There is life after Marion Local.

The Beallsville High football program – short in numbers and long in commitment – faced the ultimate Division VII challenge Friday night. The Blue Devils of Larry Deem traveled some four hours to Maria Stein in western Ohio to face reigning state champion Marion Local.

Many thought that Deem’s 14-man squad may see its season come to a close after facing the Flyers. The Blue Devils absorbed a 54-6 loss at the hands of the state champs, but the team retains its resolve in marching on.

“Marion Local is the best D-7 program going. They are a classy bunch,” Deem said. “But our kids were not intimidated. We never quit until the final whistle. Our team relished the challenge of playing the best.

“We dressed 13 players for the game and came away healthy,” he added. “We have some more boys showing interest, so our numbers may be growing.”

Deem is happy with the strides his undermanned squad is making.

“The mood of the team is upbeat. We know we are winners every time we step onto the field. Now the community deserves some wins,” Deem noted. “When we got back from Maria Stein Saturday morning at 3:10, we had some 50-70 fans waiting for us.

“Our community support is amazing. You cannot ask for a better group of people,” Deem said. “It is a group of hard-nosed individuals who never quit. That is reflected in our players.”

Beallsville lost its opener to Hardin Northern at home. Hardin Northern also has a state grid title on its resume.

The Blue Devils will now switch gears this week. Having played two well-established programs, the Big Blue will now prep for a jayvee game Saturday against Barnesville.

To Deem and his squad, it is just another game.

“We will prepare as normal. We expect to get Barnesville’s best shot,” Deem said. “We don’t have time to worry about a JV squad. Kids at Beallsville are used to playing as freshmen.

In regards to preparation, having a roster of only 13 or 14 players does present challenges.

“We obviously cannot have a full scrimmage, so we do a lot of half line work,” Deem said. “But the positive is that our players get much more individual attention and more reps.”

The lifespan of Beallsville High School is a year-to-year proposition. It took a Monroe County judge’s ruling to keep the high school open this academic year.

Should Beallsville High remain open next year, the roster should experience some growth. The Blue Devils feature six seniors this season, while 16 gridders compose the Blue’s junior high team.

BUBBA’S BITS

IT TOOK all of one game for the luster to come off the Penn State-Ohio State game on Oct. 17. The general belief was that the Nittany Lions would roll into Columbus at 6-0, as all of their six contests are being played in the state of Pennsylvania. The hopes for a Big Ten “meetin’ of the unbeatens” ended when Penn State was manhandled by Temple, despite taking a 10-0 lead. When you lose to Temple, there is no telling how many losses the Nittany Lions may have by week 7.

SPEAKING OF Ohio State, the Buckeyes are as good as advertised. They have firepower off the charts. Not many teams in college football annals ever boasted three Heisman Trophy candidates in the same season. OSU does in Braxton Miller, Ezekiel Elliott and whomever starts at QB. The Buckeyes will cruise through nine more outmanned foes until being tested by Michigan State on Nov. 21

LINSLY SCHOOL raised many an eyebrow Friday night when it defeated Martins Ferry at the Dave Bruney Football Complex. After seeing the Cadets, many more wins will be coming their way this season. They have playmakers – Matthew Hurley topping the charts – to go with size and a transfer QB who entered Linsly late in the summer. It didn’t help the Purple Riders’ cause that four of their mainstays were nursing injuries.

THE NFL kicks off tonight at Foxboro. The Pittsburgh Steelers have the unenviable task of facing New England, fresh off Tom Brady’s win in “Deflate-Gate.” There is no way Brady loses this game, regardless of how much air is in the football.

THE KEY prep game this weekend is a backyard brawl between Monroe Central and River. The county rivals are both off to fine 2-0 starts. The winner of Friday night’s encounter puts itself in position for a banner season.

I CANNOT believe the highly anticipated matchup between Wheeling Park and Bridgeport (W.V.) was not completed. I appreciate the weather issues Friday night. However, the game should have resumed Saturday or Monday. The contest was a matchup of two powers with obvious playoff seedings down the road. Travel is not an issue. I remember several years ago, when Mark Bonar and his St. Clairsville Red Devils were victims of a weather-halted game at Lisbon Beaver on a Friday night. The Red Devils trekked the long way home before returning the following afternoon to prevail. The Wheeling Park and Bridgeport players and fans were shortchanged.

Kapral may be reached at bkapral@timesleaderonline.com