It was a strong start for Centre County high school football teams on Aug. 25.
Four of our five teams came through with victories, three of them in the new Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference.
This week, everyone is back in action and there will again be some new matchups between old and new LHAC teams.
And State College will entertain what looks like a powerhouse Downingtown East team from District 1.
Here’s a closer look at the games:
Bald Eagle Area (1-0) at Central Cambria (1-0)
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
Bald Eagle Area gave up the game’s first touchdown against Bishop Guilfoyle on Aug. 25, but that was it.
The Eagles’ defense stood tall after that and didn’t allow another point in what was a defense-minded, 17-7 victory over the Marauders.
BG’s Kayden Wyandt scored the first points on a three-yard run with just over six minutes remaining in the first quarter.
BEA put up 10 in the second quarter, however, to take a slim halftime lead, added another score late in the final quarter and held on for its first LHAC win.
Nick Wible scored the first touchdown for the Eagles on a 30-yard pass from quarterback Carson Nagle, and Cameron Dubbs scored on an eight-yard run with 1:23 left that sealed the win.
In between, Kahale Burns kicked a 19-yard field goal that gave BEA its halftime lead.
It was the BEA defense that took high honors for the game. BG was held to nine first downs, 118 yards rushing and 201 total yards.
Guilfoyle quarterback Chase Kissel completed six passes for 83 yards against the Eagle defense.
In contrast, BEA ran up 320 yards as Dubbs led the way with 88 yards rushing and Nagle passed for 170 yards and a touchdown.
The Eagles will not be able to enjoy the win very long as this week’s foe, Central Cambria, fought its way to a 15-10 win at Bishop McCort on Aug. 25.
The Red Devils took a 15-3 lead in the third quarter on a run by junior Grady Snyder.
But McCort struck back with a score of its own that made it 15-10 with more than a quarter left to play.
The Devils subsequently turned to their defense, held McCort without a point the rest of the way and came away with the 5-point win.
Snyder was the big factor all night for CC.
He ran for 143 yards, had 53 receiving yards, scored both of Cambria’s touchdowns and had an interception.
For BEA, this game will mark the second one to begin the new season against a perhaps unfamiliar LHAC opponent.
And if Week 1 is any indication, the defenses again will be in the spotlight.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Ebensburg.
Bellefonte (0-1) at Chestnut Ridge (1-0)
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
The Bellefonte Raiders are in rebuilding mode with new head coach Tony Confer, and it did not go to plan in Week 1 against powerful Central Martinsburg.
The Dragons took an early 14-0 lead, extended that to 35-0 by halftime and then cruised out to a 49-0 win over the Raiders in Bellefonte on Friday night.
Central controlled the game and ran up over 500 yards of offense — 222 running — and were not challenged.
For the Raiders, there were bright spots, especially in the running game with Sherman Lowry and Liam Halterman.
But the passing game yielded just 35 yards, and Central had no trouble moving the ball.
This week there is no break as the Raiders will travel to New Paris to take on the 1-0 Chestnut Ridge Lions.
Chestnut Ridge is off to a 1-0 start after a 42-14 victory over Somerset on Friday night in Somerset.
CR started slowly but scored a touchdown in the second quarter and then really got it going in the second half.
The Lions scored three times in the third quarter, taking a 28-6 lead, and then closed it out with two more scores in the last quarter.
The big play came in the third quarter when quarterback Nate Whysong completed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Jarod Wolfhope that put the score at 28-0.
Bellefonte, again, will have to pin its hopes on slowing the CR offense and staying in contention into the later stages of the game.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in New Paris.
Penns Valley (1-0) at Bedford (1-0)
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
There wasn’t a big difference in yardage between Penns Valley and Bellwood-Antis on opening night, but the Rams’ big plays propelled them to an LHAC opening 33-12 victory over the Blue Devils.
First there was the 90-yard kickoff return by Fletcher Ironside to open the game, a big fourth-down stop by the Ram defense, and then a breakout 71-yard run by Ty Watson that gave the Rams a 14-0 lead they would not relinquish.
PV upped its lead to 21-0 seven minutes into the third quarter on a 20-yard pass from quarterback Jackson Romig to John Meyer, but the Devils soon responded with a score of their own that cut the lead to 21-6.
