The Bobcats are officially on the prowl for playoffs!
Beaver Area football ended their regular season with a record of 8-2 and a conference record of 3-2.
The Bobcats lost to both the section champions Avonworth and runners-up West Mifflin. These losses dropped the Bobcats to third in our section this year.
In their final regular season game, October 28, the football Cats played against the Hopewell Vikings in a lopsided matchup.
With the Vikings going into the game with a battered record of 1-8, hopes were high for the Bobcats, and they delivered.
The final score was 58-14 with the Bobcats walking away with a big win.
Freshman Damien Lurton, who plays on the offensive line, was named the Offensive player of the week.
The Bobcats tallied so many touchdowns, interceptions, field goals, and pick-sixes fans grew bored—but the blowout was anything but for the JV team that was able to play for the fourth quarter.
The following day the brackets for the WPIAL Class 3A football championships were released. This revealed that Beaver Area would face the Shadyside Academy Bulldogs the following Friday night.
Going into the first playoff game the Bulldogs boasted a 5-5 record which may seem mediocre at best, but because of Shadyside’s location they have consistently played teams almost double their size all season.
Despite the November 3 match-up being a playoff game, Shadyside Academy played like a 1A school with major holes in their offense.
The Bobcats dominated the night and live to see another game played. The final score was 42-7, sending home the Bulldogs with their tails between their legs and their 2023 season over.
Just three minutes into the first quarter the Bobcats had a rushing touchdown and a completed extra point attempt that quickly got all Bobcat players excited and ready to play.
After that touchdown, the Bulldogs gained possession and almost immediately lost it.
The Bobcats had a beautiful interception but could not continue that luck and had to punt on their fourth down. The punt ended the first quarter with a score of 7-0.
Shadyside was able to score a rushing touchdown early in the second quarter tying the score 7-7 with nine minutes left in the half.
Beaver Area was able to score twice again in the last nine minutes of the half. Both touchdowns were rushing, and both had completed extra point attempts allowing the Bobcats to break at halftime with a healthy lead over the Bulldogs 21-7.
Coming back from halftime the Bobcats decided to perform even better than the first half. Beaver Area scored three more times in the second half blanking the Bulldogs for a final score of 42-7.
The game saw three major interceptions by junior Brady Mayo, senior Louie Rabatin, and sophomore Junior Marino that allowed the Bobcats to gain possession of the ball for even more time and to score even more points.
There also were several Bobcat players who performed amazingly at this game and paved the way for the team to go far into that playoffs.
Notably, junior Drey Hall scored three of the Bobcats’ six touchdown . His second touchdown was also an impressive 71 yard drive.
Senior Caleb Berardelli also snagged a pass for a Bobcat touchdown.
The Bobcats rotated quarterbacks throughout the game. At certain points sophomore Travis Clear was in the backfield while at other times Mayo took the driver’s seat.
Overall, the team looked strong and are now focusing on week two of playoffs. November 10 the Bobcats will again face the Avonworth Antelopes. This should be an eventful game because just a few weeks ago the Bobcats nearly beat the undefeated Antelopes in a close 33-28 game.
The team is undeniably excited yet nervous to compete against the powerhouse Lopes but hopes to dethrone the section champs.
Check the next BASD ECHO for coverage of the final Bobcat football games of the season!