Belle Vernon dispatches Chartiers Valley in WPIAL 1st round

By: Jeremy Sellew
Friday, October 30, 2020 | 11:19 PM

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Despite at times playing like a team that hasn’t played in the past two weeks, the Belle Vernon football team advanced to the WPIAL semifinals Friday.

Devin Whitlock and Quinton Martin combined for more than 300 yards on the ground, and each scored three touchdowns as the Leopards earned a 49-21 win over Class 4A No. 5 Chartiers Valley at James Weir Stadium.

Whitlock carried 22 times for 164 yards and added an 82-yard kickoff return to give his team great field position on one possession.

Martin, the freshman phenom called into service with an injury to Dane Anden, had 15 carries for 141 yards.

“One thing we know we wanted to do was sustain drives and not have the big chunk plays that would give them the ball right back,” Leopards coach Matt Humbert said. “That’s what’s most gratifying for me.”

Belle Vernon (6-1) struck on its second possession of the game, an 11-play, 59-yard drive capped by Whitlock’s 1-yard quarterback sneak as time expired in the first quarter.

The Colts (6-2) answered with a nine-play drive when Anthony Mackey hit Abraham Ibrahim with a 39-yard strike to tie things up.

“We knew they hit well with their screens and were potent offensively with their playmakers,” Humbert said. “But when they scored, I was really pleased with the way we dug in and responded.”

The response to the Ibrahim reception was a Whitlock 31-yard TD run that gave the Leopards a 14-7 lead after Tyler Kovatch’s PAT. Kovatch was 7 for 7.

That was the score at the half.

“We put a lot of time into our fits, and we knew we had to get to Whitlock right when he makes the pull,” Chartiers Valley coach Dan Knause said. “I thought we were in a good spot going into the half, and we did a good job playing their read game.”

In the second half, though, things went downhill for the Colts, and it started with being called for fair-catch interference on Reiley Wiants’ kickoff reception.

On the first play from scrimmage, Whitlock took of on a 9-yard run. Three plays later, running the same formation and motions, Whitlock handed off to Martin on a trap, and he raced 32 yards for a touchdown.

“We just shot ourselves in the foot, and it started with that personal foul on the kick,” Knause said. “Then we give up the touchdown to Martin. He’s just a phenomenal athlete. It’s scary to think that kid’s only a freshman and what he could do in the next few years.”

The Leopards forced the Colts three-and-out again, and Martin uncorked a 36-yard touchdown run two plays into the next drive to make it 28-7.

The next Colts drive came to a halt when Belle Vernon’s Dakota Marion recovered a dropped lateral. Seven plays later, it was Whitlock with a dazzling 26-yard run, featuring four spin moves out of the grasp of Chartiers Valley tacklers.

“We had the mindset coming in that we were going to show our Mon Valley mentality and play some hard-hat football,” Whitlock said. “We wanted to leave everything out on that field and didn’t want to come to the locker room thinking we could have done more.

“Our offensive line continues to be the key aspect of our team. They were huge tonight, and we know we couldn’t do what we do without those guys up front.”

The Colts got on the board early in the fourth quarter when Sam Pocci hit Lamont Payne Jr. with a 3-yard halfback pass.

After Whitlock raced 82 yards on a fourth-quarter kickoff, backup quarterback Jackson Jewell scored on a 12-yard run.

“I was glad to see Jackson come in and do the things he did,” Humbert said. “And the thing about Q is, he did some good things other than carry that ball. On Jewell’s run, he just buried a kid with a block.

“Those are the things we want to see him do.”

Char Valley backup quarterback Socrates Boulis, who entered in the second half after an injury to Anthony Mackey, threw for 148 yards, completing 10 of 15 attempts. He tossed a 6-yard touchdown to Pocci with 7:17 to go.

“Our guys never quit out there, and I couldn’t be more proud of them for the way they changed the culture of this program,” Knause said. “Not the result we wanted, but when we reflect on it, we did so many great things this season.”

Martin added his third touchdown with 2:34 remaining.

The Leopards will travel to No. 1 Aliquippa.

“We’re going to go up there and play hard. Hopefully they’re going to find out what we’re all about just like everyone else.”

Tags: Belle Vernon, Chartiers Valley