State College, P-O, and Bellefonte come out on top in Week 1 of HS football.
D’Antae Sheffey returned to State College with a 197 yard, 2 touchdown performance in the Lions’ big win over Gateway, while P-O running back Demarcus Law picked up 144 and a touchdown in the Mounties’ 24-point win over Central.
And the Raiders scored two touchdowns in the last 1:43 and edged Central Martinsburg, 21-20, in a thriller in Bellefonte.
Quite a first week.
Here’s a closer look at what happened and a look ahead to Week 2:
SC started fast in a 41-14 victory over Gateway. Altoona next.
Welcome back, D’Antae.
After the State College Little Lions lost most of their offensive playmakers from last year’s playoff team, the Lions were likely going to rely on newcomers to replace them.
Except for one, that is. D’Antae Sheffey returned to the Little Lions for his senior season after a year in Harrisburg, and he had an immediate effect.
He ran 26 times on Friday night against Gateway for 197 yards and two touchdowns as SC took control early and swept to a 41-14 victory over the Gators.
The Lions took a 17-0 halftime lead, extended that to 34-14 going into the fourth quarter and then wrapped up their first win with another score coming down the stretch.
Sheffey carried the load for SC with 26 carries while new quarterback Connor Kulka completed 8 of 18 passes for 130 yards and touchdowns to Daimear Coad and Jake Lukac.
In all, Coad and Lukac combined for 101 reception yards and the two touchdowns on 10 catches.
Sheffey accounted for 209 all-purpose yards, and the Little Lions finished with 473 yards of total offense.
Now 1-0, SC will enter Mid-Penn Commonwealth play on August 29 at Altoona.
The Mountain Lions are 0-1 after a 34-7 loss to local rival Hollidaysburg on Friday night in Hollidaysburg.
The two teams were tied at halftime, 7-7, but the Tigers rallied for 27 unanswered points in the second half to take the win going away.
The Hollidaysburg defense held Altoona to just 170 total yards, with Altoona senior quarterback Parker White accounting for most of that yardage.
White ran for a 60-yard touchdown in the second quarter and completed 6-of-21 passes for another 60 yards.
But after halftime, the Tiger defense shut down the Mountain Lions and Hollidaysburg took the victory.
Last season, SC ran away from Altoona, 57-0, at home in Week 2 after QB Eddie Corkery passed for 237 yards and 6 touchdowns.
With Corkery graduated, along with his receivers, expect a more run-oriented game plan from the Lions in this one.
Game time is at 7 p.m. in Altoona.
Philipsburg-Osceola ran away from Central, 48-24, in its first LHAC win.
Philipsburg-Osceola running back Demarcus Law ran for 144 yards and a touchdown and caught two passes for 93 yards and another touchdown as the Mounties pulled away from LHAC rival Central Martinsburg, 48-24, on Friday night in Philipsburg.
Law scored P-O’s first touchdown on a 63-yard pass-and-run from quarterback Archer Baughman just 53 seconds into the game.
He scored again, this time on a 57-yard run, later in the first quarter and helped the Mounties to a 28-18 halftime lead.
Despite Law’s efforts, and P-O’s 340 yards of offense, the Mountie defense deserves its share of kudus as well.
With the Mounties ahead by 10 as the third quarter began, Central’s Brooks Decker returned the kickoff for a 73-yard touchdown.
Then, the Dragons recovered a surprise on-side kick on the P-O 49 and were in a position to take a quick second-half lead.
But the P-O defense held, breaking up a fourth-down pass, and then shut out the Dragons the rest of the night.
The Mounties went on to reestablish their lead on a 1-yard run by Baughman and subsequently added two more scores in the fourth quarter.
The 48-24 win was Philipsburg’s first win over Central in 14 years.
Next for the Mounties will be a trip to face Chestnut Ridge on Friday night in another LHAC contest.
Chestnut Ridge is 1-0 after a 27-6 win at Greater Johnstown on Friday night.
The Lions broke the game open with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 13-0 lead.
They extended that lead to 20-0 on a 1-yard run by Cooper Barefoot in the third quarter.
Greater Johnstown got on the board on a 27-yard fumble return for a score, but the Lions immediately responded with another score to set the final at 27-6.
Sophomore quarterback Landyn Pincin completed 8 passes for 55 yards and a touchdown, while running back Jayden Imler led the ground game with 18 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Barefoot was the top receiver with three catches for 25 yards.
The Mounties did not face the Lions last season, but after just one game, P-O has an advantage in rushing, passing and total yardage.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in New Paris.
Bellefonte struck late in a 21-20 win over Tyrone.
