On Oct. 17, 2013, the Bel Air High School Varsity Football team played the Aberdeen Eagles in Bel Air’s 2013 Homecoming game. The Bobcats came up short, losing to the visiting Eagles by a score of 35-26.

The Bobcats entered the game with a 4-2 record, coming off of a big 42-7 win against the Havre de Grace Warriors. The Aberdeen Eagles entered the game with a 3-3 record, coming off of a 19-14 loss against Fallston.

The game started off quickly; Aberdeen scored on their third play from scrimmage, making the score 7-0. The Bobcats responded on the ensuing possession when Devin Bowers broke free and ran 81 yards for a touchdown. A missed two point conversion made the score 7-6. Another Aberdeen touchdown made the score 14-6 to end the first quarter. Mitchell Muller responded for the Bobcats, running for a touchdown to make the score 14-12. A touchdown late in the half made the score 21-12 at halftime.

Miguel Valdes and Devin Bowers each rushed for touchdowns in the third quarter to make the score 28-26, giving the Eagles only a small lead. A fourth quarter touchdown by the Eagles put the game out of reach for the Bobcats, despite two red zone stands by the Bobcat defense.

Miguel Valdes and Devin Bowers of the Bobcats each ran for over 100 yards in the game, adding to the team’s 300-plus yards of rushing offense. The Aberdeen Eagles also had two players rushing for over 100 yards, Lavell McCullers and Kenshea McCraney.

Senior Captain Clay Brumbaugh commented after the game, “We played our hearts out. A couple big plays on Aberdeen’s part were because of small mental mistakes made by us. Effort and heart wasn’t the issue in our loss. We are aware with what we did wrong, and we’re ready to finish our season very successfully.”

Next week’s game will be on Oct. 25. The Bobcats will travel to play their cross-town rivals, the Patterson Mill Huskies in Bobcat Stadium at 7 p.m.