Athlete of the Week: Alex McCartney

By: Lindsay Campbell  |  August 29, 2025

The BluePrint’s first Athlete of the Week this year is Alex McCartney.

Alex is a junior running back and linebacker for the Bellwood-Antis football team. Last summer, McCartney suffered an ACL injury after having such a promising pre-season.

When asked about that experience and what it has taught him, he said, “It taught me who I am outside of sports.”

Standing on the sideline last year and watching his fellow teammates playing made him hungry to rehab his body into the best shape possible. After many grueling months, he was cleared to play sports in March of 2025.

Last Friday was the first football game of the season against the Clearfield Bisons. Alex ran for 115 yards, 28 carries and 3 touchdowns that night.

He was also the deciding factor in the fourth quarter of the game. It was tied 21-21 late. However, McCartney ran the ball in the endzone with 31.6 seconds to go in the game to help the team defeat Clearfield 28-21. That was his third touchdown of the night.

“It was pretty nice. I liked going out there and winning with my team,” McCartney said.

As a freshman, McCartney ran for 1,162 yards and 12 touchdowns on 215 carries. He is already on track to tying and/or beating those numbers.

According to Coach Nick Lovrich, McCartney has also become a leader for this team, stepping up and making big plays when it matters most.

“It is great to see Alex back and playing. He has been one of the core guys in our offseason workouts who have really bought in to how important the offseason is for the regular season,” Coach Lovrich said. “He made an impact on both sides of the ball against Clearfield that helped us win the game. It is great to see all of the hard work he has done start to pay off.”

McCartney and the Bellwood-Antis football team host the Bishop McCort Crushers on Friday, August 29 for their first home game of the season.