High School Teams Look to Keep Pace in Week 9

Centre County high school football teams were 3-3 in Week 8 of the 2017 season, but those three wins came against 5-1 Central Dauphin East, Central Martinsburg and Clearfield. 

To say the least, that’s not the usual list of vanquished teams.

State College kept pace in the ultra-competitive Mid-Penn Commonwealth Conference with a win over East, and will have a chance to move up with a victory this week at Harrisburg.

Bellefonte can’t still be surprising anyone at this point in the season, least of all perennial contender Central. Nevertheless, the Raiders went into Martinsburg and scored 49 in their first win against the Dragons since 2010.

And, BEA, stuck in a four-game losing streak, came away with a 25-22 win over Clearfield on some late (and early) heroics by quarterback Derek Henry.

Let’s hope the celebrations didn’t last too long, because across the board this week’s foes will be just as daunting, if not more so.

Here’s the lineup:

State College (6-1) at Harrisburg (7-0)
Saturday, Oct. 21

Going into last week’s games, the premier matchup in the Mid-Penn Conference looked to be the showdown between conference unbeatens Harrisburg and Central Dauphin.

It was, too, until Harrisburg scored 27 points in the second quarter and took a whopping 40-0 lead going into the locker rooms for halftime.

Harrisburg has elite athletes all over the field. There’s quarterback Yahmir Wilkerson (16 for 18, 234 yards, two touchdowns), former (and possibly future) Penn State recruit Micah Parsons (11 runs, 52 yards, two touchdowns) and current Penn State recruit Shaquon Anderson-Butts (five catches, 71 yards), to name just three.

The Cougars opened the game with two quick touchdowns to take a 13-0 lead and then capitalized on two CD turnovers to pile on another 27 in the second quarter. Parsons made it 48-0 with a 12-yard run midway through the third quarter, and from there it was a matter of playing out the clock for HHS to notch its seventh win without a loss.

In the past two weeks alone, Harrisburg scored a jaw-dropping 130 points and gave up just 12.

State College had a very good week, as well. The Little Lions were regrouping after giving up 46 points and their flawless record at Cumberland Valley on Oct. 6, and they were doing it with a 34-14 win against a solid CD East team.

SC went ahead after running touchdowns by Cohen Russell (8 yards) and Trystan Lyons (17 yards), but East crept back when Mike Jones scored on a 9-yard run with just over a minute to play in the second quarter.

But SC’s Isaiah Edwards returned the second-half kickoff 81 yards to the CDE 13, and two plays later, Lyons went in and made it 21-7. Lyons went on to score again in the quarter on a 23-yard run, and then Russell put it away with a 90-yard fumble return as the third quarter came to a close.

Lyons finished the day with 151 yards and the two touchdowns on 11 carries, and Russell chipped in 57 yards on three carries.

There is no question that for the Little Lions to keep up with Harrisburg their defense will have to show up. It is a fact that CD East ran for 350 yards and ran up 430 yards total, but SC was able to keep the Panthers out of the end zone for the most part. More of that will be needed in this one.

Kickoff for the Saturday game will be at 1 p.m. in Harrisburg.

Bellefonte (7-1) at Chestnut Ridge (7-1)
Friday, Oct. 20

Dylan Deitrich had (another) monster day, Bellefonte ran the ball for 320 yards and had over 500 overall, and the Raiders did not turn the ball over in their first win over Central since 2010.

But, in reality, it was the Raider defense, as much as anything, that led to this breakthrough win.

After scoring on a 20-yard pass from Deitrich to Cade Fortney in the final minute of the first half, Bellefonte shut out the Central offense in the second half. The Dragons’ only score came on a 78-yard kickoff return by Trystan Detwiler, but otherwise Central did not get close to a score.

Detwiler, meanwhile, ran for 145 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but he was held to just 1 yard after halftime.

On the other hand, Bellefonte scored first in the third quarter and then put up three more in the fourth quarter to complete the rout.

Deitrich ran the ball 22 times for 260 yards and two touchdowns from his quarterback spot and added another 180 yards and two touchdowns passing.

Bellefonte’s final score, fittingly, came after a blocked punt was recovered in the end zone with under three minutes to play in the game.

As the Raiders prepare to travel to Chestnut Ridge on Friday, Oct. 20, they should keep this score in mind: 42-2. That was the final score by which Chestnut Ridge took out Central three weeks ago when they met in Martinsburg on Sept. 29.

That game was closer than the score indicated, but Central had turnover problems and things quickly got out of hand early in the second half. Still, the Lion defense did not allow a score in the game.

Chestnut Ridge averages more than 345 yards per game in offense, 207 rushing and, like Bellefonte, goes as its do-everything quarterback goes.

Senior Logan Hauk leads the team in passing and rushing and is a threat to score one way or the other every time he touches the ball.

So far, Hauk has completed 64 of 100 passes for 950 yards and nine touchdowns, an average of 140 yards per game. On the ground, he’s run 65 times for 666 yards and 13 touchdowns. His partner in the backfield, senior Nate Dillow, is also a threat with 460 yards and six touchdowns for the season.

Four receivers, led by senior Justin McCoy, have combined for 50 catches, 960 yards and seven scores.

Defensively, the Lions are tough against the run and have an aggressive defensive backfield that has intercepted 12 passes.

