The local Centre County high school football teams are entering the final week of the regular season and looking forward to the District 6 playoffs which are scheduled to begin on Nov. 5 and 6.
One team, Bellefonte, has already finished its season and at 2-7, is ranked No. 2 behind Juniata in 4A. If the Raiders enter the tournament, they will open with either winless No. 3 Johnstown or No. 1 Juniata (7-2).
The other four teams will be playing this week with their final positions to be determined after the results are in.
Here’s a brief look at where everyone stands and this week’s matchups:
BRADFORD (0-9) AT BALD EAGLE AREA (7-2)
OCT. 29, WINGATE
Bald Eagle Area is now 7-2 for the season after running into District 4 power Jersey Shore on Friday night in Wingate.
The undefeated Bulldogs broke open a scoreless game with two touchdowns in the second quarter and then pulled away in the second half for a 48-5 victory.
BEA moved the ball at times — quarterback Carson Nagle threw for 116 yards and the Eagles ran for 113 — but it was unable to get into the end zone.
It was Jersey Shore’s ninth win of the year without a loss, and the Bulldogs will try to remain perfect this week against 6-3 Central Mountain.
For BEA, the loss did not hurt its standing in the D6, 2A bracket. The Eagles remained at No. 3 behind Cambria Heights and Bellwood-Antis and just ahead of Richland.
This week, BEA will entertain 0-9 Bradford in a non-conference game that will complete its regular season.
Bradford has had very little luck this season and has not gotten to within 10 points of any of its opponents.
Last week, the Owls lost to Karns City, 55-8, and this week they will try to salvage a win against the high-scoring Eagles.
After the game, BEA will await its playoff opponent for a first-round game that, if it remains at No. 3, will be at home.
The Bradford game will kickoff at 7 p.m.
GLENDALE (5-4) AT PENNS VALLEY (5-4)
OCT. 29, SPRING MILLS
Penns Valley sprinted out to a big 26-point, first quarter lead over Philipsburg-Osceola on Friday and never looked back in a 40-14 win.
The Rams improved their record to 5-4 for the year with just 5-4 Glendale yet to go on the schedule.
Although the Glendale game is non-league, the outcome will still be important for the Rams in terms of their playoff standing.
Presently, they are ranked seventh in the 2A bracket just ahead of 4-5 Forest Hills and 4-5 Central Cambria. With eight teams qualifying, a win would almost assure PV of a place in the field.
Glendale is presently 5-4 and has won three of its last four games with the loss coming after having to forfeit against Juniata Valley.
Otherwise, the Vikings had wins over Tussey Mountain, 21-0, Moshannon Valley, 15-12, and West Branch, 21-0, last week.
The Viking offense revolves around All-League running back Suds Dubler who averages over 110 yards per game running and has scored 15 touchdowns.
Dubler’s brother Zeke is also in the backfield and together they average over 172 yards per game.
Penns Valley, with its size advantage upfront, will be planning to control the Dublers and finish the regular season with a winning record.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (2-7) AT RIDGWAY (6-3)
OCT. 29, RIDGWAY
Philipsburg-Osceola, with a 2-7 record, is likely out of the playoff picture, but the Mounties would like to add another win in what has been another rebuilding year.
Ridgway, however, at 6-3 is not an opponent to be taken lightly. The Elkers average 27 points per game and gain over 300 yards each time out.
Quarterbacks Cameron Larkin and Haydn Yeager have combined for 1070 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, and senior running back Dominic Allegretto has run for 511 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Ridgway edged Brookville in its last time out, 14-13, and overall has won three of its last five games.
P-O will be trying to come back from a 40-14 loss to Penns Valley. The Mounties scored twice in the second half against the Rams and totaled 298 yards in the game. But PV shot out to a big early lead, and P-O could not catch up.
Kickoff for the non-league game is at 7 p.m. in Ridgway.
ALTOONA (4-5) AT STATE COLLEGE (4-5)
OCT. 29, STATE COLLEGE
State College and Altoona have been circling each other all season and they are finally meeting in the last regular season game for both teams.
The Little Lions and the Mountain Lions each have 4-5 records, and they both have beaten (and lost to) the same teams. The only school that State College won over that Altoona didn’t is Cumberland Valley.
In addition, Altoona is ranked No. 2 in the D6, 6A bracket while State College is No. 3, just three average points behind.
The winner of the game should take the No. 2 spot in the rankings, and if they meet again in the first round of the playoffs (likely), that team will have the home-field advantage.
Statistically, the two are very comparable. SC has the edge in average passing yards, 176 to 61, but Altoona runs for a higher average, 220 to 130, and SC scores 23.7 ppg compared to Altoona’s 22.3.
In all, this is an important game for both teams, and it looks like it will be close from start to finish.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in State College.
This story appears in the Oct. 28-Nov. 3 edition of the Centre County Gazette.
