Belle Vernon faces potent passing attack
Belle Vernon has faced plenty of tough competition this football season as it has marched to a WPIAL championship and into tonight鈥檚 PIAA Class AAA semifinals.
The Leopards (10-2) likely haven鈥檛 faced a passing attack anything like that of Martinsburg Central (12-2), however. The two meet at Central Cambria High School in Ebensburg. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Dragons rely heavily on Jeff Hoenstine who sports some eye-popping numbers. The 5-foot-10 senior quarterback has completed 278 of 391 passes for 3,768 yards and 50 touchdowns with only five interceptions. He also leads Central in rushing with 716 yards and 12 touchdowns on 127 carries.
Hoenstine鈥檚 top target is junior wide receiver Eli Lingenfelter who has piled up 95 receptions for 1,610 yards and 27 touchdowns.
鈥淭he stat lines are crazy when you look at them,鈥� Belle Vernon coach Matt Humbert said. 鈥淭hey make you very nervous. Their quarterback is a solid football player. He鈥檚 about 150 away from 10,000 (passing) yards for his career. He鈥檚 the X-factor. If it鈥檚 not there he can scramble and make something happen. Obviously they can put up points and they throw the ball all over the yard, but they run the ball, too.鈥�
鈥淒efensively, they鈥檙e aggressive. They love to blitz. They feature three linebackers in the box in most of their formations. They鈥檙e solid.鈥�
Humbert has faith in his defensive unit.
鈥淲e feel we have a very good secondary and a very good linebacking corps,鈥� Humbert said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great challenge and a great test. My kids will be ready to roll.鈥�
The Dragons will certainly set their sites on trying to slow down Belle Vernon junior star Quinton Martin, a 1,000-yard rusher who scored all three of the Leopards鈥� touchdowns in three different ways in the 24-7 win in the WPIAL final over Avonworth.
Martini scored on a 32-yard pass from Braden Laux in the second quarter, on a 51-yard punt return in the third quarter and on a 45-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The Leopards average 37.8 points per game, just slightly more than the Dragons (37.1). Belle Vernon allows 8.1 points per game while Central gives up 18.8.
Central defeated Grove City in the PIAA quarterfinals last week, 35-7.
The other semifinal pits Neumann Goretti against Wyomissing in a 1 p.m. game on Saturday.
The two winners will meet in the PIAA final on Saturday, Dec. 10 at Cumberland Valley High School鈥檚 Chapman Field at 1 p.m.