BELLEVUE -- A monster second quarter fueled an upset victory for #5 Van Wert over top-seeded Bellevue for a spot in the Division IV Region 14 Championship, boat racing the Redmen 41-22 at BAF Stadium.

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Following a scoreless first, Cougars sr. QB Owen Treece got his team rolling, scoring back to back 2-yard TD runs to kickoff the second stanza, then tossed a 3-yard score to Connor Pratt for a 21-0 lead. Treece extended the Van Wert cushion to 28-0 with his third rushing touchdown but Keegan Ray tried to make things interesting for the Redmen down the stretch.

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Bellevue's senior QB punched in a short TD run before ripping off a 44-yard score on the final play of the third quarter to close the gap to 28-14. Treece answered again with another rushing touchdown but the Redmen matched it with a 45-yard strike to Tyler Ray midway through the frame.

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Treece capped-off his amazing 6-touchdown performance with a 44-yard TD toss to Dru Johnson, ending the night 25 of 35 for 273 yards with 31 carries for 162 yards. Bellevue's PA announcer didn't even get Van Wert's school mascot right during the introduction, but Treece and company made sure they remember the Cougars after pulling off the upset against the previously unbeaten Redmen, ranked 4th in the state.

 

Next up Van Wert (8-1) travels to face #2 Shelby (9-0) in the Region 14 Final.