GRANITE FALLS – The Bayhawks came into Friday night’s game looking to go above .500. Granite Falls came into it hoping to stay undefeated. Only one of those things could have happened, and for Bellingham fans it was a great one as the Bayhawks defeated the Tigers 20-14.
After a scoreless first quarter, Granite Falls used its quick-hitting run game to charge down the field and then score on a 1-yard touchdown run.
Bellingham’s answer came quickly as just a few plays later junior quarterback Ben Leonard hit wide receiver Joe Harward on a quick-out, and the 6-foot-4 senior did the rest as he broke three tackles and stiff-armed a fourth would-be tackler as he scored a 68-yard touchdown. It also happened to be Harward’s 18th career touchdown reception, which broke the school record which was held by Spencer Lee since 2018.
A 34-yard run by the Tigers flipped the field on the following drive, and Granite Falls followed it up by going to the air and connecting on a 29-yard touchdown pass.
The Tigers led 14-7 at the half.
Bellingham had a strong drive to begin the second half, but turned the ball over on downs deep into Granite Falls territory.
The Bayhawks then forced a three-and-out, and on their next drive they made it count as Leonard hit junior tight end Calvin VanHofwegen over the middle on a perfectly executed play-action pass which covered 13 yards and finished in the endzone. Owen Hanstead’s extra point tied the game at 14-14.
The score remained tied for the rest of the third quarter, and deep into the fourth quarter until Bellingham’s powerful run game, coupled with a 39-yard completion from Leonard to Harward, set the Bayhawks up in the red zone.
With little time left in the game, and a 4th-and-goal situation at the 2-yard line, Bellingham called timeout to come up with the perfect play.
The Bayhawks had a field goal blocked earlier in the game, and decided to go for the touchdown with the game tied at 14-14. The decision paid off as Hanstead lined up in the wildcat, took the direct snap, and ran an option play to his left with Harward. The 5-foot-8 160-pound senior running back decided to keep the ball and he charged into the endzone for the eventual game-winning score.
Hanstead finished the game with an hard-earned 73 yards rushing on 21 carries.
Granite Falls had one last drive, but were turned away on a third-down sack by senior defensive end Barrett Johnson and an interception on fourth down by senior Zach Gerstl.
The Bellingham defense was led by Hanstead who finished with 8.5 tackles and a tackle for loss. Senior linebacker Caiden Hamidian also enjoyed a big night with five tackles, one tackle for loss and a quarterback sack.
The Bayhawks (3-2) will be back in conference play on Friday when they host Burlington-Edison (3-2) at 7:00.
Bellingham 20 Granite Falls 14 BEL 0 7 7 6 - 20 GF 0 14 0 0 - 14 GF - 1 yard touchdown run (kick good) BEL - Harward 68 pass from Leonard (Hanstead kick) GF - 29 yard touchdown pass (kick good) BEL - VanHofwegen 13 pass from Leonard (Hanstead kick) BEL - Hanstead 2 run (kick blocked) BEL GF 33-107 Rush Att-Yards 30-155 17-29-0 Comp-Att-Int 4-7-2 244 Passing Yards 49 Individual Leaders RUSHING - BEL: Hanstead 21-73, Powell 8-42, Harward 1-(-2), Leonard 3-(-6). GF: N/A PASSING - BEL: Leonard 17-29-0-244. GF: N/A RECEIVING - BEL: Harward 7-145, VanHofwegen 4-38, Wright 4-38, Gerstl 1-23, Hanstead 1-0. GF: N/A
