CENTRE COUNTY — The 2025 District 6 Playoffs began on Oct. 31 resulting in two local teams moving ahead in search of playoff victories.
Bellefonte romped over Greater Johnstown, and State College will take on McDowell in Erie.
Bishop McCort pulled away from Bald Eagle Area to remain undefeated in AA.
No. 2 Bellefonte (5-6) vs No. 1 Juniata
D6 AAAA Final
Friday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
Site TBA
The Bellefonte Raider football team finished its regular season with a back-and-forth victory over Greater Johnstown in the LHAC Crossover Game at home last Friday.
So it seemed to follow that when the Trojans returned to Bellefonte the next week for a first round, District 6 playoff game, the two teams would light up the scoreboard again.
And that did happen, although only on the Bellefonte side as the Raiders cruised to a 34-0 romp over Johnstown.
The Raiders got on the board early with a 68-yard bomb from quarterback Alten Howell to receiver Jackson Long — and didn’t let up from there.
They bolted out to a 17-0 halftime lead and then added two more touchdowns in the second half with a field goal to wrap up their fifth win of the season.
Long had a big game for Bellefonte with four catches for 110 yards and three touchdowns, while Alten Howell was 6-for-10 for 120 yards and the three touchdowns to Long.
Running back Ashten Howell added 85 yards on 11 carries and the other Raider touchdown.
On defense, the Raiders gave up over 300 yards of offense in the Week 10 meeting of the two teams, but Friday it was a totally different story. Bellefonte held the Trojans to just 23 yards on the ground and another 123 through the air, recovered two fumbles and pitched its first shutout of the season.
Bellfonte will now face No. 1 seeded Juniata in the D-6 AAAA final.
Juniata is 6-4 this season with wins over Selinsgrove, James Buchanan, Camp Hill, Susquenita, Newport and Upper Dauphin.
The Upper Dauphin win was in the final week of the season, but Juniata lost in the previous two weeks to Greencastle-Atrim and Halifax.
Statistically, the teams are virtually equal with running back Ty Rowles (40 ypg) and quarterback Jason Condo (78 ypg) leading Juniata.
The Raiders, finally breaking through to the D6 Final, will be hoping that offensive and defensive balance continues for at least another week.
The site has not been announced, but the game will kick off on Friday, Nov. 7.
D6 No. 1 State College at D10 No 1 McDowell
D6-D10 AAAAAA Regional Final
Friday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
Erie McDowell H.S., Erie
The State College Little Lions were the only D-6 AAAAAA team to enter the playoffs, and therefore qualified for the District 6-10 Regional Final to be played this year at the D10 site.
The site will be at Erie McDowell High School on Friday night Nov. 7 against the Trojans, a team that the Lions are very familiar with.
State College completed its 8-2 season on Oct. 24 with a tough loss to Harrisburg’s Bishop McDevitt in Harrisburg.
That loss denied the Lions a chance at the Mid Penn Commonwealth Conference title, but a win over McDowell would qualify them for the PIAA First Round against either the champion of District 2 or District 4 on Nov. 14 or 15.
McDowell is 3-7 this season and will come into the game on a three-game losing streak. The Trojans have wins this year over Erie, Meadville and Cathedral Prep, but since the Prep game they have lost three straight.
McDowell is led by running back Brody Bonsell and quarterback Jalil Thrower who gain over 200 combined yards per game.
SC will counter with a balanced offense led by quarterback Connor Kulka, running back D’Antae Sheffey and top receiver Daimear Coad.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Erie.
Bishop McCort ends Bald Eagle Area’s season.
The Bald Eagle Area football team’s season came to an end on Friday night in Johnstown as undefeated Bishop McCort pulled away from the Eagles in a 39-6 D6 first round victory.
The Eagles played the Crushers tough through the first half and were down by just two scores.
But five turnovers hurt and one of them took away a chance for BEA to pull within a touchdown in the first half.
The Crushers subsequently drove for another score, and from there took control of the game.
Still, BEA gained over 210 yards of offense including 147 through the air and a touchdown.
Gradyn Fisher and Nick McCully combined for 69 yards on the ground, while Fisher completed nine passes for 95 yards and a touchdown Jackson Millward.
Millward finished with three receptions for 61 yards.
McCort got 275, with 130 of them coming from senior Jonathan Delia’s passing and rushing.
Bald Eagle finished its season with a final record of 5-6.
McCort will now go on to the semifinal against No. 5 Marion Center, a 29-22 winner over Cambria Heights on Oct. 31.
