Belle Vernon overwhelms Southmoreland with 7 TDs in 7 drives

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, October 21, 2022 | 10:20 PM

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Another Friday night, another early ending for Belle Vernon.

The Leopards scored touchdowns on their first seven possessions, including five in the first half, to help push Belle Vernon to a 48-0 win over Southmoreland in a Class 3A Interstate Conference matchup.

Jake Gedekoh had a pair of touchdown runs, Quinton Martin added a 17-yard touchdown, quarterback Tanner Steeber threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Alonzo Wade and Braden Laux added a 1-yard run to account for the Leopards’ scoring in the first half. The 35-0 lead at the break led to the running clock throughout the second half.

“That team has weapons and great football players all over the field,” Southmoreland coach Tim Bukowski said. “They’re way more than Quinton Martin. He’s a true five-star, but their roster is full of football players.

“The biggest thing for us was coming out of this game healthy. I think we’re going to be in good shape next week.”

The Leopards needed only four plays to capitalize on a 46-yard drive with Gedekoh ending it with a 22-yard touchdown run.

After the second three-and-out by the Scotties, Martin’s touchdown run ended a short 35-yard drive to make it 14-0.

“Same as last week. We had some short fields, and we were able to take advantage,” BVA coach Matt Humbert said.

While the Leopards had no problem putting the ball in the end zone, the Scotties (4-5, 2-2) couldn’t muster any offense.

They finished with only 54 yards of total offense. One of the top passing combinations in the WPIAL, quarterback Kadin Keefer and receiver Ty Keffer, was shut down.

Keefer was 8 of 17 for 29 yards, and Keffer caught only three balls for 12 yards.

“Their defensive line was so fast, and they just continuously beat us off the ball and gave Kadin no time to do anything,” Bukowski said.

Humbert said that was the Leopards’ gameplan.

“It was all about getting pressure. I was glad to see some of our subs getting in there and making an impact,” he said. “Braden only played maybe four or five snaps on defense.”

With his team up 21-0 in the second quarter, Laux’s touchdown and Gedekoh’s 10-yard run on back-to-back possessions were the final scores in the opening 24 minutes.

In the third quarter, the Belle Vernon starters had one series and immediately cashed in.

Laux lined up in the pistol formation and bobbled a snap, but he picked it up on a hop and hit Chase Ruokonen on a bubble screen. Ruokonen did the rest with a 53-yard catch and run. The PAT was no good, making it 41-0.

The Leopards’ final score came on their next drive, a 37-yard drive that was all Kole Doppelheuer. The sophomore back raced 36 yards to the 1 before finishing it off with a 1-yard plunge for the final touchdown.

Laux completed 5 of 10 passes for 113 yards, and Steeber was 5 of 8 for 53 yards.

The Leopards finished with 260 yards on the ground, led by Martin’s 99 yards on eight carries. Gedekoh had 91 yards on eight touches, and Doppelheuer finished with 69 yards on six carries in mop-up time.

“That was the theme for us. We had guys play big roles for us when they got in the game. As a coach, that’s something you always want to see,” Humbert said.

Cameron Phillips finished with four carries for 30 yards for the Scotties.

“Next week is the big one for us,” Bukowski said. “Mt. Pleasant is our big rivalry, and we’re playing for playoff seeding. We’re 2-2 against them since I got to Southmoreland, it’s senior night and I’m expecting an exciting atmosphere.”

The Leopards travel 6 miles north on Route 51 to face Elizabeth Forward. The game will be for the Interstate Conference title, and a possible No. 1 seed in the playoffs.

“This is the one you have to be excited to play,” Humbert said. “They’re a really good football team and we’re going to have that business-like mentality all week. We need to focus and we need to enjoy this moment.

“We’ve been fortunate that the last few years, our final regular-season games have always meant something. I’m glad that’s the case this year. We’re excited for the challenge ahead.”

Tags: Belle Vernon, Southmoreland