Three teams still unbeaten, a massive win for Penns Valley at Central and noticeable improvements in Philipsburg highlighted Week 4’s events for the five local high school football teams.
Bellefonte, State College and BEA are all now 4-0 after wins Sept. 14, while the Rams emerged 2-2 after a brutal four-game stretch to open their season. And what happened at P-O was a far cry from the Tyrone blowout that was expected.
Week 5 will feature big challenges for the unbeatens, no rest for PV, and another chance — a good one — for the Mounties.
Here’s a closer look.
Chambersburg (4-0) at State College (4-0)
Sept. 21, State College
Last week, Mid-Penn foe Carlisle had more first downs than the Little Lions in the first conference game for both teams.
That, however, was all the Herd could brag about because, other than that, the Little Lions were true to themselves in a 56-17 win.
Penn State commit Keaton Ellis scored five touchdowns — four in the decisive first half — as SC ran up a 35-10 lead and never looked back.
Ellis scored on pass receptions of 64, 36 and 62 yards, a 15-yard run and 65-yard punt return that put the Lions in control of the game at 28-7. In all, Ellis accounted for 299 all-purpose yards and his team put up a total of 468 in the game. Isiah Edwards also scored twice for the Lions, and Tommy Friberg completed 10 of 18 for 255 yards and four touchdowns as SC went to 4-0.
This week, the Little Lions will take on Chambersburg, and the two most important things to know about the Trojans are that they are 4-0, after not winning a game last year, and they have a running back named Keyshawn Jones.
So far, Chambersburg has beaten Greencastle, 48-13, South Western, 51-26, Red Lion, 28-19, and Altoona, 48-28. That’s an average of almost 44 points per game, and it would be quibbling to mention that the Trojans also give up their fair share of points. They still win by over 21 points per game.
About Jones: The 5-foot-8, 170-pound junior ran the ball 36 times against Altoona for 245 yards. He also completed a pass for 30 yards and ended up scoring three touchdowns, including the clincher on a 10-yard run late in the fourth quarter. In all, Jones accounted for 275 of Chambersburg’s 356 yards for the night.
Jones, no doubt, has caught the notice of the Little Lion coaches and players, and he will figure heavily in their planning for the Friday, Sept. 21, game. The 2017 affair was not close, 70-20, but the Trojans are already four games ahead of where they were then and will be looking for some redemption.
Game time is 7 p.m.
Bald Eagle Area (4-0) at Central (1-3)
Sept. 21, Martinsburg
Bald Eagle Area is 4-0 with four impressive victories so far, but the Bald Eagles are about to visit the home of some very angry dragons — as in Central Dragons.
It was awkward talking last week about a 1-2 Central team, but now it’s almost weird talking about the Dragons being 1-3 after their 31-29 loss to Penns Valley.
But that’s where they are. Against Penns Valley, Central scored on a 55-yard pass from first-time starter Brandon Kitt to Zach Parks with just over a minute to play to pull within 31-29. A two-point conversion pass failed, and then Central lost out — barely — on a onside kick as Penns Valley held on for the win.
Kitt completed 11 of 20 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns, but the Rams held tight against the Dragon running game and allowed only 78 yards and no scores.
For BEA, it has been all about balance. It’s true that the Eagles can score — they put up another 35 against Bishop Carroll — but their defense has been very good as well.
Against Carroll, for example, BEA allowed just six points, 54 rushing yards and 129 total yards all night. Carroll did score on a pass with :00 left on the clock before halftime to make the score 14-6, but the Eagles scored 21 in the third quarter and gave the Huskies nothing after halftime to take home the win.
This week, for both Central and BEA, something has to give. Bald Eagle has not had any success against the Dragons for a while — last year it was a 35-7 loss — but there is no doubt that the Eagles are a much-improved group.
Central, on the other hand, is struggling, dangerous and looking for a game in which to restore some confidence and get back on track.
It will be a big challenge and a major opportunity for both teams.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Tyrone (4-0) at Bellefonte (4-0)
Sept. 21, at Bald Eagle Area High School
The Bellefonte Red Raider football team seems to come up with whatever is necessary when it steps onto the field.
