B-A senior making history as program’s top receiver
EDITOR’S NOTE: The name of the website is Orange and Black, so it might seem strange to see a story about a Bellwood-Antis player, but Blue Devil tight end Ethan Shawley actually has roots in Tyrone. His father, Jim Bob, was an outstanding lineman for the Golden Eagles 30 years ago when Tyrone was making its first state championship runs under John Franco. More recently, his uncle Terry McCaulley has been the team’s unofficial photographer, providing free game photos for the community, for 15 years. Shawley recently became B-A’s all-time leading receiver, and he’s on the verge of hitting a career milestone no one in school history has ever reached.
The lists of the top offensive performers at Bellwood-Antis are distinct as much for the caliber of athletes they include as the records they produced.
Among the thousand-yard rushers are guys like Josh Kleinfelter and Chris McCartney, legendary players who redefined what it meant to be a running back at a school known for its incredible tailbacks.
The top passers include players like Jarrett Taneyhill, the program’s only 3,000-yard passer, and Todd Hirt, who guided the Devils to their first appearance in the PIAA semifinals in 1988.
But what makes the list Ethan Shawley is about to join special isn’t the names that are on it but the names that aren’t. The senior tight end, who has started for B-A for the last three seasons, is only a few yards away from making his own list, one that will include no one but himself.
With just 40 more receiving yards, Shawley will become the first receiver in the history of the program to reach 1,000 yards for his career. That’s hard to imagine for a program that’s more than 100 years old, but based on the ethos of the program, Coach Nick Lovrich said it makes sense.
“Bellwood has traditionally been a tailback-oriented offense, so the running game has always been the focal point,” Lovrich said. “We have had years where we can both run and pass, but a lot of times the pass has been spread out because of the play action pass. But B-A is known as a running team, so it is not really a surprise.”
Shawley became the program’s top career receiver two weeks ago when he surpassed Brendan Kowalski, who had 928 receiving yards from 2014-2016. Following B-A’s 35-6 win over Chestnut Ridge in Week 8, he’s now got 950 yards on 47 career receptions.
While receivers like Kowalski made their mark with with huge individual seasons, consistency has gotten Shawley to the precipice of B-A sports history. As a sophomore starter, Shawley had 17 catches for 426 yards, and he followed that up last season with 15 receptions for 326 yards.
This year, Shawley has made 15 catches for 191 yards.
“It’s pretty cool, and I’m lucky to have gotten the opportunities I’ve gotten,” Shawley said. “I never thought I would have the chance to set records as a receiver.”
We have had a lot of tight ends who had some great skills, but Ethan has that combination of size, speed, athleticism, and catching ability that not many have had.
B-A coach Nick Lovrich
For his career, Shawley is averaging nearly 21 yards per reception, which is unique for a tight end, as are his three career 100-yard games. Lovrich views Shawley, who goes 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds, as a “special” player because not only is he a top-notch blocker but a receiver with sprinter’s speed, giving him the ability to take short gains and turn them into something much bigger.
“Some of those plays were 5- to10-yard passes that he turned into big plays.” Lovrich said. “We have had a lot of tight ends who had some great skills, but Ethan has that combination of size, speed, athleticism, and catching ability that not many have had.”
In his three seasons starting for the Blue Devils, Shawley has caught passes from three different quarterbacks – Holden Schreier as a sophomore; Brendan McNelis and Bradyn Partner as a junior and senior – and he said all of them played a role in getting him to where he is now.
“They all did their job to the best of their ability, and I was able to take advantage of the opportunities I got,” he said.
As a defender, Shawley is just as dangerous. He’s got more than 100 career tackles at defensive end, 26 of which have occurred behind the line of scrimmage.
Shawley is a part of a senior class Blue Devil fans and coaches have anticipated for quite some time. It also includes linemen Bryson Hescox and Thad Norton, along with receivers Jeffrey Waite, Jackson Dorminy, and Curtis Shedlock, and backs Alex McCartney, Chase Plummer, and Partner.
Plummer and McCartney are both all-LHAC performers. McCartney himself is set to make history, as well, this season, as he enters Week 9 fewer than 100 shy of becoming the school’s second three-time thousand-yard rusher.
Their freshman season in 2023 was B-A’s first as a member of the Laurel Highlands, and while the time has been marked by several key injuries that derailed B-A’s plans for a while, they’ve gotten the program to a level of consistency in one of Pennsylvania’s top conferences that many questioned they could achieve when the Devils moved out of the ICC in 2022.
B-A is currently 6-2 and ranked third in District 6 2A, and a strong finish would guarantee them at least one home playoff game.
“Ethan and his fellow seniors are making a great mark on our program,” Lovrich said. “They have helped our program step up to compete in the league, and Ethan has been a big part of that. We are proud of him for what he has accomplished and hope to extend our season with a good playoff run.”
