Rams no match for Knights
Badin’s losing streak against Alter reaches 20 straight.
HAMILTON — Friday was Milestone Night for two rushing standouts in the Greater Catholic League Coed Division ... and another big ‘W’ for Alter High School’s football team.
John Bivens ran for 260 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, while Connor Bazelak’s only two completions went for TDs to Luke Ewald, as the visiting Knights handled Badin 35-0 at Hamilton’s Virgil Schwarm Stadium.
It was the 20th straight win for Alter in the series. The Rams’ last victory came in 1999. “It’s an unbelievable streak,” Knights coach Ed Domsitz said. “If you keep playing, you know it’s going to be broken someday. We don’t even talk about it during the week. God knows it doesn’t help us. The only way it might motivate us is if we don’t want to be the ones to let the streak break while we’re here. But it serves as a lot more motivation for that team in green.
“I thought both teams played very physical football. Badin lined up and hit us in the mouth, and I liked the way our kids responded.”
Badin opened the game with a drive of nearly eight minutes, but came away with nothing after Ethan Krug’s 41-yard field-goal attempt was off the mark.
The Knights wore the hosts down, forged a 367-146 edge in yardage and got a TD run from Peter Riazzi. “I feel like we can beat anybody when we’re playing our best,” said Bivens, a 6-foot, 204-pound junior who was nursing a sore ankle as he headed toward the bus. “Badin came hard. That’s GCL football for you.”
Bivens blew past the 1,000yard rushing mark for the season after starting the night at 850, while Badin senior Lavassa Martin also reached the 1,000 plateau. He ran 16 times for 105 yards and now has 1,042 yards.
“The L-Train’s got to keep rolling,” said Martin, only the sixth player in BHS history to run for 1,000 yards in a season. “I was aware of what I had to get ... I wasn’t aware of what I got. I’m just happy that I got to cement my place in Badin history. I love this place. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
The Rams were in a 14-0 contest late in the third period.
Bivens broke off a 57-yard touchdown run with 1:27 left in the third to make it 21-0. Alter added two touchdowns in an eight-second span in the fourth quarter when Jack DiMario returned a punt 61 yards for a score and Bazelak hit Ewald for a 26-yard score after Badin fumbled the kickoff.
“It shows up 35-0, but certainly I felt it was closer than the final score indicated,” Domsitz said. “I think there were a couple occasions where Badin was just one tackle away from being in the end zone.”
The Knights are 7-1 overall and 5-0 in the GCLC North Division. The Rams are 5-3, 3-2 GCLC Central.
“We were trying to get first downs and keep the clock moving, and I felt like we did a pretty good job of that for three quarters,” Badin coach Nick Yordy said. “They probably didn’t have a whole lot of guys going both ways, and we do. That’s just the situation we’re in. We’re up for that. We’re prepared for it. Our kids played hard and they’re always going to play hard, and I commend them for that.”
Bivens ripped off chunks of yardage throughout the evening. “The O-line is opening up the holes. I’ve got to give all the credit to my teammates for blocking for me and helping me out,” he said.
The 5-10, 185-pound Martin went over 1,000 with a 28-yard burst in the third quarter. The Senior Night contest was his last home game as a Ram.
Both teams will resume GCLC play Friday, Badin at CJ and Alter against McNicholas at Fairmont.