It can be said that Chestnut Ridge doesn’t play the treacherous schedule that faces Bellefonte — the Lions do not play Huntingdon or Clearfield — but this is a dangerous and so far very successful team, especially on offense. The Raider defenders will be asked to show up again.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Jersey Shore (5-3) at Bald Eagle Area (4-4)
Friday, Oct. 20

What to make of BEA?

The Bald Eagles began the season with three wins, hit some very low points in a subsequent four-game losing streak, and then stunned Clearfield, 25-22, at Clearfield on Oct. 13 to even their record at 4-4.

Against the Bison, BEA fell behind twice in the first half before taking control with three consecutive second-half touchdowns — two by Gage McClenahan — to forge a 25-14 lead with just over three minutes to play.

Clearfield drew close with a late touchdown at the 1:41 mark, but the Eagles were able to ride out the clock for the win.
Now, BEA will go outside of the Mountain League for a showdown with Jersey Shore on Friday, Oct. 20, in Wingate.

The last time we saw Jersey Shore was Aug. 25 in Bellefonte when the Raiders held on for a 17-14 win that jumpstarted their season.
Since then, the Bulldogs are 5-2 with wins over Mifflinburg (38-0), Troy (48-7), Lewisburg (45-6), Montoursville (29-13) and Shamokin (32-0). The losses came against two very tough teams — Selinsgrove (25-6) and Shikellamy (32-21).

Jersey Shore is a balanced team that runs the ball (191 ypg) and passes it (162 ypg) almost equally as well. Senior Elijah Shemory runs things and has completed 74 of 167 passes for 1,140 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Junior running back Kyle Tombs, 6-foot-0, 195 pounds, is big and explosive. He’s carried 194 times for 1,120 yards and 10 touchdowns so far, and he is a perfect compliment for Shemory’s passing.

Senior Hunter Franz (593 yards, six touchdowns) and junior Coby Peacock (289 yards, three touchdowns) are the leading receivers.
Defensively, Jersey Shore gives up just 12 points per game and has held four teams to fewer than 10.

It’s not known whether BEA will again go with third-option Derek Henry at quarterback. Henry had a prolific day against Clearfield when he stepped in for Jaden and Jordan Jones, completing six of eight passes for 96 yards and a score and running for 111 yards and another score.   

At the very least, Henry has stabilized the position and given a spark to McClenahan and the rest of the offense.

BEA has a shot at .500, or better, at season’s end and this has become an important game.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

Clearfield (4-4) at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-7)
Friday, Oct. 20

Chalk it up to just bad luck, but Philipsburg-Osceola this season has run into more than its share of good teams on the rebound from subpar performances.

It will happen again Friday when Clearfield comes to Philipsburg for the renewal of this long-time, cross-county rivalry.
Clearfield was upset Oct. 13 by Bald Eagle, and the Bison were not happy with the turnovers and missed opportunities that led to their fourth loss of the season.

Clearfield outgained BEA by 140 yards (465-325), but three turnovers, including a pick-6 by Gage McClenahan, turned the tide of the game against it.

Junior quarterback Isaac Rummery leads the Bison with 124 completions in 194 attempts for 2,043 yards and 24 touchdowns. He averages 255 yards passing and three touchdowns per game and has junior Ty Bender (598 yards, two touchdowns) in the backfield with him.

Senior Micah Heichel is the leading receiver with 33 catches for 630 yards and eight touchdowns, but there are also five other receivers with triple-digit yards and receptions on the roster.

For Philipsburg, after its big Oct. 13 loss to Huntingdon, the emphasis will likely be on the running game. Quarterback Bubba Slogosky has been playing well — he had 215 yards against Huntingdon — but the Mounties managed less than 10 net yards rushing.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m in Philipsburg.

Penns Valley (2-6) at Tyrone (2-6)
Friday, Oct. 20

Tyrone stepped out of its enrollment class Oct. 13 and paid a price for it. The Golden Eagles traveled to Hollidaysburg and were trounced, 38-7, at Tiger Stadium.

Tyrone was behind just 14-7 at halftime, but Hollidaysburg regrouped at halftime and went on a 24-0 second-half tear to win the game going away.

The loss was Tyrone’s third in its last four games with the only win in that stretch coming against BEA (27-19) on Sept. 29.

It has been a down year for Tyrone, but senior running back Brandon Loose (738 yards, nine touchdowns) and quarterbacks Parker Mitchell and Denver Light are offensive threats that have to be accounted for.

The Rams again started strong against 7-1 Chestnut Ridge but could not sustain it in a 42-14 loss. The turning point came on a 47-yard pick-6 that allowed the Lions to take a 28-6 lead into the locker rooms at halftime.

If the Rams can sustain their intensity — and avoid errors — this game could go deep into the fourth quarter and be decided in the final minutes.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Tyrone.

St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy (0-6) at Nativity BVM (5-3)
Friday, Oct. 20

SJCA will travel to Pottsville for a game with 5-3 Nativity BVM on Friday, Oct. 20.

Nativity’s five wins include Hamburg (14-7), Columbia Mountour Vo-Tech (35-14), Kutztown (40-8), Springfield (MontCo) (38-22) and Upper Dauphin (28-22). The team’s last loss, 38-35 to Perkiomen, came Sept. 29. The other losses were to Jenkintown (20-18) and Mahonoy Area (30-22).

Nativity can score points, against what is a challenging schedule, and SJCA will have to be on its toes on defense. At 0-6, the Wolves are looking to finally break out, but taking on Nativity, away, is a daunting challenge.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.