Photo/KRISTIN MAZGAJ BELLAIRE QB Jake Heatherington looks to make a move on a Garaway defender during a game earlier this season at Nelson Field. The Big Reds will open Division VI, Region 23 playoffs Saturday, at home, against Galion Northmor.

Saying the Bellaire Big Reds are battle tested as they enter the Division VI, Region 23 playoffs might not be giving their schedule enough credit.

Bellaire finished the regular season with a convincing 39-8 win over rival Martins Ferry last week, capping a 6-4 season. However, those six wins were enough to springboard the Big Reds into the third seed and a date with 14th-seeded Galion Northmor Saturday afternoon at 1:30 at Nelson Field.

“We’ve played a lot of really good teams this season,” Bellaire head coach Mark Bonar said. “I still think we’re getting better and I feel really good about our guys and how they’re playing.”

Taking a deeper dive into the Big Reds’ schedule shows a slate in which only two teams didn’t qualify for their respective state’s playoff. On top of that, the Bellaire losses came to clubs with a combined 34-4 record.

“I love playing good teams, but I like beating them better,” Bonar said. “We played some really good teams (Garaway and Wheeling Central) down to the wire, and I think we just ran out of gas. St. Clairsville kind of pounded us, but we hung in for a while and Fort Frye is a really good team and that was probably the worst game I’ve ever coached in my life.”

Bellaire is now preparing for an unknown opponent as Northmor gets set to make the nearly three-hour trip to Belmont County with a 5-5 record.The Golden Knights have lost three in a row and five of six.

“We’ve been trying to find out as much about them as we can,” Bonar said. “We know they’re formidable and they like to throw the ball down the field. From the films we’ve watched, it looks like they had some games where they out-played their opponent, but lost. They’re in every game and just didn’t finish some.”

Northmor was the beneficiary of the return of running back Maxton Lowe last week in its loss to Loudonville. Lowe, who missed a handful of games with injury, rushed 20 times for 100 yards last week.

A.J. Bower leads the Knights’ offensive attack with better than 1,900 yards passing. Hunter Fulk is the leading target with 40 catches for 547 yards.

“They have a nice running back, they’re big up front and the receivers will go get it,” Bonar said. “Some of their losses are tough to understand because of how well they’ve played.”

Bellaire, meanwhile, comes into the postseason as winners of five of six. Getting healthy and being better against the run have been two of the keys in the mid-season turnaround.

“We’re getting better and we’re finding our niches so to speak,” Bonar said. “We’re just continuing to try to get our guys in the right spots because we can be hard to match up up with in some areas. Our goal is to make sure we get some mismatches.”

Senior quarterback Jake Heatherington leads the way for the Big Reds. A four-year starter, Heatherington has completed 105 of 199 passes for 1,401 yards and 15 touchdowns.

On the ground, senior Brayden Roth is the primary ball carrier. He’s gained 746 yards and scored eight touchdowns on 145 carries.

When Heatherington throws, senior speedster Ray Ray Pettigrew is the top target. He’s caught 35 passes for 535 yards and seven touchdowns. Jakob Dowling, Terrin Frazier and Logan Edgar all have double-digit receptions.

The winner of Worthington Christian and Mt. Gilead, which will play in Worthington tonight at 7.