Bellamy’s three scores power Plantation to district win over Western

Tyrik Bellamy rushed for 159 yards on 13 carries and three touchdowns and TJ Butler had three interceptions to lead Plantation to a 34-28 victory over Western in a key District 12-8A game at PAL Field in Plantation on Friday.

With the scored tied at 21-21 entering the fourth quarter, Butler picked off Western’s quarterback twice. On the ensuing plays, Bellamy scored on touchdown runs of 60 and 45 yards. The latter came with 4:57 left to play.

The Colonels improved to 6-1 (4-1), while Western falls to 6-1 and 4-1. The Wildcats have district-leading Miramar still to play on Oct. 27.

“We knew we couldn’t lose anymore, so the kids took it as a challenge to come out tonight and really play a tough Western team,” Plantation coach Steve Davis said.

“Our kids just had that test of fortitude and kept playing till the clock hit zero.”

The Wildcats final score came with 2:29 to play on a Jordan Smith’s 3-yard reception from quarterback Harrison Story. Their onside kick attempt was recovered by the Colonels.

Running back Keshaun Clarke led Western with 132 yards on 24 carries. The two teams combined for 897 yards of offense.

A scoring fest highlighted the first half as the two teams exchanged touchdowns five times.

Quarterback Roshard Branch was a highlight reel for Colonels completing 9 of 10 attempts for 178 yards and a pair of touchdowns to Jamari Sweet.

Harrison Story led the Wildcats with a 9-yard run for a score and a 15-yard pass to Jaeden Fagan temporarily giving Western a 15-14 lead.

But a 32-yard touchdown reception by Sweet with 7:36 to play in the half gave Plantation a 21-15 lead going into intermission.

The Colonels had an opportunity for two more touchdowns, but turned the ball over on downs twice inside the Western 20.

This story was originally published October 13, 2017 at 10:35 PM with the headline "Bellamy’s three scores power Plantation to district win over Western."