JACKSON, Miss. – The 2023 Belhaven Football team etched their name in history on Saturday, taking down Brevard, 46-19, to seize the USA South Athletic Conference title. With the win, the 9-1 Blazers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Playoffs for the first time since the move from the NAIA.
The Blazers' offense went to work on their opening drive as Constantine Hontzas connected from 23 yards out to put Belhaven on the board first. On the ensuing kickoff, Phabian Carter punched the ball free from the Brevard returner, and fellow defensive back Dee Gray recovered it deep in Tornado territory.
Tim Johnson scored from a yard out to give Belhaven a quick 9-0 lead in the opening quarter. Just three plays later, the Blazer defense came up with another turnover as Carlton Brown and Tyler Miller combined for a forced fumble and recovery to once again give Belhaven great field position.
Devin Daniels punched it in for a three-yard score, bouncing off would-be tacklers on his way to giving Belhaven a 15-0 lead at the end of one.
The Tornados found the scoreboard on the following drive. The tide began to shift as they recovered a fumble on the ensuing kickoff in the endzone for another touchdown, cutting the Blazers' lead to 15-13 in the blink of an eye.
Belhaven responded with an important touchdown drive to take a 22-13 lead as Johnson found Zach Hammett for a one-yard score.
Late in the half, the Blazers forced the third Tornado turnover of the half as Icarius Hodgin was the beneficiary of a tipped pass, hauling in an interception around midfield to set the offense up in prime position.
The offense capitalized as Johnson threaded the needle to Cooper Tullo for a seven-yard touchdown strike to give the Blazers a 29-13 lead at the half.
Hontzas opened the scoring in the second half with a 25-yard field goal.
A long pass play netted Brevard a touchdown on their next drive to cut the margin to 13 with just over two minutes to play in the third.
After a turnover, the Tornados once again looked like they were going to tighten things up, but the turning point came on a 4th & 2 from the Blazers' 15-yard line. Brevard elected for a 32-yard field goal, but the kick was wide left as Belhaven took over up 13 with 11 and a half to play.
Kolbe Blunt made the Tornados pay a few plays later, breaking a couple of tackles en route to a 44-yard touchdown run. Blunt added a second touchdown run in the final minute to push the final tally to 46-19 in favor of the Blazers.
Johnson finished the day 14-of-24 and two touchdowns while adding 88 yards and another score on the ground. Kolbe Blunt continues to add to his extensive list of accolades as he surpassed his own single-season rushing record (1,230) with 147 yards on Saturday.
Wyatt Beck led the Belhaven defense with nine stops. Carlton Brown and Phabian Carter each forced a fumble while Icarius Hodgin picked off a tipped pass for his first of the season.
The nine regular season wins marked the highest win total in school history. The Blazers also went a perfect 5-0 at Belhaven Bowl Stadium for the first time in program history.
The Blazers will find out their matchup and destination tomorrow afternoon during the DIII Football Selection Show scheduled for 4:00 PM.
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Blazers Capture USA South Title with Resounding 46-19 Win over Brevard
/seasons/2023/boxscores/20231111_8iff.xml
2023
Brevard
19
Belhaven
46
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brevard (5-5) | 0 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 19 |
| Belhaven (9-1) | 15 | 14 | 3 | 14 | 46 |
Nov 11, 2023