This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
The 2024 high school football season begins this week with a full slate of games involving our five Centre County teams.
Four of the teams — Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte, Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola — will be playing the first games on their Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference schedules, while State College will play its first non-conference game before it begins its Mid Penn Conference games.
Here’s this week’s lineup:
BALD EAGLE AREA
Bald Eagle Area (0-0) at Bishop Guilfoyle (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 24, 7 p.m.
Mansion Park, Altoona
The Bald Eagles are coming off an impressive 12-2 season that saw them take a District 6, AA championship and advance into the PIAA quarterfinals, where they lost to eventual state champ Southern Columbia, 18-8.
But this is a new season, and Bishop Guilfoyle will be waiting with plans to avenge two losses to BEA last year.
The Eagles won the first meeting between the two teams on opening day at Bald Eagle Area, 17-7, and then advanced in the D6 playoffs with a 36-14 win over the Marauders, again at home in Wingate.
In the playoff game, the teams combined for over 800 yards of offense, with the Eagles’ Carson Nagle throwing for 220 and senior running back Cameron Dubbs leading a 225-yard rushing game.
At one point in the second half, Bald Eagle Area held a 36-0 lead before Guilfoyle scored the last two touchdowns of the game.
Bishop Guilfoyle returns most of its offensive power, except for rushing leader Kaden Wyandt. Quarterback Chase Kissell returns, along with leading receiver Braden Reilly and junior running back Hamilton Gates. Kissell completed 68% of his passes in 2023, with 16 touchdown passes and a quarterback rating of 110.
Bald Eagle starting quarterback Carson Nagle will also be back, and he is coming off a stellar performance in 2023. He completed 277 of 390 passes for 3,569 yards and 38 touchdowns.
He led the Eagles through an almost perfect regular season and into the upper levels of the state tournament.
He will also have help, although leading rusher Dubbs and leading receiver Kahale Burns both graduated.
Nick McNulty returns to the backfield as well as senior receivers B. Taylor and W. Spackman.
“We’re very excited,” Bald Eagle Area head coach Jesse Nagle said. “This offseason was huge for the new receivers and their development. I think they made some really good gains. So, we’re pretty excited about what’s going on, but we still have a way to go.”
The game shapes up as another offensive show and a big test for both teams on opening night.
BELLEFONTE
Bellefonte (0-0) at Central (0-0)
Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Martinsburg
It’s the second year for Raiders head coach Tony Confer in Bellefonte and Confer is looking for big improvements in his team after a year of experience in his system.
“I’m excited about this year with a full year under my belt and being able to have a much better relationship with the players,” he said. “I think we are going to see some good things this year — our schedule is still top heavy — but I think we are going to be more competitive and be able to come out with wins in situations that last year we just weren’t ready for yet.”
By “top-heavy” it’s likely that Confer was referring to the Raiders’ opening game this season at perennial Mountain League and LHAC heavyweight Central Martinsburg.
The Raiders, after a 2-9 record in 2023, will be heading to Central on Friday, Aug. 23, to begin their season with the Dragons.
Central finished last year undefeated in the regular season and then advanced all the way to the PIAA state semifinals.
The good news for Bellefonte is that much of Central’s offense from last year graduated, including leading rusher Hunter Smith and receiver Jack Dunn.
But quarterback Eli Muther returns after a year with 183 completions in 309 attempts for 2,815 yards and 32 touchdowns. Muther also rushed for 332 yards and four touchdowns, so that may partially offset the loss of Smith.
Last year, in Confer’s first game as head coach, Central overwhelmed the Raiders, 49-0, in Bellefonte.
But the Raiders will return almost all of their offense this season, including running back/quarterback Liam Halterman and wide receiver Jaeden Gabrovsek.
Bellefonte started slowly last season, but the team won two of its final three games, so the hope is that the improvement will continue into the new season.
PENNS VALLEY
Penns Valley (0-0) at Bellwood-Antis (0-0)
Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Bellwood
The Rams were 6-5 in 2023, but they slowed down after a very good 4-1 start. Nevertheless, Penns Valley still went to the D6, 2A tournament and finished with a winning record.
