Article 389: Bellarmine stays perfect

October 5, 2014

Going into Saturday's West Catholic Athletic League (WCAL) matchup, Bellarmine and St. Ignatius won their first three games in contrasting ways. The Bells dominated their games by double digits while the Wildcats won by one score. St. Ignatius was positioned to pull out another close victory but fell short 31-28 to the Bells.

Bellarmine rotated quarterbacks but the Bells leaned on an effective running backfield in Anthony Guttadauro and Kyle MacAuley as Guttadauro ran 67 yards to setup a 4-yard running score by MacAuley on the first possession. Bellarmine fumbled on their next possession in their own territory that allowed Wildcat quarterback Ryan Hagfeldt to convert on a 7-yard passing score to wide receiver Danny Conte to even the score at 7-7. The Bells converted on a 4th and 1 in their own territory that led to a 59-yard catch and run score by MacAuley to give Bellarmine a 14-7 advantage at the end of the first quarter.

The team exchanged punts and then turnovers as the Wildcats were able to return an interception to the Bellarmine 4-yard line. Wildcat running back Brian Vollert ran it in to tie the game at 14-14. The Bells drove down the field for a 39-yard field goal to end the half with a 17-14 advantage.

St. Ignatius took the second half kickoff down the field methodically that ended with a 13-yard touchdown reception for Conte to put the Wildcats ahead 21-17. Bellarmine responded quickly as MacAuley sprinted 70 yards for the score and the 24-21 advantage. St. Ignatius engineered another time-consuming drive that ended with a 3-yd running score by Rob Meagher.

Trailing 28-24 early into the fourth quarter, Bellarmine got a big running score by running back Antonio Garcia from 31 yards out to give the Bells the final advantage of 31-28. The Wildcats had the ball three more times and went into Bellarmine territory twice. On the final possession, Hagfeldt made an accurate 30-yard pass to Conte that could have been the game winner but was dropped. The Wildcats turned the ball over on downs to end the game.

Bellarmine utilizes a dual quarterback system with Troy Martig and Griffin Quinn. Martig was the better runner on Saturday as he had a 74-yard running score nullified by penalty while Quinn has the prototypical size. Neither quarterback was effective with downfield passing while they accounted for the team's two turnovers. The Bellarmine skilled positions are deep as Macauley highlights this group of versatile playmakers. The defense had trouble stopping opposing drives but did not give up the big yardage plays.

The Wildcats have a good ball control offense led by Hagfeldt who has a plethora of receivers. The defense made big plays with two turnovers caused but also was gashed by big running plays. The special teams helped with field position, as Freddie Gaines was elusive in the return game.

Bellarmine will travel to Valley Christian while St. Ignatius makes the trip to Serra. Serra defeated Valley Christian 24-10 on Friday evening. Starting WCAL play with two losses would probably end that team's chances for the regular season crown while starting with two wins would make that path easier.

Kyle MacAuley 5-foot-10, 170 pounds RB Bellarmine (2016): MacAuley scored three times on the day. The junior is versatile as a playmaker either as a runner or receiver. He produces like a Wes Welker type of player.

Anthony Guttadauro 5-foot-10, 170 pounds RB Bellarmine (2015): The senior had a big run on the opening drive. Guttadauro complements Macauley well in the backfield, as he is more of a power runner.

Troy Martig 5-foot-11, 165 pounds QB Bellarmine (2016): The Bells employed a quarterback rotation. Bellarmine is a run control offense and Martig was effective running it on Saturday. He displayed good speed as he broke a few big runs.

Ryan Hagfeldt 6-foot-3, 195 pounds QB St. Ignatius (2015): Hagfeldt is efficient in his passing and makes good decisions. He was sacked only once and did not put his team in bad down and yardage situations. His arm strength is good as he was able to make all the throws accurately and with good placement for his receivers.

Danny Conte 6-foot-0, 150 pounds WR St. Ignatius (2015): Conte had two touchdown receptions and almost had a game winning third touchdown reception. The senior had a knack of getting open throughout the game as he also made several drive extending catches.

Jack Mckeon 6-foot-1, 180 pounds DE/TE St. Ignatius (2017): The sophomore made the fumble recovery that led to the first Wildcat score. Mckeon was active and made several of the running tackles. He projects to be a linebacker at the next level who can direct the defense.