Bellefonte Red Raiders end memorable football season with loss in District 6 Championship

Opportunity knocked a few times for the Bellefonte Red Raiders early on Saturday night, as both they and Juniata couldn’t seem to protect the ball.

In fact, there were turnovers on the first five combined possessions of the game — four fumbles and one interception. Bellefonte, though, couldn’t cash in on theirs as it fell 20-6 against the Indians in the District 6 Class 4A Championship at Mansion Park Stadium.

The loss ends Bellefonte’s season, as it finishes 7-5.

“We had opportunities, and I just told these guys at the end we didn’t take advantage of opportunities,” Bellefonte coach Tony Confer said. “When somebody gives you the ball, and you get the ball in the scoring zone, you have to put points on the board.

“Unfortunately that was the story of the night. When you fail to put points on the board when you have those opportunities, you’re not going to win football games. Especially this big of a game.”

Two of the Bellefonte defense’s early takeaways — one of which was an interception by DB Aden Howell — set up the offense inside the 30-yard line before giving the ball right back to the Indians.

The Red Raiders were the first team to end their drive by a punt, and Juniata took advantage to start the second quarter. A 1-yard scamper by Laine Peiper gave the Indians a 7-0 advantage and a lead they would never relinquish.

It didn’t get any easier for the Raiders in the second half. On the kickoff to open the third quarter, Bellefonte failed to cleanly field the ball, which resulted in a turnover. Juniata’s Peiper scored again, from 18 yards out, to make it 14-0.

“That was a huge swing giving the ball right back with a short field,” Confer said. “That killed us. It’s just one of those things that when you have a team that’s not used to playing in big games like this, those types of things happen.”

Bellefonte answered on its next drive as Liam Halterman connected with Kolten Ammerman from 20 yards out to get on the board with 7:08 to play in the third. Bellefonte trailed 14-6 at that point.

“I absolutely love this team,” added Confer, whose program won a combined five games over the previous three seasons. “To get seven wins out of this team, it’s a testament to their hard work. It’s a testament to my coaches and the hard work that those guys put in, the long hours they put in.

“These kids worked hard in the offseason and they were tired of losing. It showed by getting seven wins. It’s not what we wanted, but to get to this point and have a legitimate opportunity to win a district championship is where Bellefonte should be.”

Still, Juniata wasn’t finished Saturday. Late in the third quarter, quarterback Wyatt Ehrenzeller scored on a sneak to put the game out of reach at 20-6. Neither team was able to score after that.

Confer remains optimistic that this season showed signs of sustainability in the Bellefonte program as he wraps up his second season. This was the Red Raiders’ first winning campaign since going 9-3 in 2019.

“We have a lot of young kids, too, and a lot of young kids who got playing time this year,” Confer said. “When you speak about winning seven games, which is something that these kids haven’t experienced, you hope that carries over huge in the offseason. The kids we have returning are a good group of kids, and I’m excited about the young group we have coming up.”

Confer also praised his seniors, calling them a “great group” and referring to them as the “glue that held things together this year.” He said they should be proud of their legacy, knowing they helped get Bellefonte back to where it should be.

Juniata will play Shamokin in the PIAA Class 4A first round at a site and time to be determined next week.