up. It’s great to get a win when it comes down to one single play.”

The Leopards’ score on the first possession of overtime came courtesy of quarterback Braden Laux. The 6-foot-5 quarterback picked up 7 yards on first down and the final 3 on second.

“That was our goal. We knew in overtime we could do what we wanted to do,” Humbert said. “We wanted to get Braden running downhill when they’re all spread out.”

Tigers quarterback Garrett Tarker picked up 5 yards on his team’s first chance. Then it was runs of 2 yards and 1 yard from Anthony Boyd. On fourth down, the Tigers went to the pass, which fell incomplete between a pair of Leopard defenders.

“It was the play we wanted,” McKeesport coach Matt Miller said. “We thought we could catch them on us leaking out there. They were bringing everything on the dive, and Anthony was getting blown up in there.”

To open the fourth quarter, the Tigers milked five minutes off the clock only to have Boyd stuffed at the 1-yard line on a fourth down after McKeesport had four chances from the 3.

“Those guys thrive on that,” Humbert said of his defense. “Those inside ’backers and our line were dominant. That’s not easy against them. They’re big, strong and fast.”

The Leopards (2-0) got on the board on their first drive of the game. It was a seven-play, 55-yard jaunt that ended with Laux hooking up with receiver Anthony Crews on a perfectly thrown ball for a 31-yard touchdown pass.

Willie Schwerha, in his first action since tearing his ACL in the state championship game in December, booted the PAT to make it 7-0.

After that, the Leopards couldn’t get much going offensively as the Tigers made an adjustment that stifled the BVA offense and took Penn State recruit Quinton Martin out of the plan.

“Anthony was going everywhere he went, and we did a great job of not allowing him to get many touches. They have a lot of weapons, though, and two big plays hurt us,” Miller said.

The Leopards’ next drive ended with a turnover on downs at the McKeesport 31, but the Tigers handed it right back when BVA’s Dane Levi stripped Anthony Boyd. Adam LaCarte recovered the fumble at the McKeesport 35.

After the defense forced a punt, the McKeesport offense got something going on its next drive.

The Tigers (2-1) used 11 plays to get into the red zone, the key one a 35-yard run by freshman Kemon Spell to the BVA 25.

The drive camp up empty, though, as the Leopards defense had the first of its patented goal-line stands to force a turnover on downs at the 5.

The BVA offense continued to sputter as the ensuing drive started off with Laux getting picked off by Jordan Benjamin with 4 minutes, 43 seconds remaining in the first half.

“There was an eerie feeling there early,” Humbert said of last year’s game. “But these guys stayed the course, and we were able to turn things around, thankfully.”

Two plays later, the Tigers finally broke one as Boyd went 30 yards off the right side to make it 7-7.

The Tigers nearly got on the board at the end of the half.

Spell picked up Laux as the clock hit zeroes and took off toward the end zone. He finally was tracked down by Martin at the 20-yard line to send the teams to the locker room.

The Tigers took a 14-7 lead in the third on Tarker’s 12-yard touchdown run on a great fake on the read.

“That’s the way we practice it,” Miller said. “He did make a great read there. He read it right and made a great move to get in there.”

The Tigers lead didn’t last long as Crews struck again, taking a sweep on an end-around and racing 65 yards untouched.

“I know it’s cliche, but that kid is a star in the making,” Humbert said. “He’s another piece that we hope we can add to guys like Braden and (Jake) Gedekoh. Another weapon for us when teams like this are able to focus their attention to Quinton.”

Miller said his team will wash this one away and get ready for next week.

“You’d like to be the ones celebrating and dancing in the end zone in a game like that,” he said. “We played well, especially defensively. Those guys up front are always up for the challenge of a team like that.

“We’re still missing blocks on one of our best plays, and it cost us today. We’ll fix that and keep working.”

Said Humbert: “We tried to attack them on the perimeter, and a couple of times we had it. There was a flag here, a holding there. An interception, things like that killed it.

“I’m glad we had a grind like this. This is a game we learn from. We missed things, but it’s easy diagnosis and we’ll fix it.”

The Leopards stay in exhibition mode next week when they travel to Penn-Trafford. The Tigers will open Big Seven play against Laurel Highlands at home.

Tags: Belle Vernon, McKeesport