The teams have met five times since 2017 and Bellbrook leads the series 3-2. The largest margin of victory was 10 points by Bellbrook in 2021. The other margins were seven points or less.
“I was really happy with the way we came out the second half and really happy with our defensive effort throughout the game,” Bellbrook coach Jeff Jenkins said. “They were just doing their job, being unselfish, and being fast to the football. That’s what we preach and we practice every day. It’s about taking care of the guy next to you, and that’s what they did.”
The Golden Eagles won the field position battle in the second quarter and needed only 38 yards to take a 7-0 lead into halftime. On third-and-inches, the call wasn’t for quarterback Luke Benetis to sneak for the first down. Instead he turned and handed off to the fastest man on the team.
Junior Makai Smith swept left and turned the corner for a 10-yard touchdown with 48 seconds left in the half.
“I was running to the outside, and I had seen a hole open up in the middle, so I just cut that up and scored,” Smith said. “That was pretty amazing.”
Tipp kept the score close in the third quarter, but Bellbrook’s tandem of junior fullback Tanner Stewart and sophomore halfback Vincent Epifano and the offensive line eventually wore down the Red Devils.
An 80-yard drive that began in the third quarter ended with a Benetis 1-yard sneak for a 14-0 lead with 9:57 left. Then a 54-yard drive ended with Epifano’s 2-yard run with 5:29 left for a 21-0 lead.
Tipp’s game plan called for junior Logan Butera to start at quarterback. But down 21-0, coach Matt Burgbacher turned to senior Peyton Schultz. He completed 5 of 7 passes to lead an 80-yard drive. Cael Liette scored on a three-yard run with 2:55 left.
“We knew we had to do those little things right,” Burgbacher said. “We’re still in the feeling out process, we’re still getting ahold of some things. Offensively in the first three quarters, we just didn’t have any consistency. We couldn’t get that first down to build on another first down.”
Bellbrook hosts Miamisburg next Friday, while Tipp travels to Fairborn.
About the Author