Scoring on a 6-yard run by Seth Borondy on the first possession of overtime and forcing an incompletion on Valley View’s final snap, visiting Bellbrook survived the Spartans 28-21 on Senior Night at Barker Field in a pivotal SWBL Southwestern Division tilt.
The victory was the Eagles third straight in the series.
With league re-alignment next year, Bellbrook will be in the SWBL East Division, while the Spartans will reside in the West.
The two have met annually since joining the SWBL in 1975.
Bellbrook, the No. 1 ranked team in the Dayton Daily News D-III Power Rankings, improves to 3-0 (2-0), while the Spartans, ranked No. 2 in D-IV, drop to 2-1 overall and in the league.
“Our guys are built for more than four quarters,” Jenkins said. “That’s how we practice. That’s how we train. They were ready when it came to overtime.”
“Big mistakes at big times hurt us,” Valley View head coach Bob Skidmore said. “That’s a great team. You can’t make mistakes against a team like that. But, I’m proud of the way the kids came back. We could have folded and (the kids) gave us a chance.”
Three crucial plays went Bellbrook’s way.
- Driving for the game-tying touchdown in the second quarter, Valley View fumbled an exchange on first-and-goal from the Eagles 8 that Bellbrook senior defensive lineman Alex Petry returned 87 yards for a touchdown and 21-7 lead.
- A holding penalty on fourth-and-4 at the Bellbrook 15 nullified a 10-yard completion and first-and-goal on the Spartans first third-quarter possession. The drive stalled out after 15 plays and produced no points.
- A personal foul on Valley View on Bellbrook’s OT-PAT forced the Spartans to start the extra stanza at the 35 instead of the 20. Their final snap at the 18 on fourth-and-5 was incomplete.
“All week watching film we knew we were going to have our hands full and (Valley View) played a helluva game,” Jenkins said. “It went down to the last drive.”
Bellbrook outgained Valley View 292-281 in total yards.
Senior quarterback Ben Owens, a two-year starter at receiver making his third start under center, continued his impressive start for the Spartans by throwing for 203 yards and rushing for 78. He scored on runs of 1 and 7 yards and continually made big plays. Logan Tays got the hosts on the board first with a 67-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Bellbrook senior quarterback Alex Westbrock threw 28- and 21-yard touchdown passes to Taylor Jordan and Ethan Fryman, respectively.
Over a span of 15 years (1991-2005), the winner of the Bellbrook-Valley View game claimed a league title. The Spartans also claimed three state championships (1994, 1996 and 1997) over that span. Recently the schools put together back-to-back undefeated seasons (Valley View in 2017 and Bellbrook in 2018).
Valley View’s 73-game regular season win streak from 1991-99 was bookended by Bellbrook defeats.
“This was really big,” Jordan said. "It was super close, but we stepped up and came out with the win.
“The message this week was ‘Hunt.’ We were going after them.”
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