The Blanchester junior varsity football team defeated Bethel-Tate 18-0 Saturday morning in its Homecoming game.

Coach Brian Damewood said “big plays paced the young Wildcats in every phase of the game.”

The Wildcats found scores through the air and on the ground Saturday. Colt Conover connected with Andrew Frump for two long passing scores. Blake Richard ran over, around and through Bethel-Tate defenders for an impressive rushing touchdown, Damewood said.

The Wildcats’ defense saw big contributions from the entire unit and stopped Bethel-Tate scoring drives inside the 10-yard line twice on the day to hold the Tigers scoreless. Brady Phillips recorded four tackles for loss and added a fumble recovery to his stats. Blake Richard, Colt Conover and Kaleb Goodin also added solo tackles for loss. Kyle Hopkins and Carter Abbott both had interceptions to help the Wildcats’ cause.

The Wildcats’ special teams units made things tough for Bethel-Tate throughout the game, the BHS coach added. Johnny Schirmer blocked a Bethel-Tate field goal attempt. Brody Rice’s punting pinned the Tigers deep in their own territory and gave the Wildcat defense plenty of room to work with throughout the day. Rice and the Wildcat kickoff unit also forced Bethel-Tate to begin deep in their own territory when they took the field.