In their first two games, against Jersey Shore and Huntingdon, the Raiders needed to play defense and allowed just 10 points total in the two wins.
In the last two, the Raiders turned up the offense and scored 99 total points against P-O and Central Mountain, and they now find themselves at 4-0 going into the meat of their schedule.
In Week 5, the Raiders will take on 4-0 Tyrone in a big Mountain League showdown at Bald Eagle Area High School on Friday, Sept. 21.
Tyrone is also 4-0 with wins over Bellwood Antis, 16-7, Central, 33-14, Bishop Carroll, 44-7, and P-O, 32-14.
Against Philipsburg on Sept. 14, Tyrone needed a 45-yard interception return by Damon Gripp to pull ahead 26-14 as time expired in the first half. Zach Albright added a 6-yard run in the third period to finish the scoring in the game, but P-O by no means folded in this game.
The Mounties went ahead 14-6 after a 19-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Ryan Whitehead to Nick Keith midway through the second quarter. P-O did run into some bad luck when Gripp’s interception bounced off the helmet of the receiver, but still P-O was unable to put on pressure with another score.
Tyrone’s win put it in a tie with Bellefonte atop the standings in the Mountain League, and this game will be important for both teams’ hopes for a championship.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Huntingdon (1-3) at Penns Valley (2-2)
Sept. 21, Penns Valley High School
Huntingdon is another team that doesn’t seem to deserve its 1-3 record.
The Bearcats started with a 40-0 washout of Mount Union, but since then have been winless. Bellefonte beat them 10-0 on Aug. 31, and Susquehanna Township won in Huntingdon, 26-21, on Sept. 7.
Last week, Clearfield used five touchdown plays over 25 yards each to pull away for a 42-21 win.
Huntingdon trailed 21-14 at halftime, but two 33-yard touchdowns in the third quarter — one a pass from Isaac Rumey and the other a run by him — gave the Bison the breathing room they needed to hold on for the win.
The loss for Huntingdon makes this game crucial for the Bearcats. Now at 0-2 in the Mountain League, Huntingdon badly needs a win.
Ditto, actually, for Penns Valley. The Rams pulled out a heart-pounding win at Central by stopping a two-point conversion and then recovering an onside kick in the final minute of the game.
Yet PV still lit it up with 31 points and 321 yards of offense. Aaron Tobias completed 18 of 28 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and Ryan Ripka ran for 63 yards and two more scores as PV won for the first time at Central since Martin Tobias has been head coach.
A win in this game at home for PV would put it in a solid position going into the second half of the season.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Philipsburg-Osceola (0-4) at Bishop Carroll (1-3)
Sept. 21, Ebensburg
Philipsburg-Osceola went into the Tyrone game on Sept. 14 searching for answers after three double-digit losses. And, going against the undefeated Eagles was certainly not an easy assignment, but the Mounties showed up and took the game to Tyrone early.
Philipsburg went ahead 14-6 on a touchdown pass from Ryan Whitehead to Nick Keith midway through the second quarter. Tyrone struck back for two scores to go ahead 19-14, but then disaster struck for P-O. Damon Gripp intercepted a Whitehead pass and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown and a 26-14 lead as time ran out in the first half.
Tyrone scored again in the third quarter and held on for the win, but P-O’s scare was real, and it will be looking for continued improvement this week.
Bishop Carroll is next for the Mounties on Friday, Sept. 21, in Ebensburg, and the Huskies are 1-3 coming in and have lost their last three.
Against BEA on Sept. 7, Carroll had a difficult time getting anything going on offense. The Huskies managed only 56 yards rushing and 130 total. For the season, however, Carroll is averaging more than 220 yards per game on the ground with quarterback Jake Zazvrskev (74 YPG), Jarrett Grove (57 YPG) and Trevor Hogue (50 YPG) leading the way.
They only pass the ball eight times per game, gaining just over 40 yards, so P-O will have to concentrate on the Carroll running game.
The Mounties will also have to guard against momentum-changing big plays and turnovers that have plagued them in all of their losses so far.
Game time is 7 p.m.
