Central Dauphin East started fast at State College on Sept. 29, but the Panthers could not keep it going and the Little Lions swept past them in a 43-17 win, while undefeated Bald Eagle Area kept up its blistering pace with a 55-7 win over Bellefonte in the Curtin Bowl.
Philipsburg-Osceola took a first-half lead against Bellwood-Antis, but penalties and mistakes took their toll and P-O fell, 20-7.
And in Clearfield, a quickly improving Bison team asserted itself in a 35-7 win over Penns Valley.
On Oct. 6, the marquee game is those 5-1 Bison traveling to BEA for an LHAC biggie, while Bellefonte goes to Philipsburg still looking for its first win.
Unbeaten Central Martinsburg will be at Penns Valley, and State College will look for its fourth Mid Penn win at Carlisle.
Here’s a closer look at each game:
Clearfield (5-1) at Bald Eagle Area (6-0)
Friday, Oct. 6
Bald Eagle Area quarterback Carson Nagle completed 25 of 32 passes for 382 yards and six touchdowns in the Eagles’ 55-7 win over Bellefonte in the Curtin Bowl on Sept. 29.
Maybe that’s all that needs to be said about that game.
Nagle threw touchdown passes of 1 yard to Nick Wible, 21 and 23 to Kahale Burns, 29 to Gavin Burns, 28 to Beau Taylor and 41 to Cameron Dubbs.
The Eagles did run for 46 yards on 12 carries, and Dubbs and Preston Reed both had running touchdowns, but Nagle’s incredible night was the story of the game.
For the season so far, just six games, Nagle has 114 completions for 1,694 yards and 20 touchdowns. That’s 19 completions and 282 yards each game.
Combine that with 600-plus rushing yards and a defense that is giving up just 13 points per game and it is not surprising that the team is undefeated.
This week, though, all of that will be severely tested by a Clearfield team that closely matches BEA yard for yard.
While BEA gains 390 yards per game, Clearfield gets 386, but the Bison are run-heavy. They go for 210 on the ground each game, and their defense gives up just 1 point more, 14.3 ppg, than the Eagles do.
Clearfield does have a loss — to Forest Hills in Week 2 — so the Bison will need a win to keep pace in the Laurel Highlands Conference. They are tied for second place with Penn Cambria at 5-1, while BEA is in a tie for first place at 6-0.
The game, then, is an important one for all involved and, given the contrasting styles, it could be an instant classic.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Wingate.
Bellefonte (0-6) at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-5)
Friday, Oct. 6
Things didn’t go well for either Bellefonte or Philipsburg-Osceola last week.
The Raiders’ pass defense was shredded by BEA’s passing game in a 55-7 loss in the Curtin Bowl, while P-O could not capitalize on some early successes and saw 1-5 Bellwood-Antis rally in the second half for a 20-7 win.
The Mounties took a 7-0 lead into halftime, but the Devils rallied for all 20 of their points in the second half and held P-O scoreless for their first win of the season.
All three touchdowns were scored by freshman Alex McCartney on runs of 36, 7 and 6 yards.
The third touchdown came with just 3:21 left in the game and assured the Devils of their initial victory after five losses.
In Bellefonte, the Raiders’ pass defense was not up to a stellar night by BEA quarterback Carson Nagle and they fell, 55-7.
Nagle threw for almost 400 yards and six touchdowns as BEA took a 41-0 lead at halftime and coasted out from there.
Now these teams will meet on Friday, with both looking to rebound from last week.
P-O has its only win over Huntingdon in Week 1, while Bellefonte is still searching. The Raiders had been improving, but the Eagles’ game was a step back.
A win by either team would be significant, especially with the season winding into its final four weeks of regulation play.
Last year, Bellefonte prevailed by 1 point. There is no reason to believe the margin, either way, will not be just as close.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Philipsburg.
Central (6-0) at Penns Valley Area (4-2)
Friday, Oct. 6
The Penns Valley Rams have four solid wins so far, but the Rams are running into a very tough stretch in their schedule.
Last week, PV took on 5-1 Clearfield away and the Bison scored 35 unanswered points in the first half and romped to a 35-7 win.
Clearfield racked up over 350 yards of offense in the rally, while the Bison defense was holding Penns Valley to just a late touchdown.
The loss was the second for the Rams, who will next go up against old Mountain League rival Central Martinsburg at home on Oct. 6.
Central is just as strong as ever and is 6-0 now in the new LHAC.
The Dragons so far have beaten Bellefonte, Somerset, Tyrone, Bellwood-Antis, Bishop Guilfoyle and Huntingdon, 34-21, last week in Huntingdon.
Quarterback Eli Muthler was the catalyst in the Huntingdon game, completing 21 of 33 passes for 257 yards and three touchdowns.
He also ran nine times for 49 yards and another touchdown.
Penns Valley was able to move the ball against Clearfield, but the Rams were not able to convert their drives into points.
This week, they will have to.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Spring Mills.
State College (4-1) at Carlisle (1-5)
Friday, Oct. 6
After Central Dauphin East took a 10-7 lead after the first quarter on Sept. 29 in State College, the Little Lions’ D’Antae Sheffey and Eddie Corkery took over and led the Lions to a going-away, 43-17 win over the Panthers.
Corkery completed 13 of 27 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns, while Sheffey ran 18 times for 157 yards and two more scores.
Corkery’s TDs were to Michael Gaul, twice, and to Daimear Coad.
State College scored 20 points in the second quarter to go ahead 27-10 at halftime, and then the Lions wrapped it up with 10 more in the third quarter.
This week, State High will continue its Mid-Penn Conference schedule with a trip to 1-5 Carlisle.
The Herd began the season with a solid 35-28 win over Mechanicsburg, but since then, things have not gone their way.
The team has lost five in a row — to Governor Mifflin, William Penn, Harrisburg, Chambersburg and Central Dauphin, 50-16, on Sept. 29.
The Herd is tied for last place in the Mid Penn Conference with Altoona at 0-3, while State College is one-half game behind Harrisburg at 4-1.
State College needs a win to keep up, and Carlisle will be trying to break through.
Wins are never easy in Carlisle for the Little Lions, and this game, between CD East and Harrisburg, will not be taken lightly by State High.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Carlisle.
