Two local high school football teams that came up with big wins on Oct. 30 won’t be playing Friday night because of COVID-19 concerns.
Penns Valley (3-3) and Philipsburg-Osceola (2-5) were scheduled to play Friday night in Philipsburg but the game has been canceled because several Mountie players are in quarantine. The game had already been rescheduled from Sept. 18, when Penns Valley players were quarantined after coming into contact the prior week with a Clearfield player who tested positive.
Last week Penns Valley picked up a 20-0 win over Bald Eagle, while P-O came up with its second win of the season with a victory over Northern Cambria.
Bellefonte’s season came to an end after falling to Juniata, 24-21, in the District 6 4A championship last week.
Two county teams playing on Friday night are both coming off losses: BEA’s fell to the Rams and State College lost to Mid-Penn foe Harrisburg, 41-6
Here’s a brief look at each game:
CENTRAL CAMBRIA (3-3) AT BALD EAGLE AREA (2-5)
NOV. 6 WINGATE
The Bald Eagle offense had an off night against Penns Valley in the rain on Friday night, and that did not bode well against the very tough Ram defense.
The Rams held BEA without a point and muscled in three touchdowns in a 20-0 victory that kept the Old Iron Bell in Spring Mills.
Penns Valley quarterback Aidan Brinker threw for 160 yards and two touchdown passes and ran for another score as PV evened its record at 2-2.
Mason Lieb and Stephen Ripka caught the TD passes from Brinker, and the quarterback took care of the other one with a short third-quarter run.
For the Eagles, now 2-5, the season will continue this week when 3-3 Central Cambria visits Wingate.
Central Cambria has wins so far against Forest Hills, Cambria Heights, and Greater Johnstown, but the Red Devils have lost their last three to Penn Cambria, Bishop McCort and Richland (2A Playoffs).
CC runs a balanced offense led by quarterback Ian Little and running back Hobbs Dill, both juniors.
Little has thrown for 646 yards and six touchdowns on 35 completions while Dill has 660 yards on 96 attempts and 11 touchdowns. He averages 110 yards on the ground per game.
The Devils also run a very aggressive defense with 12 sacks and eight interceptions.
For its part, BEA will be trying to get back on track led by the passing and running of quarterback Garrett Burns.
STATE COLLEGE (2-3) AT CHAMBERSBURG (2-3)
NOV. 6, CHAMBERSBURG
State College reshuffled its schedule to accommodate a game against Harrisburg on Monday, Oct. 26, that would ultimately qualify the Cougars for the D3 Playoffs. The scheduling worked out well for both teams, but the actual game itself was not so good for the Little Lions.
Harrisburg, a potent offensive machine, sprinted out to a 27-0 halftime lead over SC and coasted out to a 41-6 victory. Harrisburg quarterback John McNeil threw for 185 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another as the Cougars just made it under the window for playoff eligibility. But a day later a player a Cougar player tested positive for COVID-19 and Harrisburg had to forfeit its semifinal game against York.
The 2-3 Little Lions meanwhile will continue with their season and visit 2-3 Chambersburg on Friday. Chambersburg is also 2-3 and has wins over CD East (17-8) and Cumberland Valley (20-10) in their last two outings.Earlier, the Trojans lost to Central Dauphin, Carlisle and D6 Champion Altoona.
The Trojans average just over 16 points per game, which is a touchdown per game fewer than SC. However, after last week’s loss to Harrisburg, the Little Lions and quarterback Conrad Moore, who gains over 200 total yards per game, will have to reset and get back on track.
BELLEFONTE FINAL RECORD, 3-4
After defeating Philipsburg-Osceola on Oct. 23, the Bellefonte Raiders qualified for the District 6, 4A Championship against Juniata on Oct. 30. The game turned out to be a back-and-forth affair until Juniata’s Ben Wagner kicked a 23-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter that gave Juniata a 24-21 victory.
Bellefonte’s Jalen Emel was unstoppable in a game in which his team came up just short. Emel ran the ball 25 times for 216 yards and two of the Raider touchdowns.
In all, Bellefonte rang up 352 total yards, but the Raiders were hurt by two costly turnovers. After Emel put the Raiders ahead 21-14 on a 6-yard run with 4:40 left in the third quarter, Juniata quickly tied the game on a 62-yard run by Caleb Seeger. The teams battled into the fourth quarter, but neither was able to score until Wagner’s kick. Bellefonte tried a last-ditch drive, but it was thwarted by a Juniata interception.
With the loss, Bellefonte’s season came to an end with a final record of 3-4.
