Purple Reign Returns as Bucs Beat Indians

Photos by Erik Anderson. The student sections screams to players on the field after a cal was made during the first half of the varsity football match up at Belvidere High School in Belvidere on Friday, Sep. 25, 2015. Erik Anderson | Belvidere Daily Republican

By Bob Kopp

BDR Sports Correspondent

BELVIDERE – Belvidere beat Hononegah convincingly 14-7.

It was not an upset.

It was expected.

You heard it first last week in the BDR: “The Bucs look primed to put hints of better days in the rearview mirror with another push to the playoffs.”

Anyone familiar with Head Coach Chuck Leonard and his staff and a team that’s been playing together for almost a decade since Belvidere Junior Tackle Football knows this year’s edition of the Bucs is not used to losing.

Belvedere quarterback Austin Revolinski (14) passes to a team mate during the first quarter of the varsity football match up against Hononegah.

Friday night’s dominating win over the Indians justified pre-season prognostications of a Belvidere team that will make a deep run in the post-season and just may snatch a share of the NIC-10 crown in a highly contested conference.

Belvedere quarterback Austin Revolinski (14) gets pummeled by Hononegah’s Nick Kerska (19) and Bannon Powell (9) during the second quarter of the varsity football match  on Friday, Sept. 25.

Trotting into town with North’s scalp after last week’s 13-10 overtime and sporting “Fear the Spear” T-shirts with their notorious air of entitlement, the undefeated Indians took the lead 7-0 at the half on a 1-yard dive by shifty and speedy junior Christian Fausel.

And that was it for the Indians as purple reign returned with a stubborn defense, sparkling special teams, and efficient offense after Coach Leonard and his staff made adjustments on both sides of the ball after being upset in previous weeks.

Previous loses were upsets.

Beating the Indians was expected.

Led by the bruising tackling of all-conference senior studs Eric Munoz and Justin Robles with hits that could be heard in the stands evoking cries of ouch by visiting fans, junior quarterback Austin Revolinski continued his rise in every offensive statistic to seal a win resurrecting purple reign in Belvidere.

Robles sparked the Bucs with power, quickness, and his typical elusiveness in taking the opening kick of the second half for a 96-yard TD to knot the score 7-7.

Belvidere’s Eric Munoz (21) looks for an opening in the Hononegah defensive line during the first half of the varsity football match up at Belvidere High School in Belvidere on Friday, Sept. 25.

Munoz took a direct snap from a wildcat formation and breezed 13 yards into the end zone to put the Bucs up for good 14-7 with less than nine minutes left in the game.

That’s when the defense really stiffened and Revolinski led an offensive line and power-running by senior Austin Ziriaxe that never let the Indians sniff another score.

Next Friday’s homecoming game against undefeated Harlem will feature the NIC-10’s premier junior quarterbacks Revolinski and Trent Willey.

It will not be an upset if the host muzzles the Huskies.

The Bucs are back.