Previewing Week 8 of Centre County High School Football

It’s Curtin Bowl week, and both Bald Eagle Area and Bellefonte are coming off Mountain League victories. The Raiders presently hold a seven-game winning streak in the series with BEA — something that the 6-1 Bald Eagles would very much like to end.

In State College, the Little Lions are facing another Mid Penn challenge after an exciting overtime victory over Cumberland Valley, while Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola will try to rebound after league losses.

Here’s a brief look at this week’s schedule:

BELLEFONTE (2-5) AT BALD EAGLE AREA (6-1)
OCT. 15, WINGATE

The rivalry between the Bellefonte and Bald Eagle Area football teams goes back as far as the 1950s, and what is now the Curtin Bowl has become one of the biggest traditions in Centre County sports.

This year’s game features two teams entering with vastly different experiences in 2021.

The Bald Eagles have won six games and have only one blemish on their record — a 21-0 loss to powerful Clearfield — while the Raiders have struggled with a young roster and have just two wins so far.

Last week against Philipsburg-Osecola, BEA’s Gavin Eckley returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, and the Eagles never looked back in a 49-0 Mountain League victory over the Mounties.

BEA took a 28-0 lead by halftime, extended that to 42-0 at the end of the third quarter, and finished with a score in the fourth quarter to nail down the win.

Quarterback Carson Nagle completed 21 of 27 passes for 207 yards and four touchdowns, while Garrett Burns and Cameron Dubbs combined for 100 yards on the ground.

Kahale Burns and Camron Watkins each had two receiving touchdowns and totaled nine catches for 147 yards.

For the season, Nagle has thrown for 1,220 yards and 12 touchdowns, and Garrett Burns has run for 707 yards and six scores.

Beside P-O, the Eagles have wins over Troy, North-Penn Mansfield, Huntingdon, Penns Valley, and Tyrone.

Bellefonte, after scoring just 14 total points during a four-game losing streak, got things together last week in a 40-7 win over Huntingdon.

That offensive output was largely due to a monster game by running back Nolan Weaver.

Weaver carried 21 times against the Bearcats for 266 yards and two touchdowns. It was by far the 5-11, 180-pound senior’s biggest night of the season, and it could not have come at a better time for the Raiders.

The win was the second of the season for Bellefonte — the Raiders earlier won over P-O, 22-6 — and it will give the team some confidence coming into the Curtin Bowl.

Defensively, the Eagles are extremely tough and give up an average of just six points per game with four shutouts.

So for Bellefonte to extend its streak against the Eagles, it will have to keep moving the ball and put up points.

And somehow slow down the BEA attack.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

CARLISLE (4-3) AT STATE COLLEGE (4-3)
OCT. 15, STATE COLLEGE

There were many times at Cumberland Valley on Friday night when State College could have been taken out of the game, but the Little Lions refused to allow that to happen.

They kept playing, clawed their way from behind to tie the game in regulation, and then prevailed, 21-18, after a field goal and interception in overtime.

On a two-game Mid Penn losing streak and down 12-0 at halftime, SC was in a difficult spot.

But the Lions held CV to just two second-half field goals, scored two touchdowns, and then tied the game late, 18-18, on a Quinn Murphy field goal.

Murphy hit again in overtime, giving SC a three-point lead, and then Michael Gaul ended the game with an interception that gave SC its fourth win of the season.

Junior quarterback Jack Morris, taking over for the injured Finn Furmanek, completed 14 of 28 passes for 228 yards and both of the Lions’ touchdowns.

Jashaun Green led the receivers with eight catches for 121 yards, and Branden Price and Owen Yerka both caught TD passes.

This week will be another demanding task for the Lions when 4-3 Carlisle comes to State College for another Mid-Penn contest.

The Thundering Herd began the season 3-0 with double-digit victories over Mechanicsburg, Hershey and Cedar Crest, but then they lost to Cumberland Valley and Harrisburg in Mid Penn play.

On Oct. 1, Carlisle trounced Chambersburg, 34-7, and then stumbled late in a heartbreaking, 24-21, loss to Central Dauphin. The Rams, down 21-14 going into the last quarter, scored a touchdown and a deciding field goal to take the conference win.

State College, now in the midst of a five-game trek through the best teams in the Mid-Penn, will have to be at its best again against what will likely be a very motivated Carlisle team.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

TYRONE (3-4) AT PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (2-5)
OCT. 15, PHILIPSBURG

Philipsburg-Osceola had few answers at Bald Eagle Area on Friday night in a 49-0 Mountain League loss to the Eagles.

And to make matters worse, the Mounties top running back, senior Matt Martin, went down with an injury and was carried off the field. As of this writing, Martin’s status has not been released.

So with Tyrone coming in on Friday night–another conference team playing well–the Mounties will have to reset, regroup, and be prepared for another one of the league’s best defenses.

Last week, Tyrone, down 18-13, clamped down on Penns Valley in the second half and came back for a 28-18 win over the Rams. The Golden Eagles held PV to under 20 yards rushing in the game while recovering a fumble and intercepting two passes.

Tyrone struck twice for touchdowns in the final two minutes of the game to take the win. With a win, Tyrone can also solidify its third-place standing in the Mountain League with a record of 4-2.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

EVERETT (0-6) AT PENNS VALLEY (3-4)
OCT. 15, SPRING MILLS

Penns Valley will be trying to recover from Friday’s last-minute loss to Tyrone, and this week’s opponent, 0-6 Everett, may be a good place to start.

The Warriors had a near-miss in Week 1 — a 7-6 loss to Curwensville — but since have had all double-digit losses and a forfeit against Glendale.

Last Friday, Everett lost to Mount Union, 32-16, and showed some spark on offense after being shut out three games in a row.

Everett did return many players from last year’s team, including quarterbacks Ian Klahre and Malex Akers, running back Calvin Iseminger, and receiver Jacob Price, but so far the team’s offense has yet to click.

And facing a very good — and big — Penns Valley defense will be especially difficult.

For the Rams, the emphasis will likely be on reviving their running game after an off night against Tyrone to go along with the passing game of quarterback Jackson Romig and receivers Miles Brooks and Zach Braucht.

The Rams put up 240 yards in the air against Tyrone, but their runners gained less than 20.

It will help that they are home, and with three games remaining on the schedule, a winning record is still very much a possibility. For that to happen, the Rams have to win this week.

Kickoff is at 7 p.m.

This story appears in the Oct. 14-20 edition of the Centre County Gazette.