Bobcats win 4th in a row
Beaver secures playoff spot, 5-0 home record
Beaver punched its WPIAL playoff ticket Friday night in a home win, 33-20, over Montour that secured a third-place finish in the Class 4A Northwest Eight Conference. The Bobcats (7-2, 4-2) turned a seven-point halftime lead into a three-touchdown advantage in the third quarter en route to their fourth win in as many outings.
“We’re just hitting our stride,” quarterback Brodie List said. “We’ve got a bunch of great guys who do a lot in the offseason to get stronger, and it’s really starting to show now at the end of the year. Bones are bruised, things are torn and everything like that, but we’re still going.”
List and sophomore wide receiver James Finch made one of the hottest offenses in the WPIAL appear just as advertised. The duo connected for two scores in the first half on touchdown passes of 21 and 25 yards as the Bobcats raced to a 20-0 advantage and never looked back.
Finch, the team’s placeholder, also registered a 6-yard touchdown pass to tight end Anthony George after a field-goal attempt went awry. List completed 5 of 11 attempts for 113 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions, and rushed for an additional 60 yards on 13 carries. Gino Mavero led all rushers with 89 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, while Matt Lipinski added 35 yards and a score on two receptions.
“I think [List] is really taking full command of the offense right now,” Finch said. “He’s our leader. He’s calling all the shots. He’s changing things if we need it, finding holes in the defense. He’s doing it all.”
Montour’s youth and inexperience had often been a thorn in its side in an 0-5 start to the season, but a three-game win streak leading into Friday night signified things were beginning to roll in the right direction. But Beaver was a lot more formidable of an opponent than Knoch, Highlands or Ambridge — and it showed.
The Spartans looked like a team that graduated 22 seniors. Sloppy tackling and missed assignments plagued them defensively. Quarterback Luke Persinger flashed some of the poise and accuracy that had paced the offense over their surprise run, but a nonexistent run game quelled any brief signs of momentum.
“We did a great job start to finish,” coach Jeff Beltz said. “Certainly not mistake-free football, but we kept rallying. When their backs were against the wall, they just made another play.”
The Beaver offense is continuing to turn heads. The Bobcats now have totaled 180 points over their past four games while outscoring Ringgold, Ambridge, Quaker Valley and Montour by a combined margin of 18041. The only other Class 4A team to match that scoring output is Thomas Jefferson, and with victory against Montour, the Bobcats likely won’t have to face the Jaguars in the first round of the playoffs.
A win over rival Blackhawk next week would secure a home game, but regardless of its result — a trip back to the WPIAL playoffs after elevating from Class 3A to 4A is commendable in itself.
“There’s been a ton of growth, but that’s the expectation,” Beltz said. “The playoffs are always a part of our conversation. I realize we changed classifications, but expectations can remain the same.