Hartman runs through Columbian in Bellevue win

TIFFIN — For the first eight minutes of the game Friday, Bellevue looked like it might be blown off the field at rival Tiffin Columbian. TC scored two times to gain an advantage after the first quarter. But for the next three quarters, the Redmen kept the Tornadoes scoreless while also getting the offense in gear in a 21-14 Sandusky Bay Conference crossover win at Frost-Kalnow Stadium. Both sides had turnovers, but it was a fumble recovery early in the second half that sparked the Redmen (5-3). Bellevue started its drive at TC's 19. Three plays later, Ike Brown hit Caden Cramer for a 17-yard touchdown. It opened up the flood gates and Bellevue captured all of the momentum and didn't let it go the rest of the way. Brown then hit Cramer again on the following possession – this time for a 31-yard touchdown on a fourth-and-3 to tie the game at 14 late in the third. With 7:02 left in the game, Bellevue capped a five-play drive with a Brown five-yard rushing score that put the nail in TC's coffin. Bellevue got things going offensively, but it was the Redmen defense that controlled the second half. Overall, Bellevue ran 39 plays in the second half, compared to just 14 for the Tornadoes. "They had a couple big plays on us there early and we had some turnovers… it just seemed like nothing was gonna go right for us tonight," said Bellevue coach Alex Shepherd of the slow start. "We made some adjustments at halftime, kids had to look at who they are and what they're doing and we challenged them to come out in the second half and change it. They did that. "Defensively, we played lights out outside of a couple plays. Offensively, we started slow, but made plays when we had to and it worked out." TC (4-4) started well with a 48-yard touchdown from Johnny Bremyer on a pass from Logan Gooding within the first four minutes of the game. Then on TC's next possession, Gooding hit Bremyer again – this time for a 75-yard score. But that was it for the Tornadoes. "I don't know why we started slow like we did, but our kids are resilient and they came out and adjusted in the second half. I'm so proud of how they played in the second half," Shepherd said.