The new season for Penns Valley will begin in Bellwood against the Blue Devils on Friday, Aug. 23.
Bellwood was 2-8 last season, with wins only over Philipsburg-Osceola and Greater Johnstown.
These two teams met on opening night last year as well, with the Rams prevailing with a 33-12 win.
Penns Valley ran out to a 21-0 lead after three quarters and was not threatened even though the Devils came through with two scores in the last quarter.
Seniors Jackson Romig and Ty Watson led Penns Valley that night, but both have graduated and they will have to be replaced in the new season.
Top receiver John Meyer will return, but the Rams will be unveiling a new look in game one this year.
For Penns Valley head coach Martin Tobias, the new year will be all about preparation.
“We learned last year that this is a really competitive league from top to bottom,” Tobias said. “There are no easy games on the schedule. It told our kids how hard they have to work to face this level of competition, and we as coaches have to be sure that we are preparing the players and ourselves for a tough game every week. We were really encouraged with the off season and the young kids that last year got some valuable experience.”
Bellwood, on the other hand, will return much of its offense and defense for the new season, including quarterback Holden Schreier, 1,000-yard rusher Alex McCartrney and receiver Colin Gibbons.
This will be a much rougher opening night for the Rams, especially facing Schreier and McCartney, but Penns Valley has always had tough defenses and good size. This will be much closer — and more physical — than last season.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
Philipsburg-Osceola (0-0) at Huntingdon (0-0)
Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Huntingdon
The Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties were a team in 2023 that began slowly but showed improvement throughout the year.
After going 1-5 to begin the season, the Rams beat Bellefonte, 14-13, Westmont-Hilltop, 25-14, and Bishop McCort, 22-21 in two overtimes, to end the season on a high note. Mounties head coach Jeff Vroman believes that things are looking up for his team this season.
“Having seven starters back on both sides of the football, we have experience for once,” Vroman said. “That’s the first time I can say that since we’ve come back. We have to continue to get better, but I do like our depth this year, especially up front. I think right now we have eight or nine kids along the offensive and defensive lines that can really help us.”
Philipsburg-Osceola will begin this year at old Mountain League foe Huntingdon on Friday, Aug 23, in Huntingdon.
Huntingdon was 2-8 in 2023 and began that year with a 35-7 loss at Philipsburg-Osceola.
Philipsburg-Osceola in that game ran up over 300 yards of offense while holding the Bearcats to just 196.
Both teams will return most of their offenses and defenses, but this is a new season and the game will be in Huntingdon, so Philipsburg-Osceola can’t be looking past the Bearcats.
STATE COLLEGE
State College (0-0) at Gateway (0-0)
Friday, Aug. 23, 7 p.m.
Monroeville
The Gateway Gators may have only been 5-6 last season, but the team finished first in the WPIAL 5A Big East Conference with a perfect 5-0 record.
Gateway lost to the biggies — Mt. Lebanon, North Hills, McKeesport, Central Catholic and Moon Area — but there were also wins over teams like Hempfield, Penn-Trafford, Norwin and Franklin Regional.
For State College, coming off a 7-4 record and a trip to the 6A PIAA regional finals, it will be the first time traveling west for a season opener in some time.
But with many of its offensive and defensive players returning — except for D’Antae Sheffey — the Little Lions will be ready to begin the season on a positive note.
Quarterback Eddie Corkery will be back, along with all-everything receiver Ty Salazar and a very tough defensive front seven.
Salazar led the team last year in receiving yards per game, receiving TDs and total TDs, while Corkery completed 144 of 250 passes for 2,170 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The Lions did finish third in the Mid Penn Commonwealth with a 6-2 record in 2023, but losses to Downingtown East, Harrisburg and Cumberland Valley left the team short of its goals.
Yet the new season, with Gateway, Altoona, Harrisburg and CV the first four opponents, offers new opportunities.
It all starts, however, with an important game against an unpredictable Gateway team, away, on Friday, Aug. 23.
