The District 6 football playoffs began Nov. 3, and No. 1 Bald Eagle Area cruised to a big win over Bishop Guilfoyle at home.
Unfortunately, Penns Valley and Bellefonte did not fare so well.
The No. 7 Rams lost to 10-1 Richland, 45-7, in Johnstown and finished their season with a 6-5 record.
And in Mifflintown, No. 2 seeded Bellefonte fell to Juniata, 37-0, and the Raiders finished their season at 2-9.
Finally, the No. 1 seeded State College Little Lions had a bye in the semifinals of the 6A bracket and will face No. 2 Altoona in the final on Friday, Nov. 10, in Hollidaysburg.
Here’s a closer look at those two games:
No. 5 Forest Hills (8-3) at No. 1 Bald Eagle Area (10-1)
District 6, AA Semifinals
Friday, Nov. 10
Bald Eagle Area broke open a close game with two touchdowns in the second quarter to take a 17-point halftime lead and then cruised home with a 36-14 victory over Bishop Guilfoyle on Friday night in Wingate.
The win came in the quarterfinals of the District 6, AA championship tournament and advanced BEA into the semifinal against No. 5 seed Forest Hills on Nov. 10.
Cameron Dubbs ran for 131 yards and three touchdowns as the Eagles scored the first 36 points in the game against the Marauders.
Quarterback Carson Nagle threw for 219 yards and another touchdown, and Nick Wible rounded out the BEA scoring with an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter.
In all, BEA ran up 400 yards of total offense, had 24 first downs and only punted one time in the game.
BG came back and scored twice as time was running out, but it was far too late to cause problems for the Eagles.
Now, BEA will take on No. 5 ranked Forest Hills, 8-3, in the semifinals.
Forest Hills easily took out No. 4 River Valley, 41-13, on Nov. 3 in the quarterfinals to win the spot opposite BEA.
The Rangers, also in the Laurel Highlands Conference along with BEA, had wins this season against Greater Johnstown, Clearfield (22-13), Bedford, Central Cambria, Huntingdon, Somerset, Tyrone (31-29) and River Valley.
Forest Hills is led by junior quarterback Nate Cornell, who has thrown for 1,520 yards and 16 touchdowns, and running back Xander Richardson, who has 101 carries for 812 yards and four touchdowns.
The top receivers are Chase Williamson with 613 yards and six touchdowns and Richardson with 406 yards and five touchdowns.
In all, the Rangers gain 308 total yards per game, including 161 on the ground.
The winner of this game will advance to the finals against either No. 6 Mount Union or No. 2 Richland.
One team will advance to the PIAA tournament.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Wingate.
No. 2 Altoona (5-6) vs No. 1 State College (6-3)
District 6, AAAAAA Championship
Friday, Nov. 10
The State College Little Lions hit a rough patch in their season with consecutive losses to Harrisburg and Cumberland Valley, but SC got back on track in Week 10 against Chambersburg.
The Lions took a 14-0 lead after halftime and then held on for a 21-14 win over the Trojans.
Ty Salazar scored two touchdowns — one on a 35-yard reception and the other on a 20-yard pick-6 — and Owen Yerka scored the other on a run as the Lions won their sixth game of the season against three losses.
Altoona comes into the game with a 5-6 record that includes a 49-7 loss to State College on Sept. 15.
In that game, the Little Lions exploded for 27 points in the second quarter and then another 15 in the third as they pulled away from the Mountain Lions.
Quarterback Eddie Corkery threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, while Travis Bechtel ran for 78 yards and a touchdown and D’Antae Sheffey scored two touchdowns.
Both Salazar and Daimear Coad had over 100 yards receiving.
On Nov. 3, the Mountain Lions won the D6, 6A semifinal with a 26-6 victory over Mifflin County.
Relying almost exclusively on the run, Altoona took a 26-0 lead midway through the fourth quarter after four touchdown rushes by Bron Mosley.
Mosley scored one touchdown in the first quarter, two in the second, and the last one on a 5-yard run in the fourth quarter with seven minutes left to play.
In all, he rushed 26 times for 127 yards while the team ran for 220 yards. Altoona completed just one pass in the game for 43 yards. It was the eighth time this season that Mosley ran for over 100 yards.
The winner of the game will compete in a D6-8-10 regional playoff, with the winner of that advancing to the PIAA tournament.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. at Hollidaysburg High School.
