Bald Eagle Area and Philipsburg-Osceola both braved the terrible weather on Oct. 14 and came away with LHAC wins against teams in Johnstown.
But two of the three local teams that played on Oct. 13 — Bellefonte and State College — did not fare very well and came up short to league teams, while Penns Valley toughed out an important win at Somerset that improved its playoff standing.
Everyone is now entering week 9 of the regular season, with the final week LHAC matchup and playoffs looming.
Here is a look at this week’s games:
Bald Eagle Area (7-1) at Bellwood-Antis (1-7)
Friday, Oct. 20
Carson Nagle threw for 315 yards and four touchdowns, and Camron Dubbs ran for 128 yards and another three touchdowns as the Bald Eagle Area Eagles ran away from Greater Johnstown, 59-30.
BEA in all racked up just under 500 yards on the night in offense and at one point held a 28-6 first-half lead.
Johnstown did keep playing and closed to within 35-18 in the second quarter, but the Eagles kept on the gas in the second half and swept to their seventh victory of the season against just one loss.
Next up for BEA will be a trip to 1-7 Bellwood-Antis on Oct. 20 in another Laurel Highlands Conference game.
B-A came through with its first win at Philipsburg-Osceola on Sept. 29 with a 20-7 win over the Mounties, but since then the Devils have fallen to Bishop Guilfoyle, 27-13, and Penn Cambria, 30-18.
Quarterback Holden Schreier and freshman running back Alex McCartney (two touchdowns against PC) are offensive threats, but Bellwood gives up close to 30 points per game, which has been a challenge each wek.
This week the Devils will have one of the LHAC’s best offenses to contend with in BEA, and everything will depend on their ability to at least somewhat slow down the Eagles.
Does not look like a good bet.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 in Bellwood.
Penns Valley (5-3) at Tyrone (5-3)
Friday, Oct. 20
The Rams solidified their hold on the No. 7 District 6, AA playoff ranking with a 35-21 come-from-behind victory over Somerset on Oct. 13 at Somerset.
Penns Valley trailed, 21-14, heading into the fourth quarter and ignited for three touchdowns in the final 12 minutes to take its fifth win of the season against three losses.
Ty Watson scored a 4-yard touchdown just before halftime to bring the Rams to within a touchdown going into the second half, and then quarterback Jackson Romig tied the game with a 22-yard run at the start of the fourth quarter.
From there, it was all Rams.
They scored the go-ahead touchdown on another Watson run, and then Jarrett Stover recovered a fumble in the endzone for a touchdown that put the game out of reach with just two minutes to play.
Romig finished with 17 of 22 completions for 221 yards and a touchdown, and Watson ran for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
The win was No. 5 for PV, with old Mountain League rival Tyrone on deck on Oct. 20 in Tyrone.
Tyrone is also 5-3, with wins over Johnstown, Bellwood, Bishop Guilfoyle (by 1 point), Huntingdon and Central Cambria last week by a score of 35-12.
Junior quarterback Ashton Walk has 82 completions for 1,402 yards and 13 touchdowns, while senior running back Brady Ronan has gained 762 yards with 12 touchdowns.
Tyrone is also especially tough at home and has not lost a game there yet this season.
The Golden Eagles are also vying for a playoff position and are presently ranked No. 4 in the D6, AAA bracket, just ahead of Somerset.
This shapes up as one of the week’s most significant games, with both teams evenly matched and heavily motivated.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Tyrone on Oct. 20.
State College (5-2) at Cumberland Valley (4-4)
Friday, Oct. 20
They met twice last season and they may again this year, but for now, the Harrisburg Cougars have gotten the best of State College.
On Oct. 13 in State College, the Cougars defense had a 20-point first half and rode that out to a 20-0 shutout of the explosive Little Lions.
Harrisburg’s Elias Coke caught six passes for 157 yards and a touchdown for the Cougars, and defensive back Quincy Brannon intercepted two passes as the Cougars held SC to less than 200 yards of offense in their seventh win of the season, with just one loss.
The Lions will now travel to 4-4 Cumberland Valley on Oct. 20 and try to get back into the win column.
CV has wins over CD East, Chambersburg and CD after starting the season 0-3.
The only loss in that stretch was to Harrisburg, 42-7, on Sept. 22.
SC outscores the Eagles by an average of 18 points per game, but after being unable to move against Harrisburg, the Lions will have to be back on their game in this one.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Mechanicsburg.
Philipsburg-Osceola (3-5) at Bishop Guilfoyle (4-4)
Saturday, Oct. 21
Philipsburg-Osceola stayed with its running game in Johnstown on Oct. 14 and ground out a 25-14 victory over Westmont Hilltop in a Laurel Highlands Conference game.
P-O ran for 290 yards and three touchdowns in the game, led by Jakodi Jones with 119 yards, Colton Chapman with 89 and Sam McDonald with 86.
The three each scored a touchdown as P-O held on for its third win of the season against five losses.
Quarterback Zack Meyers did complete four passes for 67 yards, mostly to Lucas Peterson and McDonald, but the Mounties ran the ball when it counted.
This week, P-O takes on 4-4 Bishop Guilfoyle in Altoona on Oct. 21.
Guilfoyle has wins over Bishop McCort, Bellefonte, Huntingdon and Bellwood-Antis.
Last week, the Marauders lost in a shootout to Chestnut Ridge, 50-43.
BG has a statistical edge over the Mounties in scoring and yardage. The Marauders score over 33 points per game and gain 331 total yards. P-O scores just over 18 points and gains 235, with 152 coming on the ground.
Even so, with the improving P-O offense, especially on the ground, the Mounties will be in this one and be looking to up their playoff standing.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Altoona on Oct. 21.
Bellefonte (0-8) at Huntingdon (1-7)
Friday, Oct. 20
Bishop McCort built a 24-0 lead over Bellefonte on Oct. 13 and kept going for a 33-14 victory over the Raiders.
Bellefonte did score two second-half touchdowns in the game, but it was too late for a rally, and the Raiders took their eighth loss without a win.
This week, the Raiders will again have a fighting chance for win No. 1 when they take on Huntingdon at Huntingdon on Friday, Oct. 20.
Huntingdon is 1-7 so far, with its only win coming in a 41-16 runaway over Bellwood-Antis on Sept. 8.
Otherwise, the Bearcats have not been able to break through, even though there have been some close losses.
For Bellefonte, this will represent another go against a team that can be taken, but Huntingdon has shown some improving offensive abilities.
This should be close, and the Raiders could come out on top.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. on Oct. 20 in Huntingdon.
