By Rob Potter
ELDRED — October 29, 2002 – The running of senior Brian Ballard and a strong defensive performance allowed visiting Roscoe to record a 13-10 victory over Eldred Saturday in a Section IX Class D football game.
With the win, the Blue Devils qualified for the Section IX Class D championship game on November 10 at Dietz Stadium in Kingston.
On its first possession of the day, Roscoe (7-1, 3-0 Class D) took the opening kickoff and drove down the field. Ballard capped the 10-play, 84-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown run. Justin Bowers kicked the extra point to give the Blue Devils an early 7-0 lead.
Eldred (3-5, 1-3 Class D) answered with a 10-play, 63-yard drive. Sophomore running back Kyle Schneider scored on a 4-yard run for the Yellowjackets. Devin Weyant then added the extra point to knot the score at 7-7 with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter.
With 10:42 left in the second quarter, Weyant capped another Eldred drive with a 24-yard field goal to give the Yellowjackets a 10-7 lead.
Late in the second quarter, the Roscoe defense forced Eldred to punt deep in its own territory. On the first play after taking possession, Bowers connected with Dave Eggleton on a 30-yard pass play to give Roscoe a chance to score before halftime.
Three plays later, Tim Haas plunged into the endzone from the 2-yard line to give Roscoe a 13-10 lead.
In the second half, the two defenses, combined with the wet, muddy field, kept the offenses from approaching the endzones.
“Our defense did a great job,” Roscoe Coach Fred Ahart said. “They deserve a lot of credit for keeping Eldred out of the endzone in the second half.”
Ahart noted that a couple of turnovers and the performance by the Yellowjackets kept his team from opening a larger lead in the contest.
“Eldred deserves a lot of credit,” Ahart said. “They just came out and played hard. Coach (Frank) Kean and his players were definitely ready to play today.”
Ballard finished the day with 112 yards on 19 carries.
For Eldred, Schneider carried the ball 17 times for 86 yards, while Vinny Reilly had 22 rushes for 86 yards. Defensively, junior defensive tackle Todd Walters was credited with a fumble recovery and a pair of quarterback sacks. Weyant also recovered a fumble and had seven tackles, while John Martin also posted seven tackles.
“In the second half, we moved the ball but just couldn’t make that big play to get into the endzone,” Kean said.
Eldred will finish its season on Saturday with a trip to Liberty to face the Indians in a non-league contest.
“We have a relatively young team and I think the players are beginning to establish themselves as a team to watch in Class D,” Kean commented. “We are here to stay next year and for years to come.”