Bellamy, defense dominate Concordia in 59-21 win

SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Blake Bellamy was in the right place at the right time in No. 11 Morningside's 59-21 win over No. 23 Concordia on Saturday.

The junior linebacker from Winterset, Iowa, recovered a fumble and then intercepted a pass for a touchdown as part of a solid defensive effort.

Bellamy's first takeaway came early in the game when Cale Pittenger stripped the ball from Concordia quarterback Gideon Stark, and Bellamy pounced on the loose ball. The turnover set up Morningside's second scoring drive of the afternoon.

"I can't even explain the feeling," Bellamy said. "I saw the running back leave and called an audible, and saw the dig coming in and I waited. One of the defensive linemen tipped it, I caught it, and I knew I had to get in the end zone."

In the final minute of the third quarter, Bellamy struck again. With the Bulldogs backed up deep in their own territory, he read the quarterback's eyes, stepped in front of a pass, and went untouched into the end zone — immediately surrounded by teammates in celebration.

Bellamy's two takeaways were among four forced by the Mustangs' defense. Landry Phipps and AJ Matthews each added interceptions, and Pittenger recorded two sacks for 12 yards. Bellamy led the team with 12 total tackles, while Cole Reilly followed with eight.

"We had a great week of practice and preparation," Bellamy said. "We went over things again and again. We needed that. From the fumble recovery on out, we just kept rolling."

The offense matched the defense's energy, piling up 606 total yards — 375 through the air. Quarterback Zack Chevalier completed 28 of 36 passes for 355 yards and five touchdowns, while Colin Gordon hit his only attempt for 20 yards.

"I felt like he had a good beat on what Concordia does, and he played really well," head coach Steve Ryan said of Chevalier.

Chevalier spread the scoring around, connecting with three different receivers — Drew Sellon, Lennx Brown, and Kyle Sisler — for touchdowns. Sellon's two TD grabs came in the first half, while Brown's big plays came in the second and third quarters. Sellon led the receiving corps with 10 catches for 177 yards.

Jaylen Burch and Juven Hudson added one-yard touchdown runs. Burch finished with 106 rushing yards on the day.

Chevalier credited the defense for setting the tone: "They were lights out. We knew Concordia had a high-powered offense with a lot of talent, and the challenge for them was to get us the ball on turnovers and third-down stops — and they were fantastic."

Morningside improves to 6-2 overall and continues GPAC play next week at Doane before closing the regular season with home games against Mount Marty and Dordt at Elwood Olsen Stadium.