• Red Raiders football highlights, 2020 season

    2020 football The Red Raiders football team dropped to Juniata in the District 6 Class 4A championship game, but they still had a season of highs, including setting a series of county and school records. Coach Shanon Manning also noted a group of standout players during the season.

    In its game against Huntingdon, the Bellefonte Area High School football team set a county and school record with 635 yards of offensive play. They also set a series record with Huntingdon by scoring 62 points – 24 points in the second quarter tied for fourth on the school list for that quarter. Manning added that 490 yards rushing against Huntingdon is the fifth most in school history.

    With a seven-game winning streak against Bald Eagle Area, it tied for the longest in school history among series. They played the Eagles on Oct. 16 with a, 17-7, win.

    Standouts this year also included Nick Capparelle, Jalen Emel, Logan Houser, Jacob Hummel, Chris Palosky, Dan Persiko, Ethan Rossman and JJ Saunders. Hummel and Saunders are underclassmen.

    • Capparelle finished with 431 career rushing yards on 55 attempts and three scores, and finished with 12 receptions for 63 yards.
    • Emel ended the season with 927 career rushing yards, 11 career touchdowns and 26 career receptions. He also finished with 346 career receiving yards and 1,983 career all-purpose yards. In the game against Juniata, he tallied 218 rushing yards, which is the second most by a BAHS quarterback and third most by a quarterback in the county. It also recorded as the third most rushing yard in county playoff history. Additionally, his 67-yard touchdown run in the same game is the 11th longest by a Bellefonte quarterback. In total, he additionally finished with 531 career kickoff return yards and 130 career punt return yards, with a 30.5-yard career punting average, making it the ninth best in school history.
    • houser Houser finished the season with 335 career yards rushing on 44 attempts and four scores. His career passing numbers are eight completions on 16 attempts for 132 yards and three scores.
    • Hummel has 276 career rushing yards on 18 carries and one score.
    • Palosky finished with 178 career rushing yards on 24 carries and two scores.
    • Persiko’s 56 career extra points is third best in school history and seventh best in county history. He additionally had 68 career kicking points, which is third most in school history. His 42-yard field goal in the game against Huntingdon is a school record, and his career field goals is tied for fourth most in school history.
    • rossman Rossman ranks second best among Bellefonte quarterbacks and is third best in county history, ending his career with 1,150 rushing yards. In the 2020 season, he had 365 rushing yards that put him in the top 10 among quarterbacks at Bellefonte. Rossman’s 107 career completions and 1,550 career passing yards is also among the 10 best in both categories of school history. Additionally, his 19 career touchdown passes is ranked for fifth best at Bellefonte Area High School. He ended with a 12-6 record as a starter.
    • Saunders had 300 yards rushing yards in the game this season against Huntingdon, making it the third most in school history. He also has 687 career rushing yards on 75 carries and two scores.

    *Information and statistics provided by Manning