A new surface. The same Tiger grit.
Friday night at Gilligan Stadium was filled with firsts. Bellevue unveiled its brand-new synthetic turf with a ribbon-cutting before kickoff, marking a modern step for a program nearing its centennial and trying to earn their first win on the new playing surface. On the other sideline, St. Henry was chasing its own milestone — the first varsity win in school history.
Only one of those stories came true. Bellevue defended its home turf in a 21-7 victory that was powered by its defense with four turnovers forced.
“Playing on it over the years, this field would usually be dirt by now,” Tigers coach Chad Montgomery said. “It’s so crisp and so new and it’s just an amazing feeling. A few years ago this program almost folded and for the school to invest in these kids and put this kind of money in shows they are willing to support them. It’s more than just a field, it’s a belief in our football program.”
After a deadlock at 7-7 at halftime, an 11-second stretch to open the second half dictated the rest of this one.
The second-half opening kickoff was fumbled by the Crusaders, and the Tigers pounced. One play later, Stephen Specht punched it in from six yards out. On the ensuing possession, a botched snap from St. Henry flew out of the end zone for a safety, giving Bellevue a 16-7 lead before the Crusaders could settle in.
For a Bellevue team that had struggled to finish games early this season, the fast start was a welcome sight.
“Tight ball games at half and we just had meltdowns, but we didn’t do that tonight,” Montgomery said. “Told the guys at half to clean some things up, still did some stupid stuff but a win is a win.”
From there, the defense made sure the new turf got broken in properly. Senior playmaker Kayne Ross was everywhere — recovering a fumble, intercepting a pass late in the fourth, and earning St. Elizabeth Game of the Month Player of the Game honors. His interception was his fourth of the season, to go with two fumble recoveries, numbers that highlight just how opportunistic this Bellevue defense has been. Through four games, the Tigers have now forced 18 turnovers.
“Our defense has been playing lights out, and we knew that was gonna be a strength,” Montgomery said. “We felt like our defensive line and our offensive lines were going to be our strength this year.”
Even when St. Henry threatened late, the defense held firm. A fourth-quarter drive stalled at the nine-yard line after three straight negative plays. The Crusaders’ final hope ended in Ross’ hands.
“Like Luke Kuechly, studying film,” Ross said. “Just reading the right play at the right time.”
The game started as a deadlock. After Stephen Specht’s two-yard touchdown run in the second quarter, St. Henry answered behind a bruising 35-yard burst from Caden Kunstek. The Crusaders headed into halftime tied 7-7 and with momentum.
But the miscues piled up for St. Henry — bad snaps, dropped exchanges, and turnovers that constantly swung momentum back to Bellevue. One snap even sailed through the end zone for that safety, part of a night the Crusaders will continue to learn from in their first varsity season.
“We tackled so much better tonight,” Crusaders coach Tim Odom said. “Real pleased with the tackling and we got a handful of kids that are starting to get it. Then we got a handful of kids that aren’t. Just inexperience, we’re trying to fix that part.”
It was the Crusaders most competitive game of the season to date, having lost by 47, 34 and 52 in their first three contests. A bye week looms for St. Henry, giving some more practice time to work out the kinks, continue to gain valuable reps and focus on Gallatin County, their next opponent on Sept. 26.
“We’re just going to take it one day at a time and get better. Our goal is still to get to the playoffs. We were supposed to be JV again this year, but we moved it up so instead of playing with sophomores and juniors we’re mainly playing with freshman and sophomores.”
The Tigers (2-2) stay home next week against Iroquois.
TIGERS 21, CRUSADERS 7
ST. HENRY — 0-7-0-0 — 7
BELLEVUE — 0-0-14-0 — 21
Scoring Plays
2nd Quarter
(B) Specht 2-yard run (9:15) Specht kick
(SH) Kuntstek 36-yard run (6:07) Aubuchon kick
3rd Quarter
(B) Specht 6-yard run (11:52) Kick failed
(B) Safety (11:49)
(B) Scott 6-yard run (8:04) Kick failed
Records: St. Henry 0-4, Bellevue 2-2