Friday, Oct. 5, 2001 - BETHEL
The Covington Buccaneers and Bethel Bees waged a gridiron war that is reminiscent of the historic battles of the NFL's glory days of the 60's. Rain, cold wind, mud, intensity, electricity, suspense, two unbeaten teams, the game had all of the elements that make it one to remember.
The Buccs jumped out on top early as they drove down the field on their first possession and scored on a 5 yard Josh Burelison touchdown run. Bethel came right back on a 6 yard pass from Brian Shoup to Mike Poppa to tie the score at 7-7 before halftime.
Burelison again put the Buccs on top on a 2 yard run but the extra point was no good leaving the score at 13-6. Bethel gained the lead late in the third on a long pass to make the score 14-13 at the end of the third.
The fourth quarter was a tale of field position and "Buccs Defense".
Bethel had all of the momentum but had a hard time holding onto a wet ball. Forced to punt from deep in their own territory, Brian Shoup juggled the snap and had to try and make a play. His pass to a wide open receiver went through the receivers hands and gave the Buccs the ball at the 11.
Two plays later, Boomer Schmidt put the Buccs up 19-14 on a 8 yard run and the Buccs never looked back.
Fittingly, the defense put the final points on the board on a safety by Clint Mohler on Bethel running back, Drew Bowman to make the final score Covington 21, Bethel 14.
BOOMER!
What can you say about Boomer Schmidt? You can start by saying he's one heck of a football player.
Anyone who watched tonight's game against Bethel has to be in awe of the way Boomer plays the game. His intensity level is above everyone else on the field. When he runs the ball, he runs full speed, taking on anyone that comes between him and the endzone. On defense, Boomer is everywhere. The sound of a Boomer hit is impressive. First you hear the crack of the helmets and pads, then the grunt of the opposing player as they receive the blow.
Tonight against Bethel, Boomer had just about as close to a perfect game as a player could have under the conditions. The offensive stats of 22 carries for 119 yards and 1 touchdown will get most people's attention but his defensive play was phenomenal.
Schmidt was all over the field on defense. He was a key reason Drew Bowman only had 14 yards on 10 carries. Many times, Boomer was there to stop Bowman in the backfield. When Bethel tried to get Bowman to the outside, Boomer was usually there to shut that door as well. When Bethel tried to pass, Boomer was there on the tackle or picking off the pass himself.
Boomer Schmidt just plain dominated!
Blythe just wins...
Two people on a football team take most of the heat when things go bad, the coach and the quarterback. Well, Dusty Blythe hasn't had to worry about that while he's been the Buccs' starting quarterback. He's not flashy. His statistics don't make opponents tremble with fear. He doesn't get the recognition that other quarterbacks or some of his teammates get. All Dusty Blythe does, is win.
The Covington Buccaneers are 19-1 with Blythe as their starting quarterback. Sure, the Buccs are a run first, pass second team but when called upon, Blythe delivers.
A perfect example is tonight against Bethel. The conditions were terrible. The field was sloppy and the ball was wet. Blythe took care of the ball while Bethel's quarterback, Brian Shoup had numerous mishandles. Dusty stayed composed, even when the Buccs were down 14-13 late in the game. At the end of the day, when all is said and done, Blythe and the Buccs won. That's the only statistic that matters.
