St. Joe’s-Bald Eagle Highlights Week One of High School Football

If it seems like this year’s high school football games are starting early, it’s because they are.

The PIAA moved the fall sports’ calendar up one week beginning this season, a move aimed at improving many aspects of the sports, including the timing of the playoffs.

No one is complaining very much, however, especially those who can’t wait for the beginning of the football season.

So for them, and everyone else, here is a look ahead at the first day of action Friday, Aug. 26, for the five county football teams playing this week (State College Area opens the season Sept. 2 at J.P. McCaskey in Lancaster):

■ St. Joseph’s Catholic Academy at Bald Eagle Area

St. Joseph’s new head coach, Steve Guthoff, said this game was a David-and-Goliath matchup, and on paper it looks like it might be.

Yet both teams are coming off tough seasons — they won just a total of three games in 2015 — both have new head coaches and staffs, and both are looking to turn their fortunes around in the new season.

For St. Joe’s, that task seems a bit more uphill than for BEA. The Wolves lost five starting seniors from last year, and with a team (and school) as small as they are, all of those players played both offense and defense.

Junior Brendan Robinson looks like he will take over at quarterback, but at this early point in the season, most of the other positions on both sides of the ball are still up for grabs.

New BEA head coach Jesse Nagle is making no secret of the fact that the Eagles are going to open it up on offense this season and spread out its opponents.

The Eagles do have the skill players returning to pull it off, especially in returning quarterback and leading rusher Tyler Kresovich. Kresovich will have returning running back Hunter Hockenberry with him in the backfield along with three young wide receivers.

Nagle says that his offensive and defensive lines have been solid, if somewhat inexperienced, and that could be the difference in this game. St. Joe’s will have to somehow contend with the BEA big guys if the Wolves are to stay competitive.

Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

■ Jersey Shore at Bellefonte

It took everything the 9-3 Bulldogs had to get past Bellefonte in last season’s opener by the score of 14-6.

It was one of three very close losses for the rebuilding 2015 Red Raiders, and they will get another shot at Jersey Shore when it comes to visit for the second year in a row.

This Jersey Shore team, however, will be much different than the one that came into town last year. Gone are the starting quarterback and three of the top four running backs from a team that averaged almost 400 yards per game in offense.

And one of those backs was Levi Lorson, who ran the ball 374 times for an incredible 2,276 yards and 24 touchdowns in 2015.

Quarterback Travis Bradley added another 120 yards per game through the air for the ‘Dogs, and he graduated as well.

Junior Elijah Shemory, last season’s backup, will have the inside shot at replacing Bradley, while three running backs with some experience are returning.

For Bellefonte, 3-7 last season, this game could be a quick barometer of how far the Raiders have progressed since last season’s game. But the Raiders also lost their top runner, Austin Jackson, and quarterback, Mark Armstrong, although there are “healthy” competitions going on to replace both players, according to fourth-year head coach Shannon Manning.

In both Jersey Shore games over the last two seasons, Bellefonte was in a position to win late into the game, but the Bulldogs came back to win late each time.

The Raiders will be looking to end that trend on Friday.

Game time is 7 p.m.

■ Penns Valley at Marian Catholic

The Penns Valley Rams certainly haven’t taken the easy way out with their first contest of 2016.

Not only is Marian Catholic, in Tamaqua, more than a 2-1/2-hour drive, but it is the defending District 11 Single-A champion and state-tournament qualifier.

MC also returns its starting quarterback and two of its top four running backs from an 8-5 team and an offense that averaged 370 yards per game and scored 50 touchdowns.

Senior quarterback Ethan Kuczynski returns with impressive credentials. He completed 84 of 139 passes last season for 1,211 yards and 13 touchdowns. Kuczynski’s top two receivers graduated, but there still are five returning with at least some experience.

Michael Neary (228 yards) and Kuczynski (450 yards) are the top returning runners from a team that ran for over 2500 yards last year.

Penns Valley is in a similar situation, with its starting quarterback, Andrew Tobias, returning, but also with many holes to fill because of graduation.

PV head coach Martin Tobias said that the Rams’ linemen are the most experience line group he has coached, so Andrew Tobias and his offense should have some solid footing.

Marian Catholic lost only to the big boys in their region last year — North Schuylkill, Lehighton, Blue Mountain, Tamaqua — and will present formidable problems for PV on opening night.

Yet the Rams’ upfront people and Andrew Tobias’ experience could make this one very competitive.

■ West Branch at Philipsburg-Osceola

This is a series between close neighbors that just recently revived after a long layoff, and it became a marquee game again for both teams very quickly.

Last season, West Branch took control of the game early, and then held on against a toughening Mountie team for a 21-10 victory.

This year’s contest at P-O finds the Mountie program in flux again. There is a new coach, Mike Mann, a new staff and a new system.

There is also a new attitude and resolve to turn around the fortunes of a program that has won just once since 2013.

Mann, a 1987 PO grad, said that PO will be going back to basics.

“Right now, we are going back to fundamental football,” he said. “We have to block and run. We are going to run a power-slot offense, and we are going to run the ball first. And then we’ll work on the pass and on defense. Just straight-up tackling. Just fundamental football, and that’s what we are going to work on.”

West Branch is coming off a 4-6 season, and the Warriors return their biggest offensive threat from 2015 — running back Creighton Coble. Coble ran for 1,324 yards last season and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for more than 150 yards in all of his final five games, and he almost reached 200 against Northern Bedford (198) and Juniata Valley (190).

Sophomore Kyle Myers handled most of the quarterback chores last year for the Warriors, and two of his top five receivers return as well.

Most of Philipsburg’s problems showed up last season on defense. The Mounties were hard pressed to keep opponents under 40 points, and West Branch’s experienced skill people will severely test P-O’s new defenders.

The Mounties will need to keep West Branch at or under the 21 it put up last season. If they can do that, anything can happen in this game.