Bellevue defense stifles Norwalk

BELLEVUE — Bellevue won it between the tackles. The Redmen chewed up plenty of yardage on power runs, shutting out Norwalk 19-0 on Friday at First National Bank Field. It was Bellevue's sixth straight win against Norwalk, and raised the Redmen record to 3-1. Junior running back Evan Bova carried the load for Bellevue, carrying 17 times for 136 yards and two touchdowns. He gained all of his yardage in the first three quarters. Bellevue ended up with 359 totals yards — 285 on the ground on 46 attempts. The Redmen piled up 24 first downs in the Sandusky Bay Conference crossover game. "We've been stressing since this summer that we want to run the ball, run the ball up the middle and get it on the edge when we have to and pick and choose when we have to throw," Bellevue coach Alex Shepherd said. "That helps our offense do what we need to do if we can keep teams guessing." The Redmen, who have already eclipsed last year's win total by a game, limited Norwalk (1-2) to 70 total yards. "Defensively we played lights out," said Shepherd, a South Central graduate and former St. Paul assistant coach. "That's as good as we've looked defensively all year. It let us be able to make mistakes on offense, which we did. "Overall we moved the ball effectively and put the ball in the end zone enough to get it done, but we had some penalties that kinda stalled some drives. Norwalk's AJ Weilnau carried seven times for 13 yards and quarterback Brady Singer completed 8 of 15 passes for 36 yards. His top target — Carter Harp — caught six passes for 34 yards. The Truckers moved the ball 18 yards on the game's first possession before punting. Bellevue responded with an 11-play, 80-yard scoring drive that burned 6:25 off the clock. Bova scored the game's first touchdown on an 11-yard burst around the left side. Bellevue's offensive line of Reid Claus, Tatum Gore, Deacon Nunez, JR Allen and Grant Hancock led the way for Bova and fullback Billy Sberna, who gained 57 tough yards on 12 carries. Norwalk stayed in the game early by forcing Bellevue punts on back-to-back possessions in the second quarter. The Truckers were in Bellevue territory three times in the first half. They punted twice and failed to convert on fourth-and-3 from the Redmen 42. Norwalk punter Tommy Vanderpool had turf-aided punts that covered 69 and 71 yards in the game. Bellevue got a key score late in the first half. The 75-yard march started with Bova's 15-yard burst up the middle. Sberna went for 10 yards before Bova carried for 10, 11 and 8 yards. On fourth-and-1 from Norwalk's 41, Bova got loose for 36 yards, getting a late block from Brodie Dauch that almost sprang him into the end zone. Bova scored on the next play, a 5-yard run with 1:09 left in the second quarter. Bellevue outgained the Truckers 204-46 in the first half as the Redmen piled up 14 first downs. The Redmen put the game out of reach with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that started in the third quarter and ended early in the fourth, lasting 7:11. Bova and Brown both were shaken up on the drive, Brown limping off momentarily after running for 25 yards. Backup quarterback Drew Dennings scored on a five-yard run to make it 19-0. Backup running back Jamauri Roberts, a sophomore, finished with 45 yards on nine carries. Norwalk makes a short drive to Edison next Friday while Bellevue travels to Perkins. Norwalk 0 0 0 0 — 0Bellevue 7 6 0 6 — 19 B — Evan Bova 11 run (Reid Claus kick)B — Bova 5 run (kick failed)B — Drew Dennings 5 run (pass failed)