Whitlock, Belle Vernon earn statement victory over Penn-Trafford

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, September 10, 2021 | 10:22 PM

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Belle Vernon quarterback Devin Whitlock continued to dazzle Friday night, running for three touchdowns among his 20 carries for 208 yards, as the Leopards beat Class 5A No. 1 Penn-Trafford, 27-7, in a nonconference game at James Weir Stadium.

Whitlock scored on runs of 75, 50 and 1 yards for the Class 4A No. 2 Leopards (2-0).

“I think we did make a statement tonight,” Whitlock said. “We heard about them all week, and I think this shows everyone that we can go out and we can beat anybody on Friday nights.”

The game looked like it was going to be a barn-burner, with the teams exchanging scores in the first quarter.

Whitlock took off for his 75-yard score on the third play of the Leopards’ first drive before the Warriors (2-1) answered with a Cade Yacamelli 17-yard run.

From that point, it was all Belle Vernon.

“A lot went wrong, that’s for sure,” Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said. “This was a beating anyway you look at it. And Whitlock, he is just unreal, and he’s as advertised.”

Whitlock and the Leopards took control in the second quarter. He capped a nine-play, 87-yard drive with a 50-yard run minutes after having an 82-yard punt return called back by a penalty.

“Our best defense against their offense, it was the way our offense controlled the ball,” BVA coach Matt Humbert said. “Yes, we can have those splash plays, but Devin went out there and controlled the ball for us. He’s a special kid with the ball in his hands, and he managed the game superbly.”

The Warriors looked to answer, but Carter Green threw the first of his two interceptions into the hands of BVA’s Jake Gedekoh.

“We wanted to force them into doing something they aren’t comfortable doing,” Humbert said. “We wanted them to throw. Our secondary is something that gets overlooked all the time. It’s more than Devin and Quinton back there. It’s Gedekoh, Chase Ruokonen and Logan Cunningham.”

Said Ruane: “We were just horrendous offensively. We couldn’t keep our defense off the field. They out-played us on every side of the ball, offense and defense and on the line.”

Ten plays after the Gedekoh pick, the Leopards cashed in again as Whitlock got a shove from his entire backfield for the 1-yard run with 3 seconds to go in the half to make it 21-7.

“That score before the half was huge for us. It was a lift for us even more so because we came right out in the second half and scored again,” Humbert said.

The Warriors came out with an onside kick to start the third quarter, giving the Leopards great field position at the 50.

Eight plays later, it was Chase Ruokonen scoring on a 6-yard handoff after a critical third-down conversion on a Whitlock pass to tight-end Cole Weightman.

“A lot of people sleep on him there. He’s like another lineman out there for us, and he’s one of our best blockers,” Humbert said.

Whitlock finished 10 of 16 for 90 yards passing.

The Leopards, again, chewed up the clock in the third and into the fourth quarter with a 15-play drive. They were unable to come away with points after a Whitlock fumble inside the 10.

“We did leave some points out there, but that’s on me,” Humbert said. “We went into more of a ball-control mindset instead of just going and doing what we were doing all game.”

Quinton Martin earned a lot of tough yards for BVA, finishing with 55 yards on 15 carries.

“He had some tough yards tonight. That’s what we needed him to do and he just goes out there and does it,” Humbert said. “He showed his toughness tonight.”

The BVA defense held Yacamelli, a Wisconsin commit, to 59 yards on 12 carries. Green finished with 51 yards on 11 carries.

The final two Penn-Trafford possessions ended on interceptions. Ruokonen picked off Green before Logan Cunningham sealed the win by picking off Tommy Kalkstein.

Whitlock credited his line with his ability to have a big game.

“Anybody can prepare for us on film, but when you get down here on the turf, it’s a different story,” Whitlock said, pointing to senior lineman Ryan McGrew. “These guys up front, they’re nasty. I love running behind them, every single one of them. I know they’ll have donuts waiting for them Sunday morning. All on me.”

“We heard they were bigger than us, but it’s just another nameless and faceless opponent,” McGrew said. “We know what we can do. I don’t think teams prepare like us. Our line is special on both sides of the ball. All week, we knew it was going to be war on the line, and we came out on top against a good team. It’s a special feeling.”

The Leopards travel to West Mifflin to begin Big 8 Conference play Friday, and P-T will regroup and get ready for Peters Township at home.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Penn-Trafford