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closeBellefonte (1-6) at Penns Valley (1-6)
CDT photo/Nabil K. Mark
Bellefonte’s Torin Miller, right, caught six passes for 135 yards in the Red Raiders’ loss to Central Mountain on Monday. Bellefonte travels to Centre County rival Penns Valley tonight.
When:7 p.m. tonight Where:Penns Valley Athletic Field
Last year:Bellefonte won 14-0 The skinny:Their respective stories sound the same: Lose Week 1, win the following week and drop five straight games.
Their Week 8 preparation time is the same, too. Bellefonte fell to Central Mountain 33-27 and Clearfield thumped Penns Valley 42-6 just four days ago. Both games were postponed three days because of last week’s snow.
OK, somebody really needs a win. A few days to heal wouldn’t hurt, but this is all about the guaranteed No. 2.
“Obviously one of us is going to get a win and will be feeling pretty good about getting that second ‘W,’” said Penns Valley coach Martin Tobias, whose team defeated Bald Eagle Area on Sept. 11. “When you play week in and week out and the kids give as much effort as they have, it gives the winner something to feel good about.”
Neither side received much time to analyze Week 7. Both teams returned to practice Tuesday and Wednesday before undergoing their pregame routines Thursday.
A normal high school football week consists of Saturdays and Sundays away from the field, JV games on Mondays, solid Tuesday and Wednesday practices and light Thursdays.
This week’s biggest difference could be the amount of film preparation involved. Neither team openly discussed or dissected its Week 8 opponent until Tuesday.
Tobias encountered the situation twice when games against Moshanon Valley and Juniata Valley were moved to Monday in 1996, his first year as the Rams’ head coach.
“It’s almost like a cram session,” he said.
This marks the first varsity cram session for Bellefonte’s Zac Wynkoop.
“You do the best that you can,” he said. “It’s a crazy week. But they are in the same boat we are in. There’s no advantage.”
Bellefonte and Penns Valley experienced different sensations from Monday’s action.
The Red Raiders continued to show tangible progress as they led Class AAAA Central Mountain 27-21 with less than two minutes remaining before succumbing 33-27. A week earlier, Bellefonte pushed DuBois, another Class AAAA team, losing 20-6.
“We had fun playing football (Monday),” said Wynkoop, whose team defeated Brookville in Week 2. “It was important that we did that. Football is taken seriously and it should be with all that goes into it, but when you break it down, you should have fun with it. That’s the essence of it.”
Penns Valley yielded 35 first-half points against Clearfield, extending a brutal three-game stretch where it has been outscored 107-12.
The Red Raiders and Rams share one disturbing similarity: They possess sloppy tendencies. The teams enter tonight with minus-9 turnover margins. Bellefonte has committed 22 turnovers through seven games, one more than Penns Valley.
“It very well could come down to the team that minimizes the damages,” Tobias said.
Next week:Bellefonte at Indian Valley; Penns Valley at Tyrone
St. Marys (5-2) at Philipsburg-Osceola (3-4)
When:7 p.m. tonight Where:Memorial Stadium Last year:St. Marys won 42-13 The skinny:While Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte and Penns Valley formulate ways to earn their second wins, Philipsburg-Osceola is pondering playoff possibilities.
The Mounties are ninth in the race for eight District Class AA spots. P-O, which has 350 points, trails No. 8 Ligonier Valley by 30 points. Central Cambria is seventh with 440 points. Ligonier Valley and Central Cambria are both 4-3.
Tonight represents a potential boon for the Mounties. A victory over the Flying Dutchmen would yield 170 points — 120 for defeating a Class AAA opponent and 50 for the five wins St. Marys accumulated.
“It’s time for the kids to step up and decide what they are going to do,” P-O coach Jeff Vroman said. “I have told them the last couple of days it’s there for the taking.”
Earning those 170 points might take P-O’s best game this season.
Vroman praised the Flying Dutchmen by calling them a “grind it out” group. A run-first offense and stout defense has St. Marys sitting atop the District 9 Class AAA points standings.
St. Marys, like P-O, operates a wing-T offense. The Flying Dutchmen average 245.7 rushing yards per game and running back Kevin Hoy has 1,071 yards on 156 carries.
“They have a good core of kids and they really perform well for them,” Vroman said.
A victory over a non-county opponent would help P-O’s playoff hopes. The Mounties posted convincing victories over BEA, Bellefonte and Penns Valley, but they have been outscored 123-49 by their other four opponents. P-O has committed 15 of its 16 turnovers during the four losses.
The Mounties’ closing stretch also includes Chestnut Ridge and Huntingdon. A win tonight would temporarily alleviate the pressure P-O faces.
“It’s game to game and the kids have to understand that one week you can be in and the next week you can be out,” Vroman said. “We were eighth last week and now we are ninth. We put ourselves in there and that’s the way we are approaching it.”
Next week:Philipsburg-Osceola at Chestnut Ridge
Bald Eagle Area (1-6) at Huntingdon (5-2)
When:7 p.m. tonight Where:War Vets Field Last year:Huntingdon won 17-6 The skinny:Huntingdon takes pride in its football program, something evident when stepping into ultra-cool War Vets Field or visiting the program’s user-friendly Web site.
The Bearcats also take pride in their special teams and those units might be one of BEA’s biggest worries.
“They do an excellent job of executing their special teams,” coach Jack Tobias said.
Solid special teams play has helped Huntingdon play seven competitive games. The Bearcats haven’t won by more than 19 points or lost by more than eight.
Difference makers include punter Andrew Cerrett, kicker Andrew Hallahan and returners Nathan Mykutt, Scott Minor and Houston Riley. Cerrett, who’s headed to Temple next fall, averages 41.3 yards per punt with a long of 59 while Hallahan has converted six field goals.
Playing away from Huntingdon’s kick and punt returners would be wise.
In the Bearcats’ opener against Mount Union, Riley returned a kickoff 57 yards for a touchdown. Mykutt scored the following week against Tyrone by returning a kickoff 97 yards. Two weeks later, he returned a kickoff 86 yards against St. Marys. Huntingdon’s latest big special teams play was its most important as Minor’s 50- yard fourth-quarter punt return led to a 27-20 victory over Indian Valley on Oct. 9.
Tobias said he has emphasized Huntingdon’s special teams prowess this week.
“We put a decent amount of time into special teams every week,” Tobias said. “We look at what the other team does and try to familiarize our kids with that.”
The Eagles committed their lone major special teams gaffe when they allowed Clearfield’s Trey Campman to return a kickoff 80 yards two weeks ago. Brock Bathurst (20.1 yards per kickoff return), Kyle Womer (35 yards per punt) and Kyle Kinley (three field goals) have developed into special teams assets for BEA.
“They have been consistent,” Tobias said. “Brock has done a nice job and he’s a block or two from taking one a long way, Kyle Kinley is coming along at kicker and we’re trying to get him to place the ball and Kyle Womer has done a nice job.”
Next week:Lewistown at Bald Eagle Area
Regional Games of Interest
Clearfield (4-3) at Central (7-0), Saturday —The Bison’s well-run spread offense should test Central’s defense.
Hollidaysburg (4-3) at Cedar Cliff (4-3) —Golden Tigers are 4-0 since three straight losses to Class AAAA opponents. The Colts are a Class AAAA team, coming off a win over Altoona.
Central Dauphin (5-2) at Chambersburg (4-3) —The Trojans could be playoff-bound with a victory.
In Print
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