It did not look good for the Raiders.
The team was down 20-7 with time running out in the fourth quarter against LHAC rival Tyrone at home on Friday night.
But the Raiders had the ball, and they mounted a clutch, 50-yard drive that kept them in the game.
Ashton Howell scored from the 1-yard line and made it a 20-14 game with 1:43 left.
At this point, something good had to happen for the Raiders, and it did.
Bellefonte recovered an on-side kick at the Tyrone 42, and suddenly the Raiders had a chance.
More than a chance, actually, as nine plays later quarterback Brennan Huntsinger found Jackson Long in the corner of the endzone for the tying score with 20 seconds left.
The extra point by William Oskin was good, and it completed Bellefonte’s thrilling—and improbable–comeback victory.
Bellefonte will have it no easier this week in a trip to 1-0 Forest Hills.
The Rangers took care of Westmont-Hilltop on Friday night, 42-13, at Westmont in an LHAC contest.
The two teams combined for 48 points in the first half, with FHHS ahead 35-13 at halftime.
In the second half, however, the defenses took over and there was only one score, by Forest Hills in the third quarter, and the Rangers held on for the victory.
The Randers’ two quarterbacks, Xander Richardson and Josh Myers, combined to complete 8 of 13 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns, while Richardson led a balanced running game with 6 carries for 75 yards.
Cam Vitez was the top receiver with two catches for 75 yards.
Forest Hills, 6-5 last year, did not play Bellefonte, however, the Rangers fell to Tyrone in the playoffs, 44-0, at home.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Sidman, Pa.
Guilfoyle pushed past Penns Valley, 42-18 with a big second half.
This was a game matching the 2024 Pennsylvania state champions against a team that struggled to a 1-9 record last year.
Bishop Guilfoyle came into Spring Mills likely expecting barely a warmup against Penns Valley in its opening game of the new season.
But that’s not what happened.
The Rams played the Marauders even up in the first half—down by just 14-12—and then took the game to near the end of the third quarter still in contention at 21-18.
BG got some breathing room late in the third after a 47-yard run by Jake Kissel (followed by a 1-yard score) and then pulled away with two more touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
The final score, 42-18, came mostly as a result of Guilfoyle’s running attack, with Kissel gaining 230 yards and scoring five touchdowns, and a stout defense that held the Rams to negative yards on the ground.
Ram quarterback Carter Ironside completed 12-of-15 passes for 177 yards and touchdowns to Spencer Althouse for 78 yards and Emery Reed for 30 yards.
PV’s other score came on an 85-yard kickoff return by Althouse in the third quarter.
The Rams more than showed up for the game and showed they may be on the road back after last season.
The first test of that will come on Friday night at Central Cambria.
The Red Devils are 0-1 after a 21-6 loss to always-tough Richland at Richland.
In a mostly defensive game, Richland scored all of its points in the middle quarters with CCHS punching in its touchdown with four minutes to play in the third quarter.
Devils’ quarterback Mason Pittsinger completed 7-of-14 passes in the game for 144 yards with an interception, while receivers AJ Galli and Ridge Kutchman combined for 4 catches for 113 yards.
Andrew Chappell was the leading rusher with 36 yards on 14 carries.
Central Cambria was 2-8 last season, but the Devils did have two consecutive wins to finish the season over Westmont Hilltop and Huntingdon.
This game will be a good indication of the Rams’ progress.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Ebensburg, Pa.
Huntingdon outlasted BEA, 14-6; Bald Eagle at Penn Cambria next.
The Huntingdon Bearcats broke through with their first win since 2023 by stopping a final, desperate drive by the BEA Bald Eagles on Friday night in Wingate.
After Huntingdon took an 8-point lead on a run by Elliot Gosler in the fourth quarter, BEA got the ball back and set out on a drive.
The Eagles got inside the 10-yard line before the Bearcats took the win with a fourth-down stop.
BEA kicker Jackson Millwood accounted for the Eagles’ points with field goals in the second and third quarters.
BEA will now try to respond against a very good Penn Cambria team on Friday night in Cresson.
PC is 1-0 after a 50-10 runaway over Somerset at Somerset.
The Panthers ran for 336 yards in the game and senior quarterback Brady Jones threw for another 162 yards and two touchdowns.
Four PC running back ran for over 50 yards—Blake Lily, Jones, Corbin Vinglish and Ian Beck—with Vinglish scoring twice and Beck and Lily once.
Last season, Penn Cambria lost only once, to Avonworth in the PIAA Championship, and the Panthers have a ton of players back from that team.
BEA will have to look first to its defense to slow this team down.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Cresson.
