Devin Beattie’s big game helps Burrell beat Valley for 300th win in program history

By: Jerin Steele
Friday, September 8, 2023 | 10:33 PM

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Burrell’s Devin Beattie wasn’t going to miss his final chance to play Valley.

The senior running back was injured last week against Deer Lakes but rehabbed all week to be ready.

And he made a huge impact in another win over their biggest rival and a major milestone in the program’s history.

Beattie had a game-high 135 yards rushing and a touchdown as Burrell earned the 300th win in program history in a 30-8 victory in the “Battle of the Bypass” on Friday night.

It was the fifth consecutive win for the Bucs (1-2) over the Vikings (1-2).

“This is the most we beat Valley by in a while, so this feels really good,” Beattie said. “My voice is gone and everything. It was a good win.”

It was a dream start for the Bucs.

Using their Slot-T formation offense, they marched 60 yards down the field, and Beattie finished it off with a 6-yard touchdown run. Beattie also ran in a 2-point conversion.

Then on Valley’s next drive, Stevie Hasson stepped in front of a Valley receiver and intercepted a Mason Simmons pass, returning it 18 yards for a pick-6. It was the second Burrell touchdown in 40 seconds. Beattie powered in a 2-point try, and it was 16-0 midway through the first quarter.

Hasson added another touchdown in the second quarter on a 2-yard sneak. He had a strong night running on several power quarterback sneaks, finishing with 71 yards.

“What a game Stevie had,” Burrell coach Shawn Liotta said. “On that interception, we knew on film that we had some keys and told him he’d get a chance to jump one of them. Sure enough, he did it. We had a lot of guys tonight that stepped up, but man did Stevie do a great job. He ran so tough and we kept a lot of those piles moving. It’s really a team effort all around and everybody contributed.”

Valley got it going late in the first half.

Simmons found Darnell Coaston three times to get Valley down to the Burrell 1-yard line, and Charles Perkins took it in from there. Simmons connected with Coaston for the 2-point conversion to make it 22-8.

Cooper Hornack fumbled returning the ensuing kickoff, and Valley recovered inside the Burrell 40, giving it one more chance to score with less then a minute remaining in the first half.

The Vikings got down to the Bucs’ 9, but a fourth-and-goal pass sailed over an outstretched Coaston, ending the chance to cut it to a one-score game entering halftime.

“We had opportunities, but we gave those opportunities away,” Valley coach Mark Adams said. “Offensively, we made critical mistakes that killed drives in important situations of the game. In big games like this, you have to learn how to thrive.

“It’s a process. I hate losing. Losing this game is biting me everywhere right now. Tip your cap to them. They had a good game plan. We’ll learn and grow from it.”

Burrell sealed it with a drive that spanned nearly 8 1/2 minutes to start the third quarter. It ended with a 2-yard touchdown run by Tyler Maglisco.

“We said in the locker room that we’re taking down that whole clock and then we’re going to score,” Beattie said. “That’s pretty much what we did.”

Simmons threw for 144 yards for Valley.

Burrell did all its damage on the ground, amassing 235 yards.

“We didn’t throw a pass, and we didn’t even need to think about throwing one,” Liotta said. “If we can do that, we’re in good shape. I’m proud of the way our kids played. We were beaten down the last couple weeks, but they didn’t quit. They came to work and believed in the game plan and executed it extremely well.”

Jerin Steele is a freelance writer

Tags: Burrell, Valley