Penns Valley and Bald Eagle Area both came through with impressive Week 2 wins in the new Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference, while Bellefonte, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College all came up short last Friday night.
The State College loss to Downingtown East was especially wrenching since a last-second, potentially game-winning field goal came agonizingly close in a 28-26 loss to the Cougars in a matchup of looming state powers.
Here is a closer look at each team and this week’s schedule:
Bald Eagle Area (2-0) at Penns Valley (2-0)
Friday, Sept. 8
BEA quarterback Carson Nagle threw for 215 yards and five touchdowns, the Eagles’ defense forced four turnovers and Bald Eagle sprinted away from Central Cambria for a 35-0 victory on Sept. 1 in Ebensburg.
Nagle completed touchdown passes to Cameron Dubbs in the first quarter, Camron Watkins and Gavin Burns in the second quarter and finally Kahale Burns and Beau Taylor in the fourth quarter.
The crusher came to Watkins at the beginning of the second quarter. With the Eagles nursing a 7-0 lead, Nagle led Watkins for a 50-yard catch-and-run that gave his team some breathing room at 14-0.
Two minutes later, after a CC turnover, Nagle found Gavin Burns open for a 10-yard score and the Eagles were on their way to win No. 2.
Down the road at the same time (actually, pretty far down the road in Bedford), the Penns Valley Rams were finishing up a come-from-behind 27-13 win over Bedford in another LHAC contest.
The Rams, down 13-7 at halftime, rallied for 20 unanswered points in the second half and came away with their second win without a loss. PV tied the game after a 73-yard, third-quarter drive, and then went ahead, 20-13, after another long drive, this one 78 yards in the beginning of the fourth quarter.
In all, the Penns Valley offense put up 385 yards of offense, including 222 on the ground led by Ty Watson.
Now the two old neighbors will meet on Friday night in Spring Mills with perfect records on the line.
It will be a game of contrasts, with Nagle and the BEA passing game clashing with running back Watson (with a 199 YPG average) and the Penns Valley ball-control running game.
It will also reignite a long-standing rivalry between the two schools that came to a head last season when Penns Valley, after an earlier loss to BEA, eliminated the Eagles with a 34-14 D6 playoff win.
It is also worth mentioning that with both teams entering critical stretches on their schedules, a win by either one will be a great springboard into the rest of the season.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Bishop Guilfoyle (1-1) at Bellefonte (0-2)
Friday, Sept. 8
The Raiders were up against it again on Sept. 1 at Chestnut Ridge.
The Lions did not do anything fancy, but they used a bruising ground game to wear down Bellefonte and rumble to a 34-6 LHAC win.
Chestnut Ridge scored in every quarter, led by 15-0 at halftime and then ran in another three scores in the second half.
Quarterback Nate Whysong threw for 88 yards, but it was running back Jeb Emerick (101 yards) and Wysong’s legs (76 yards) that did the most damage in a 222-yard, four-touchdown running attack that saw 11 players carry the ball.
Bellefonte did score on a 14-yard pass from quarterback Liam Halterman to Kayden Cooper in the fourth quarter, but it was too late to make a mark.
The Raiders rushed for 123 yards, led by Sherman Lowery with 68 and Halterman with 55, and totaled 169 yards for the game.
This week, at home, Bellefonte will see another LHAC power in Bishop Guilfoyle on Friday night.
Guilfoyle is 1-1 after an opening night loss at BEA and a 51-7 rout of Bishop McCort on Sept. 2 at home in Altoona.
BG led the McCort game 37-7 at halftime, and the two teams played it out in the second half with Guilfoyle adding two more scores in the fourth quarter.
BG got first half touchdowns from Kaden Wayandt runs, twice, Braden Reilly on a 30-yard pass from Ryan Hagg, Hagg on a 24-yard run and DB Jake Kissell on an 18-yard pick six.
Guilfoyle is used to winning in the league, and the Marauders will certainly be aiming for win No. 2 at Bellefonte.
