{"id":8547,"date":"2026-09-06T09:07:20","date_gmt":"2026-09-06T09:07:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8547"},"modified":"2026-09-06T09:07:20","modified_gmt":"2026-09-06T09:07:20","slug":"bellarmine-takes-big-step-by-holding-off-campolindo-for-an-impressive-17-16-victory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8547","title":{"rendered":"Bellarmine takes big step by holding off Campolindo for an impressive 17-16 victory"},"content":{"rendered":"
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SAN JOSE \u2013 Wherever they are, Bellarmine Bells can hold their heads a little higher, puff their chests a little further, and walk a little taller.<\/p>\n

Read more Saturday Night Five: LSU\u2019s pause with pros, Boise State stands tall, Michigan\u2019s miracle and wipeouts galore<\/a><\/p>\n

Winning will do that, especially at a school with a proud football tradition.<\/p>\n

So why does the Bells\u2019 17-16 victory over Campolindo on Saturday seem like it makes such a difference? Because the Bells went 0-10 two years ago and were rarely competitive during last year\u2019s 2-8 season. But on Saturday, they beat a strong team. The result said more about the progress of Bellarmine football than any other over the past three seasons.<\/p>\n

Now 2-0 under first-year coach Tom Williams, Bellarmine broke a 10-all tie in the third quarter and then watched as Campo missed an extra-point attempt with 4:01 left to hold on for the victory.<\/p>\n

After going a combined 4-26 over the past three seasons, the administration, coaches and players finally seem aligned. The Bells are officially good again, relatively speaking. The West Catholic Athletic League will be an even stronger test, but don\u2019t yuck their yum.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe raised our level,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI think maybe there\u2019s a belief that didn\u2019t exist before. I know this: I like our team, I like our attitude, and I like where we\u2019re at.\u201d<\/p>\n

Campo (0-2), coming off a disappointing performance in a loss to Granada, rode the exquisite playmaking of quarterback Cayden Mulliken, who completed 16 of 27 passes for 255 yards and a touchdown.<\/p>\n

Mulliken has a quick release and throws a tight spiral with great timing. And it helped to have receivers such as Ryan Erickson, who had five catches for 107 yards, and intercepted a pass. He, Rai Marchetti and Frankie Polichio all showed great hands, strong route running, and a great connection with Mulliken.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

But after Mulliken\u2019s 45-yard strike to Erickson gave Campo a 10-7 second-quarter lead, Bellarmine cranked up the pressure and a weary undersized offensive line was no longer able to give him time.<\/p>\n

Read more Dear Abby: The bride\u2019s request put me in an uncomfortable position<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t have a chance to really breathe,\u201d Campo coach Kevin Macy said. \u201cFor the balls he got out and gave our receivers a chance, he had an impressive night.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the first half, Bellarmine senior Jaeden Harris got behind the defense and let an easy touchdown pass slip through his fingers. After that, he seemed even more determined and it paid off when got open in the back of the end zone during a scramble drill and scored the go-ahead touchdown on a pass from Kaden Hill for a 17-10 third-quarter lead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was livid after dropping such an easy pass like that,\u201d Harris said. \u201cBut as a receiver, you learn you\u2019ve got to move on to the next play. Coach Williams says that every single day: \u2018next play.\u2019 I was down about it, but then I was like, \u2018I\u2019ve got to make something happen.\u2019 I ended up making something happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

Campo\u2019s James Desyatnik recovered a gift fumble deep in Bellarmine territory off a bad snap, but the Cougars got stuck at the 3 and tried a field goal, which was wide. They\u00a0 were given one more chance, thanks to a poor Bells punt midway through the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

With renewed energy, Campo found the end zone. Colton Willis closed the 55-yard drive with a 4-yard run off left tackle with 4:01 left to draw Campo within a point, only for the extra-point try to sail wide.<\/p>\n

Bellarmine handed the ball off six consecutive times to Justin Donahue, who completed an 18-carry, 169-yard night by running out the clock by himself.<\/p>\n

Pride matters.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re very proud to be Bells,\u201d Williams said. \u201cTheir excitement fuels my passion for doing this. I\u2019m just excited to see how far we could go.\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Danville: An ideal day trip for foodies, history buffs and Mount Diablo fans<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After going 2-18 over the past two seasons, the Bells are now 2-0 under first-year head coach Tom Williams following Saturday’s win.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8546,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8547","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\nBellarmine takes big step by holding off Campolindo for an impressive 17-16 victory - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=8547\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bellarmine takes big step by holding off Campolindo for an impressive 17-16 victory - 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