The Rams scored twice more in the fourth quarter — the last one on a fumble recovery for a touchdown — and closed out their first win in the new Laurel Highlands Conference.
Both teams moved the ball, with Bellwood actually outgaining PV 340 to 335, but the Rams were able to convert scores.
Now Penns Valley will travel to 1-0 Bedford, a 27-21 overtime winner over Westmont-Hilltop in Johnstown on Sept 1.
With the score tied at 21 in overtime, Bedford stopped Westmont in its first possession, and then Quincy Swaim took it in from five yards out to claim the victory.
Bedford, plagued by turnovers, trailed the game by two touchdowns in the third quarter, but the Bison fought back and finally tied it on a seven-yard run by quarterback Joey Huxta.
With the Bison running game slowed by Westmont, Huxta threw for 176 yards, while the Bedford defense shut down the Hilltoppers for most of the second half.
On Friday, Bedford will return home and see an explosive and balanced PV offense in what could be a matchup of the Bison defense against the big-play Rams.
Both teams will be searching for LHAC win No. 2.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Bedford.
Philipsburg-Osceola (1-0) at Penn Cambria (0-1)
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
In 2022, the Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties lost a slim late-game lead and fell to Huntingdon in what was a heartbreaking loss.
On opening night, with the score tied 7-7 with Huntingdon again at halftime, visions of those final minutes must have entered the minds of the P-O fans.
No worries this year, though.
P-O, paced by sophomore quarterback Zack Meyers working with a host of offensive weapons, ran up 28 unanswered points in the second half on the way to a 35-7 victory in its first game as a member of the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference.
Running back Jakodi Jones led the Mountie rally by rushing for 115 yards and scoring three touchdowns, while Meyers completed seven passes for 120 yards and another score (to Jones).
In all, P-O outgained the Bearcats 320-215 as it dominated play in the second half.
This week, the Mounties will visit 0-1 Penn Cambria on Sept. 1 in Cresson.
The Panthers lost their opening game, 26-21, to Richland after the Rams rallied from a 14-6 halftime deficit to take the victory.
Penn Cambria quarterback Brady Jones completed just five passes in the game, but three of them were for touchdowns — two to Carter McDermott and the other to Gavin Harrold.
The Panthers also ran for 140 yards, led by Thomas Plunkett’s 80, but Richland took the game by outscoring PC 20-6 in the second half.
The Mounties will be on the road for the first time this season but after the big win against Huntingdon there will be a strong motivation to get win No. 2.
Penn Cambria, for its part, will be focused on avoiding its second loss to begin the new season.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Cresson.
Downingtown East (1-0) at State College (1-0)
Friday, Sept. 1, 7 p.m.
The State College Little Lions wasted little time lighting up the scoreboard on Aug. 25 in Williamsport.
It was 28-0 over the Millionaires in the first quarter after two D’Antae Sheffey scores and two by receiver/returner Ty Salazer.
Another run by Sheffey early in the second quarter made it 35-0 before Williamsport finally got on the board with a field goal.
In all, SC would lead 42-10 at the half and then go on to a commanding 49-20 win.
Sheffey scored five touchdowns in the game and ran for 110 yards on 17 carries, while Salazer scored twice, one on a pass from quarterback Eddie Corkery and another on a 50-yard punt return.
The Little Lions amassed 352 yards of offense and gave up 259.
This week, in State College on Sept. 1, may be a preview of two teams destined for the postseason when District 1’s Downingtown East comes to visit.
East is a former PIAA state champion and a constant contender for the District 1 title.
And if the Cougars’ 43-0 rout of Pennridge on Friday night is any indication, they will be a threat again this year.
The win over the Rams was sparked by senior transfer Arlen Harris from Missouri, a nephew of former Penn State running back Aaron Harris.
Harris ran the ball 23 times for 155 yards and three touchdowns, while Owen Lammy ran for 70 yards and a touchdown.
The other large factor in the Downingtown win was its defense. Besides the shutout, the Cougars allowed Pennridge just one first down, two net yards rushing and 19 total yards.
Last year, the Little Lions held on for a 32-31 win in Downingtown in what was the closest regular-season win for SC.
This year, both teams again look primed for successful seasons, and the game may not be decided until the final minutes.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Memorial Field in State College.
