This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette.
The third week of play for our local high school football teams unfolded with BEA being the sole winner, while the four others took conference losses.
Bald Eagle Area’s offense was in top gear in its win over Penns Valley, but State College could only get two field goals in its 7-6 loss at Harrisburg.
Philipsburg-Osceola lost a rivalry game to Clearfield, and Bellefonte had a long night against Bishop Guilfoyle.
Here’s a brief recap and a look ahead for each team:
BALD EAGLE AREA
Bald Eagle Area (2-1) at Tyrone (1-2)
Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.
Tyrone
Bald Eagle Area quarterback Carson Nagle threw for four touchdown passes and the Eagles ran for three more in a 49-7 victory over Penns Valley on Friday, Sept. 6.
Nagle completed 26 of 37 passes for 426 yards and touchdowns to Wyatt Spackman, Graydyn Fisher, Carnell Noone and Kollin Cunningham in the game.
Along with Nagle’s passing, the running game contributed 134 yards and two touchdowns by Noone (10 carries, 69 yards) and another by senior Alex Surovec.
Bald Eagle Area built a 29-0 lead at the half and increased that to 43-0 heading into the fourth quarter.
In all, Bald Eagle Area gained 582 yards in the contest as the Eagles improved their record to 2-1.
This week, Bald Eagle Area will travel to old Mountain League rival Tyrone (1-2) for an important LHAC contest.
Although the Golden Eagles’ record is just 1-2, both losses came to top-tier teams and were hotly contested.
On Friday, Aug. 23, Tyrone lost late to undefeated Clearfield, 46-20, but came right back the next week to romp over Greater Johnstown, 42-12.
Last week against Central, the Golden Eagles fell behind 13-0 early in the third quarter, came back to within 13-7 after a pass from quarterback Ashton Walk to senior Seth Hoover, but then was unable to break through again.
Central, ultimately, was able to hold on for the 13-7 win, while Tyrone was left with a 1-2 record and a date with Bald Eagle Area coming up.
Walk and Hoover are a dangerous pair for Tyrone that Bald Eagle Area will have to account for, but Nagle seems to have the Bald Eagle Area offense back on track.
STATE COLLEGE
State College (2-1) at Cumberland Valley (2-1)
Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.
Mechanicsburg
State College and Harrisburg went back-and-forth all afternoon at rainy Severance Field, with little to show from either offense.
The Little Lions broke through first with a field goal by Shane Markowski, but the Cougars responded with a touchdown pass from Jaiyon Lewis to Messiah Mickens for 28 yards and a 7-6 lead.
There were just 22 seconds remaining in the second quarter when Mickens scored.
State College got to within 7-6 on another field goal by Markowski late in the third quarter, but the Harrisburg defense — like the Lions defense — held strong for the rest of the game.
Neither team would score again, and the game ended in a 7-6 Cougar victory.
It was State College’s first loss after two consecutive wins, and to get back on track, the Lions will have to deal with 2-1 Cumberland Valley in Mechanicsburg on Friday, Sept. 13.
Cumberland Valley quarterback Grant Shepley has thrown for 177 yards per game so far this season as his team has won twice, over Carlisle and Altoona, and lost to non-league Manheim township.
The Eagles gain just over 35 yards per game on the ground, but Shepley and three senior receivers have to be accounted for.
State College will be playing its second away game in a row, with another one coming up next week at Chambersburg, so a win here will be no easy going but important nonetheless.
PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA
PENNS VALLEY
Philipsburg-Osceola (1-2) at Penns Valley (0-3)
Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.
Spring Mills
Neither Philipsburg-Osceola nor Penns Valley had the kind of success they were hoping for in their games on Friday, Sept. 6.
Philipsburg lost to neighborhood rival Clearfield, 33-7, after some early turnovers and mistakes led to a 20-point Bison lead at halftime that it could not overcome.
Clearfield extended that lead to 26-0 with an early third-quarter score before Philipsburg-Osceola struck with a 26-yard run by Jayden Jones that made it 26-7.
Unfortunately, that was as close as the Mounties would come as Clearfield scored once more and held on for its third win without a loss.
For Philipsburg-Osceola, the loss was its second in three games.
Quarterback Archer Baughman completed 10 passes for 100 yards against the Bison, while Sam McDonald ran for 32 yards and caught four passes for 61 yards.
For Penns Valley, the Rams ran into rejuvenating Bald Eagle Area on Friday, Sept. 6, and took a 49-7 loss.
So far this season for Penns Valley, quarterback Koltin Shawver has thrown for 76 yards per game and run for another 20 ypg, while the team gains 158 yards each outing.
The Rams, however, have not been getting it into the end zone and are averaging just 6 points per game.
These two teams will both be very excited for a game that either one could win, depending on which one makes the fewest turnovers or mistakes. This one will likely not be decided until late in the fourth quarter.
BELLEFONTE
Bellefonte (2-1) at Clearfield (3-0)
Friday, Sept. 13, 7 p.m.
Clearfield
Bellefonte had turnover problems against undefeated LHAC foe Bishop Guilfoyle on Friday, Sept. 6, in Altoona and paid for them dearly in a 41-7 loss.
Two fumbles deep in Raider territory and an interception — along with a highly efficient Guilfoyle offense — led to a 41-point deficit for Bellefonte at halftime and a running clock in the second half.
The Raiders did get a score from Aden Howell but that would be all in their first loss of the season.
And this week, the Raiders will see another undefeated team in old rival Clearfield in Clearfield.
The Bison have wins over Tyrone, 46-20, Forest Hills, 27-7, and Philipsburg-Osceola, 33-7, in their first games and have been playing top-level football both on offense and defense.
They average over 430 yards of offense, led by running back Brady Collins, who is averaging over 220 yards every game.
Quarterback Xavier Curry throws for another 101 yards, and it’s easy to see where all of those points come from.
Up to last week, the Raiders were moving the ball efficiently as well, with quarterback Liam Halterman passing and running for 130 yards per game and sophomore Ashten Howell leading the running game.
But the Guilfoyle loss was a big setback, and the Raiders will have to be at their best to make a comeback here.
Traditionally, these two teams have met many times in the playoffs and in the regular Mountain League season, and every meeting was highly competitive and physical.
Look for the same this year as well.
