Bellevue turns back PC, gets key SBC Bay victory

PORT CLINTON — Big plays are always crucial in a close game, but they're exceptionally important in a low-scoring, defensive struggle with points coming at a premium. That was the case in Bellevue's 12-3 win over Port Clinton, an important game in the fight for a Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division title. With the win, the Redmen are 6-3 and 2-1 in the Bay Division while the Redskins drop to 5-4 and 2-2 in the league. The key play of the contest came less than two minutes into the fourth quarter when Bellevue quarterback Ike Brown scored on an eight-yard touchdown run, giving the Redmen a 12-3 lead to close out the scoring. Earlier in the drive on the first play of the quarter, Brown found Caden Cramer for a 41-yard completion, giving Bellevue a first down at the Port Clinton 15-yard-line. Three plays later, Brown scored on the quarterback draw, which saw him fake a pitch to the left before darting up the middle and moving to his right before waltzing into the end zone. The Redskins nearly responded, driving to the Redmen 5. On fourth-and-4 from the 8, Port Clinton QB Landon Leis had his pass knocked down by Maddex Bailey, giving the ball back to Bellevue. "This keeps us in the running for a league title," Bellevue coach Alex Shepherd said. "We have a chance to win at least a share (of it) with a win next week against Vermilion. We have a great senior class and we want to keep building on the season." Missed opportunities were the story for the Redmen in the first two quarters. Bellevue turned the ball over four times in the first half — including on each of its first three possessions — and also turned it over once on downs in the second quarter. Two of the turnovers came with the Redmen in the red zone, and another, which came on an interception by Christian Miller with 43 seconds to play in the first half, had the Redmen at the Port Clinton 38. The second turnover of the game came when Port Clinton recovered a fumble at its 16, and the third one was forced at the Port Clinton 12, where it was recovered and returned for 13 yards. But despite his team's failure to score more points in the first half, Shepherd wasn't frustrated at halftime. "I was pretty positive with the message. We were trying to get 'em going," he said. "As bad as we played (in the first half), we were still on top. We were winning. I told them that if we limit the mistakes, we'll be fine. "Port Clinton is a very good team and they were doing some things that were giving us fits." The first touchdown of the game came with just 35 seconds to play in the first quarter when Brown found Cramer on a short out route in the middle of the field that saw the tight end break a tackle right after the catch before turning it upfield and racing down the left sideline, going untouched into the end zone for the 64-yard score. But the extra point hit the right upright, leaving the Redmen with a 6-0 lead. "Anytime you can get the ball into the hands of a player like Caden Cramer, he can make something happen," Shepherd said. "Port Clinton was doing a good job of stopping the run, so we were able to get something on that pass. "We have a lot of playmakers and we ask those guys to make things happen. Our offensive line did a good job blocking for them." They did it for the likes of running backs Nolan Hartman and Billy Sberna, who converted a number of key first downs in the final two quarters, and Jamauri Roberts was able to set up the offense nicely with some key returns on punts and kickoffs. Port Clinton kicker Adam Fitt drilled a 32-yard field goal from the left hashmark with 3:40 to play in the first half to cut the deficit to 6-3, but those were the Redskins' only points of the game. Despite forcing four turnovers in the first half, Port Clinton punted six times in the first two quarters, unable to take advantage of Bellevue's miscues, which turned out to be Port Clinton's undoing. Bellevue 6 0 0 6 — 12Port Clinton 0 3 0 0 — 3 B — Caden Cramer 64 pass from Ike Brown (kick failed)PC — Adam Fitt 32 field goalB — Brown 8 run (run failed)