Bald Eagle Area and Penns Valley both secured big Mountain League victories last Friday night. BEA outlasted Tyrone, 15-9, with a late score and the Rams’ offense came alive in a 41-14 victory over Bellefonte.
Philipsburg-Osceola and State College, however, both lost to top-tier conference opponents.
This week, the Little Lions will travel to Cumberland Valley, Bald Eagle will entertain P-O, Penns Valley will play away at Tyrone, and Bellefonte will be at home against Huntingdon.
Here’s a brief look at each game:
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (2-4) AT BALD EAGLE AREA (5-1)
OCT. 8, WINGATE
Bald Eagle Area’s high functioning offense was seriously slowed down at Tyrone last Friday, so the Eagles had to go back to basics — that is, give the ball to your best running back and let him do his thing.
In this case, it was Garrett Burns who ran the ball seven times during BEA’s game-winning eight-play drive that capped the Bald Eagles’ 15-9 win over Tyrone.
Down 9-7 late in the third quarter, Bald Eagle began at the Tyrone 47-yard line after a turnover and Burns took over. He ran the ball five times before breaking loose for a 24-yard sprint to the 1-yard line.
On the next play, he took it in for BEA’s first offensive touchdown of the game. And then, just for good measure, he also ran for a two-point conversion that put the Bald Eagles ahead 15-9.
BEA’s defenders did the rest, and the Eagles had their fifth win of the season against just one loss.
This week, BEA will go for its sixth win when it takes on local rival Philipsburg-Osceola at home on Friday.
The Mounties are 2-4 so far, but three of those losses came late in games that they possibly could have won.
That was not the case last week. P-O took on undefeated Clearfield and struggled all night against the Bison’s rugged defense in a 49-0 loss.
Clearfield broke out early to a 14-0 lead after the first quarter and then extended that lead to 35-0 at halftime. Another two touchdowns in the third quarter settled the final score at 49-0.
The Mounties had been averaging over 200 yards running coming into the game, but they managed just 31 against the Bison and less than 100 total (top rusher Matt Martin was held to 18 yards).
That said, the Mounties have been improving each week under second-year coach Jeff Vroman, and the Eagles can’t afford to look past them to next week’s Curtin Bowl against Bellefonte.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
PENNS VALLEY (3-3) AT TYRONE (2-4)
OCT. 8, TYRONE
This game shapes up to be a battle between an improving Penns Valley offense against the very good defense of the Tyrone Golden Eagles.
Tyrone, beset by three turnovers in a 15-9 loss to BEA last week, nevertheless led the Eagles until late in the game. It held BEA to almost 200 total yards less than average and only surrendered one offensive touchdown (and that came after a turnover at midfield).
But Tyrone has been very competitive this season despite its four losses, and the young Rams could present an opportunity for win No. 3.
Penns Valley, however, had a very good night offensively in a 41-14 victory over Bellefonte last Friday night at home.
Wide receiver Zach Braucht scored two touchdowns and quarterback Jackson Romig threw three touchdown passes as the Rams pulled away in the second half to even their record at 3-3.
PV’s 41 points was the most it has scored all year, and those points were especially welcomed after being shut out by BEA the week before.
In what will likely be a very close game, the Rams will need to be sharp again against what will be a very determined Tyrone team.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
HUNTINGDON (0-6) AT BELLEFONTE (1-5)
OCT. 8, BELLEFONTE
Things have not gone well this season for the Huntingdon Bearcats.
They are 0-6, had to forfeit a game against Tyrone, and were really only close to winning one time — at P-O in a 7-6 loss. Every other game ended in a one-sided defeat.
The same could almost be said about Bellefonte. The Raiders do have a win, 22-6 over P-O, but they have struggled and actually were shut out three times in a row by Tyrone, Hollidaysburg and Clearfield.
Last week against Penns Valley, the Raiders were close through the first half, but the Rams second-half big plays proved too much in a 41-14 loss.
This week’s game against the Bearcats, however, could be an opportunity to gain some confidence, especially on offense where the team has had little success this year.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
STATE COLLEGE (3-3) AT CUMBERLAND VALLEY (3-3)
OCT. 8, MECHANICSBURG
It is hard to remember a State College football team that was as badly beset by injuries as this year’s squad.
Every game, it seems, the Little Lions are playing without key players, and with the high level of competition in the Mid-Penn Conference, winning is becoming increasingly more difficult.
At least it has been in the last two weeks.
On Sept. 24, SC lost to CD East 34-13, and then last week the Lions fell to Central Dauphin 42-21.
In the Central Dauphin game, two more important players were out for SC — quarterback Finn Furmanek and wide receiver Jashuan Green — as the Rams raced out to a 28-0 lead and never looked back.
State College did close the gap to 28-14 in the third quarter, but then two quick CD touchdowns put the game out of reach at 42-14.
This week, it will be 3-3 Cumberland Valley. The Eagles began the season with two losses in a row to Manheim and Central York, but they since have won three of their last four games. And that loss was a close one on Friday to CD East, 17-10 in Linglestown.
Before that, CV beat Spring Ford (a very good District 1 team), Carlisle and Altoona. Cumberland Valley has been very competitive in every loss so far except for the one against Manheim.
This week, then, will be another challenge for the Little Lions, especially if some of those injured players are unable to return.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
This story appears in the Oct. 7-13 edition of the Centre County Gazette.
