Belle Vernon eases to blowout against Greensburg Salem

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 6, 2023 | 11:56 PM

Previous Next

Behind a career night from quarterback Braden Laux, Belle Vernon was able to cruise to a lopsided win Friday over visiting Greensburg Salem on The Beach at James Weir Stadium.

Laux, who will play defensive end at Eastern Michigan, completed 14 of 16 passes for 337 yards and three touchdowns in the first half to lead the Leopards to a 53-7 win over the Golden Lions in Class 3A Interstate Conference play.

A bulk of the passing yards came via catch and run on screen plays and with motion.

“We noticed on film that there wasn’t a lot of movement and they weren’t real aggressive on motions,” Humbert said. “That was an area we wanted to attack. It’s want we want to do, attack the perimeter and run up the middle.”

The goal for the Leopards was to stack points against the Lions, and they were able to do that quickly.

Quinton Martin scored on a 7-yard run 57 seconds into the contest and added a 13-yard touchdown catch over two Salem defenders less than three minutes later.

The second touchdown was set up by Adam LaCarte’s 50-yard interception return on a Peyton Chismar pass.

After Martin’s touchdown, the Leopards went with an onside kick and recovered at the Lions’ 38. Two plays later, Kole Doppelheuer scored the first of his two touchdowns on a 5-yard plunge.

“We wanted to get up quick, that was our goal,” Humbert said. “We played this game without two players that are key pieces to what we like to do. To see Dopp get that touchdown run is great. He’s been a big part of the last few games. It’s a luxury to be able to go three, four guys deep at the running back position. His vision is what really makes him good.”

The Leopards were on their way to another score after Laux hooked up with Martin again for a 19-yard gain in the red zone, but the Penn State recruit fumbled it away and the Lions recovered.

The Greensburg Salem offense’s struggles continued as Chismar was sacked in the end zone by Deaubre Lightfoot for a safety to make it 23-0 with 3:32 remaining in the opening quarter.

After the safety, the Laux found LaCarte for a 16-yard catch and run making it 30-0 after 12 minutes.

“I think this was one of Braden’s best games when it comes to decision making,” Humbert said. “About 90% of the time, he has the option to run or throw. He did a very good job of throwing the ball by reading the defense.”

In the second quarter, Laux and Anthony Crews hooked up for a 34-yard touchdown, BVA kicker Preston Rathway showed off a strong leg with a 33-yard field goal that easily cleared the top of the uprights and Doppelheuer scored on a 28-yard run to make it 47-0.

Crews finished with four catches for 121 yards. Martin ended his day with five grabs for 100 yards. Doppelheuer was the game’s leading rusher with 63 yards on six carries.

Greensburg Salem (1-6, 0-5) showed some life on offense with the arm of Chismar inside the final two minutes. He connected with Blake Leone for a 47-yard gain to the BVA 35-yard line. After an incompletion, he hit Dom Rosensteel with a scoring strike to make it 47-7 at the half.

Neither team got much going in the second half, but Brody Chismar gave the Golden Lions a spark from the quarterback position and connected on a few nice passes against the BVA second- and third-team defenses.

BVA’s Chase Mertz added a 2-yard touchdown run with four minutes remaining for the final score of the night.

Playing without running back-linebacker Jake Gedekoh and tight end-defensive end Aiden Johnson, Humbert was pleased with the performance from his young players. Cameren Jenko and Dom Ghilani stood out defensively with numerous tackles. Jenko also picked up a couple of sacks.

“With guys injured, it’s great to see those guys get minutes and reps with the other top guys,” Humbert said. “Both of those kids did a great job tonight.”

Belle Vernon outgained Greensburg Salem, 463-96. The Golden Lions finished with minus-13 yards on the ground.

The Leopards are on the road at Mt. Pleasant next week, and the Golden Lions host Southmoreland.

Tags: Belle Vernon, Greensburg Salem