Kelly rallies Mikes past Bulldogs, 34-25
CARMICHAELS 鈥� Carmichaels won a back-and-forth battle with Beth-Center, 34-25, thanks to the play of quarterback Kevin Kelly and a defense that shut out the Bulldogs in the second half of last Friday night鈥檚 Interstate Conference opener at Coaches Field.
After a gut-wrenching loss last week against California, Beth-Center was looking to rebound and took a 25-14 halftime lead, only to have the Mikes out-score the Bulldogs 18-0 in the second half on three Kelly touchdown runs.
Kelly鈥檚 4-yard score with 8:31 left in the game put Carmichaels (2-0, 1-0) in front, 28-25, and his 18-yard TD run just 1:19 later sealed it for the Mikes.
Kelly, who rushed for 176 yards and four TDs, battled injury problems last year but those have been no concern for him thus far this season.
When asked how he felt physically after the game, Kelly said, 鈥淚 feel the best ever. I just wanted to go get it. I wasn鈥檛 letting anything hold me back.鈥�
The Bulldogs (0-2, 0-1) pounded the Mikes 44-8 a year ago.
鈥淚t feels great having everybody back,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淭hey all deserve this, they worked so hard for this and it just means the world.
鈥淲e get smacked by Beth-Center every year and then we come here, we punch them in the mouth, it feels great. I couldn鈥檛 do it without those linemen, they were pushing.鈥�
Although Kelly had an outstanding performance, his counterpart for Beth-Center, quarterback Colby Kuhns, was injured mid-way through the second quarter. During his absence, the Mikes outscored Beth-Center 20-8 before Kuhns reentered the game late in the fourth quarter, but he would only last two more plays before being forced back to the bench.
Kuhns鈥� dad, B-C coach Joe Kuhns, regretted reinserting his son into the game.
鈥淚t was defiantly against my better judgment and I鈥檓 really mad at myself for putting him back out there,鈥� coach Kuhns said. 鈥淗e was on me the whole time about it. It was just dumb on my part.鈥�
Kuhns鈥� team now finds itself off to an 0-2 start.
鈥淚 just told them you have to stay proud, you got to keep fighting,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tough when you鈥檙e a small school and you lose a key player.鈥�
Long drives were the game plan for Carmichaels to wear down Beth-Center in hopes of exposing the youth and inexperience of the Bulldogs.
In two of the Mikes鈥� three touchdown drives after Kuhns went out, Kelly carried the ball at least five times, including twice for touchdowns.
Carmichaels coach Ryan Krull was proud of his team鈥檚 ability to finally end a long losing streak to B-C.
鈥淲ords can鈥檛 do any justice for the way I feel for these guys,鈥� said Krull. 鈥淲e鈥檝e never beat Beth-Center, it鈥檚 generally been we both come on the same field and we come out on the other end and it鈥檚 usually not even close.
鈥淵ou can say we鈥檝e been chasing at them to some degree in past years.鈥�
Carmichaels has already matched its win total for 2018.
Beth-Center led 7-0 after the first quarter thanks to Ryan Lynch鈥檚 10-yard touchdown run and Tyler Berish鈥檚 extra-point kick.
Kelly scored his first TD of the night on a 7-yard run early in the second quarter but Kuhns countered with a 10-yard scoring pass to Devin Dingle. The Mikes鈥� Michael Robinson returned the ensuing kickoff 68 yards for a touchdown and Hunter Voithofer鈥檚 two-point conversion run gave the hosts a 14-13 lead.
The Bulldogs answered with touchdowns runs of 19 yards by Lynch and 3 yards by Dingle late in the second quarter to go up 25-14.
Kelly got Carmichaels within 25-22 with a 1-yard touchdown run and a two-point conversion pass to Voithofer midway through the third quarter.
That set the stage for Kelly鈥檚 fourth-quarter heroics.
Both teams will continue TCS play next week. Carmichaels travels to Southmoreland in a match-up of 2-0 teams and Beth-Center will host Brownsville.