Did it ever.
Outgaining 16th seed CJ by over 500 yards (537-29) in total offense, Bellbrook rolled to a 58-0 win at Miami Valley South Stadium.
Bellbrook (7-0) advances to face St. Marys Memorial (6-2) in the regional quarterfinals at home next week. The Roughriders survived Franklin 6-0 in overtime.
Junior Ashton Ault, filling in for Borondy, rushed for a career-high 224 yards and four touchdowns. An All-SWBL linebacker, Ault had not scored an offensive touchdown since middle school until two weeks ago when he rushed for 106 yards and a score against Oakwood following Borondy’s injury in the regular-season finale. He had four carries for 38 yards in the first five games.
Ault ran 65 yards for a touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. He added scoring runs of 79, 11 and two yards.
“It was a great opportunity for me,” Ault said. “Seth is a great player and will probably be the SWBL Offensive Player of the Year. Playing his spot, I knew I had to deliver. Coach Jenkins believed in me. I got the job done.”
“He brings a different dynamic to our offense,” Jenkins said. “We had all the confidence in the world that Ashton could step up and lower his shoulder when necessary.”
Said CJ coach Marcus Colvin: “#25 (Ault) is pretty darn good. We knew #1 (Borondy) was out, but we saw #25 on film and said ‘They’re probably going to give that kid the ball.’ They did.”
No matter who CJ gave the ball to, the sledding was tough.
During a first half in which it built a 35-0 lead, Bellbrook registered 10 tackles-for-loss (by eight different players) and held CJ to minus-37 yards of offense.
“We did not do anything good,” said Colvin, whose team fell to 3-5. “Things didn’t go our way from the start and we never regrouped. We were reeling all night.”
On special teams, Bellbrook recovered an onside kick and notched a safety on a punt.
Senior Taylor Jordan added two touchdowns (23-yard reception and 48-yard run) and set up another with a spectacular 38-yard reception down to the CJ two-yardline. He also recovered a fumble and kicked seven extra-points. Senior quarterback Alex Westbrock threw for a score and ran for another.
The win was Bellbrook’s first at home in the postseason since a 40-21 win over Urbana in the 2001 D-III regional quarterfinals. St. Marys is responsible for two of Bellbrook’s four home playoff losses since (2002 and 2004 regional quarters).
“They run the old school Wing-T, so we’re very knowledgeable about that,” Jenkins said. “They fire off low, hard and fast and play great defense. It’s kind of like looking in the mirror. It should be a helluva contest.”
Said Colvin: "(Bellbrook) gives you fits offensively with what they can do at the edge and then they can overpower you. Defensively, at one point, I asked one of our coaches if they had 15 guys out there, because we couldn’t do anything.
“They’re going to be a problem. They’re going to give people issues in the playoffs.”
About the Author