But Bellefonte has played two very tough teams and has shown improvement, most notably in the running game.
It will be interesting to see if that improvement continues Friday.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Rogers Stadium.
Philipsburg-Osceola (1-1) at Clearfield (1-1)
Friday, Sept. 8
Philipsburg-Osceola ran away from Huntingdon in the second half two weeks ago, and the Mounties looked like they were picking it right back up at Penn Cambria on Sept. 1.
P-O began with an impressive opening drive to the PC 11-yard line, but instead of punching it in for a go-ahead touchdown, the ball went the other way. Panther senior Carter McDermott jumped a P-O pass and sprinted 89 yards for a pick six that completely changed the complexion of the game.
From there, it was all PC.
The Panthers scored twice more in the first quarter — on a 32-yard pass and a 15-yard run — and the Mounties never recovered. By halftime, it was 28-3, and the play of the Penn Cambria defense, especially against the run, made sure that there would be no P-O comeback.
P-O passed for 120 yards in the game, but the PC run defense (and seven sacks) held the Mountie running game to minus yardage.
This week, P-O will travel back to Mountain League archrival Clearfield and play the Bison as a LHAC team for the first time.
Clearfield is 1-1 this season with a tense 29-21 victory on opening night over Tyrone and then a 22-13 loss to 2-0 Forest Hills on Sept. 1 in Sidman.
The Bison fell behind Forest Hills 22-0 heading into the fourth quarter, but a 1-yard Will Domico run and a 13-yard Domico pass to Isaac Putt brought the team back to within 22-13.
Unfortunately, Clearfield would run out of time, and Forest Hills prevailed for the win.
It’s often said that you can throw out the record books for old rivalry games like this, and that might especially be true in this one.
If P-O can eliminate mistakes and get some ground yards, this could go far into the fourth quarter.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at the Bison Sports Complex.
State College (1-1) at Hollidaysburg (1-1)
Friday, Sept. 8
Just short.
That unfortunately refers to both the late-game State College rally against Downingtown East on Sept. 1and the last-second, 50-yard field goal attempt that would have won the game in dramatic fashion.
Instead, Downingtown East held on for a heart-pounding 28-26 win at Memorial Field.
The Little Lions were down at one point late in the third quarter by a score of 28-7, but State College would not quit and it slowly clawed back.
First, quarterback Eddie Corkery completed a 13-yard pass to Ty Salazer for a touchdown that made it 28-14 with less than a minute to play in the third quarter.
Then, a Corkery pass to Micheal Gaul inched the Lions closer at 28-20 in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Critically, the extra point was missed, and the gap was left at 8 points.
Finally, with six minutes to play, it was Corkery to Salazer again, this time for 25 yards, and the score was now 28-26.
DWE, however, stopped the two-point conversion and subsequently tried to run out the clock.
It couldn’t, and SC had one more chance. The Lions’ drive stalled on the Downingtown 33 with seconds to play, and the field goal team ran on.
The kick, as the clock ran out, fell a yard short, and the Lions lost a game for the first time in the regular season since 2021.
Now, with Mid Penn Conference play looming, the Lions will finish their non-league schedule with a trip to Hollidaysburg on Friday night.
The Golden Tigers are 1-1 after an exciting 21-13 win over Altoona in Week 1 and then a 30-23 loss to run-happy Alleghany in Cumberland, Maryland, on Sept. 1.
The Campers ran for 349 yards and four touchdowns in the game, but the Tigers still had a chance when they scored in the final minutes of the game and closed it to within 7 points.
It was too late, though, and Alleghany ran out the clock for the win.
Hollidaysburg did gain 321 yards, including 176 through the air with three touchdowns. Quarterback Drew Wyland led the Tigers with 92 yards passing and three scores and 67 yards rushing.
State High can’t wait until the second half to get going this week, especially against what looks like an explosive Hollidaysburg offense.
But the Lions’ motivation will be high, and it’s time to get ready for the biggies in the Mid-Penn.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Hollidaysburg.
