Belle Vernon uses last-minute goal-line stand to beat Neumann-Goretti, win 1st state title

By: Liam Belan
Saturday, December 10, 2022 | 12:01 AM

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The ending resembled a Disney movie, but the script was rated R as Belle Vernon clawed its way to the school’s first state title in a 9-8 victory over Neumann Goretti in the PIAA Class 3A championship game Saturday afternoon at Cumberland Valley.

After the Saints converted on fourth-and-5 from Belle Vernon’s 7-yard line with a 5-yard reception from Qaasim Major, the score was 9-8 and less than two minutes remained in the game.

Then, the script played out the same way it did all season long. In fact, Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert wasn’t flustered one bit after the fourth-down play.

Belle Vernon’s defense stepped up again.

“You can’t make this (stuff) up. It’s a storybook ending,” Humbert said. “The defense has been phenomenal all year. We have such a calm confidence with our defense. As that first down and first-and-goal goes, I honestly didn’t bat an eyelash. I just felt like it was our year and our time and we’d find a way, and by God, we found a way.”

What proceeded was an ending for the ages, with Neumann Goretti’s Sam Hobbs gaining a yard on first down before an extremely controversial second down.

Kyreese Bradley was stuffed and fumbled the ball, but officials ruled Belle Vernon’s Braden Laux had “joint possession” with an opposing player, which meant that the ball would stay with the offense.

Needless to say, the call didn’t impress the Leopards.

“They said he was down when it was obvious he wasn’t,” said Quinton Martin, who was on the field for the play on defense and scored Belle Vernon’s only touchdown on offense. “Our defense got pumped up and knew we were not losing, we were not being denied, and then we gave it our all for the game.”

On third down, the ball went to quarterback Mekhi Wharton, who again couldn’t power his way into the end zone from a yard away and instead spilled the football.

Aiden Johnson sealed the title for the Leopards with his fumble recovery.

“They lined up double tight-end (with) two backs, and they were quarterback sneaking it, so we had a (linebacker) come down and I popped out of shade, pushed the tight end into the quarterback and the ball came loose,” Johnson said of the game-clinching play.

FUMBLE

An ending for the ages as Belle Vernon makes three stands at the goal line and recover a fumble@MVI_sports pic.twitter.com/pjiCB2U4pU

— Liam Belan (@lbelanMVI) December 10, 2022

From there, Belle Vernon had to battle out of its own end zone, but Laux punched the ball forward and drew the Saints offside to put the finishing touches on the perfect ending to the victors’ first state championship.

“I think I’m just happy,” Humbert said. “I know that’s not a good adjective, but I’m just happy. Every coach is going to go out there and say their kids deserve it, and you say that with a grain of salt because the other team prepares, too. But I’d be hard-pressed to find a group of kids and coaches that deserve it as much as these guys do.”

“They’re the epitome of sacrifice and doing what you’re supposed to do, and they’re the epitome of discipline,” Humbert continued. “Everyone says they’re proud, and of course I’m proud. I would have been proud of them, win or loss. It’s just gratifying. Those kids put the exclamation point on a program that was really started seven years ago, and I just hope all of those kids that came before us and that were this close, I hope they’re proud of the foundation they laid for us to finally complete that house.”

So how did these two teams end up in a legendary finish?

The game couldn’t have started off better for the Leopards after they stonewalled the Saints offensively and forced them into a punt.

The offense came out for Neumann Goretti on fourth down and proceeded to commit a false start and turn to Wharton for a punt out of the shotgun, one that went only 14 yards as the ball went off his foot wrong.

Belle Vernon took over at the Neumann Goretti 28-yard line, using a Martin jet sweep to eventually set up a first-and-goal. The Leopards had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Willie Schwerha that put them up 3-0 with 8:01 remaining in the first quarter.

Just 10 seconds later, Belle Vernon took over possession again as Martin broke up a pass on the sideline before making an acrobatic catch, keeping one foot inbounds while falling out of play.

This set the Leopards up once again, but they were unable to take advantage.

On the ensuing punt, the snap went over the head of Schwerha and into Belle Vernon’s end zone. Schwerha, who suffered what looked like a knee injury on the play, made it back to the end zone before he collapsed in pain near the ball, leaving Hobbs to scoop the ball up for a touchdown. Hobbs then made the score 8-3 with 5:56 left in the first quarter after finding the end zone on a two-point conversion.

From there, the Leopards intercepted Wharton two more times before the half ended, but they were unable to add points.

After the Saints had success with a screen pass early in the contest, Belle Vernon read another attempt at a slip screen and deflected the ball before Laux made a nice grab to give his team possession. Adam LaCarte had the other interception off the hands of Major.

Despite throwing three interceptions in the first half, Neumann Goretti carried an 8-3 lead into halftime.

Belle Vernon got the ball coming out of the break and put together a solid drive that ultimately amounted to no points, with Humbert praising the opposition as a force to be reckoned with.

“They were good,” Humbert said. “That was a good defense. We knew it wasn’t going to come easy and we’d have to pick our spots to attack, but they were so multiple. They’d jump from a 3-4 into something else. You literally had to check out of every play almost.”

Just before the third quarter ended, the Leopards took their shot and hit on it as Laux connected with Martin for a 16-yard touchdown.

Martin was quick to mention the big rush from his quarterback on the prior play that set the score up.

“The play before my touchdown, Braden Laux got the sideline and had big yardage, so they keyed on him the play after,” Martin said. “I was able to get out of the backfield and get an arrow route, and no one was near, for a touchdown.”

This made the score 9-8, with the Leopards catching a bit of luck from the PIAA rulebook on the 2-point conversion. Laux fumbled the ball, and Bradley scooped it up with a chance to take it all the way and give his squad the lead right back, but the ball cannot be advanced by the defending team on a 2-point try according to state rules.

So Belle Vernon ended the third quarter with a 9-8 lead before the Saints came out hard in the fourth quarter.

Neumann Goretti turned to the ground game to try to take the lead back, but the Saints didn’t have Boston College commit Shawn Battle to hand the ball off to after he was suspended in the team’s semifinal win over Wyomissing after it was deemed that he threw a punch after the whistle.

Still, the Saints had some success on the drive with Terrance Page, who finished with 18 carries for 47 yards. But taking the air out of the ball meant that the District 12 champions were battling the clock in the final quarter.

After they picked up a few first downs on the ground, Johnson broke through the line and had a big tackle for loss on second down that pushed the Saints back 2 yards and more importantly made them throw the next two plays, with two incompletions giving the ball to Belle Vernon with 7:20 remaining.

The Leopards couldn’t make things too easy on themselves, though, as Laux threw a pass that deflected off the hands of Colton Lee and into the grasp of Neumann Goretti’s Yasir Williams with 5:46 remaining in the game.

From there, the Saints had their last drive of the game, converting two fourth downs but falling just short. Wharton kept his team’s state championship hopes alive with a 23-yard connection to Major with 4:15 remaining on fourth-and-8 and pushed his team just a yard short of glory.

Now it’s the Leopards who are throwing a party.

“Anyone who owns a pool or something like that, they need to close that pool. I think it’s time to close the Beach,” Humbert said, referring to Belle Vernon’s James Weir Stadium and its beige turf. “So we’re going to take this back for a beach party … beach party at 8 o’clock at the Weir. That’s how we’re going to end this.”

Tags: Belle Vernon