BUENA VISTA, Va. – The Belhaven Football team bounced back in a big way on Saturday, throttling Southern Virginia, 61-7, to tie the highest regular season win total (8) in program history. In the win, running back Kolbe Blunt surpassed Brad Foley as the all-time rushing yards leader with 3,221 yards in his five-year career.
The Blazers wasted no time finding the scoreboard as Devin Daniels punched in the opening touchdown from three yards out with 13:22 left in the first quarter. A quick three-and-out gave the Belhaven offense their second opportunity, and they capitalized as Kolbe Blunt ran for a 15-yard touchdown run to put the Blazers up 13-0.
The Blazers scored their third rushing touchdown of the quarter on their next drive as quarterback Tim Johnson called his own number and went untouched for a 46-yard touchdown run. The defense forced their first turnover of the game late in the opening quarter, and they were rewarded on the next play from scrimmage as Johnson found a wide-open Phabian Carter for a 45-yard strike to put Belhaven up 26-0 after 15 minutes of play.
Belhaven went back to the ground game for their fifth score of the half as Daniels found paydirt for the second time with 9:52 to go. Johnson scampered in from 15 yards out for the Blazers' sixth and final touchdown of the half as the Blazers took a commanding 40-0 lead into the break.
The Blazer defense continued to make the Knights uncomfortable in the second half, and Tyler Miller came up with an interception on the opening possession to set up another Tim Johnson rushing touchdown.
Not to be outdone by his offensive performance, two-way athlete Phabian Carter picked off a Knight pass and returned it all the way back to the SVU 13-yard line. Blunt scored his second touchdown of the game a play later to put the Blazers in front, 54-0.
The final Blazer score of the game came from Caleb Gallashaw, a 15-yard run to give Belhaven a program-record eight rushing touchdowns in the game. Southern Virginia was able to avoid the shutout with a late score, but it was all academic as Belhaven earned their eighth win of the season by a final of 61-7.
The Belhaven offense returned to form on Saturday, racking up 583 total yards (448 rushing) and nine touchdowns on the day. Tim Johnson finish 11-for-15 for 111 yards and a touchdown while adding 82 and three more scores on the ground. In the record-setting day for Blunt, the do-it-all back totaled 152 yards and two touchdowns, bringing his career rushing total to 3,221. Devin Daniels racked up 88 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries.
Defensively, the Blazers gave up just 11 rushing yards (162 total) while forcing three turnovers in another dominant showing. Tyler Miller had a career day at the linebacker position with a team-high eight tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and an interception. Phabian Carter also picked up his first career interception.
Belhaven is set to clash against Brevard next Saturday, November 11th with a chance to win the USA South title with a win. Kickoff from the Bowl is slated for 11:00 AM.
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Blunt Breaks All-Time Rushing Record in 61-7 Rout of Southern Virginia
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231104_ym8m.xml
2023
Belhaven
61
Southern Virginia
7
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belhaven (8-1) | 26 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 61 |
| Southern Virginia (1-8) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 |
Nov 04, 2023