Three area teams enter the playoffs on a winning roll: HS football
Three area teams will enter the District 6 playoffs with a win after a 3-2 week for local teams. State College narrowly defeated Cumberland Valley, while Penns Valley dominated Philipsburg-Osceola, whose season has come to an end. At Bellefonte, the Red Raiders defeated rival Bald Eagle to close the regular season and carry a three-game winning streak into their first-round matchup with Bradford. First up, the Little Lions and their close victory.
1. State College defeated Cumberland Valley 16-13 Friday night in its regular season finale. Most importantly for the Little Lions, sophomore running back Dresyn Green stayed red hot on offense, racking up 177 rushing yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Green has emerged as one of State College’s best offensive weapons in their last three games. Over that span he has 430 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on 40 carries. Green’s next chance to continue his roll will come in the playoffs for the Little Lions. State College will take on Mifflin County at home on Friday at 7 p.m. in the District 6 6A Finals.
2. Penns Valley jumped on Philipsburg-Osceola early Friday night and never looked back, defeating the Mounties, 56-7. The Rams were led by junior quarterback Aaron Tobias, who lit up the Mounties’ defense. Tobias completed 15 of his 21 pass attempts for 216 yards and five touchdowns on the night. He spread his five touchdowns around, hitting four different receivers, but threw seven of his 15 completions to junior tight end Logan Snyder, who finished with 103 yards and two touchdowns. The Rams will play Southern Huntingdon County at home on Friday at 7 p.m. in the first round of the District 6 2A playoffs.
3. With the defeat, the Mounties’ season came to a disappointing end, finishing the year with a record of 1-9. In the loss, Philipsburg-Osceola may have found its starting running back for the 2019 season. Sophomore Kaleb Stamm finished the game with 17 carries for 75 yards, good for 4.4 yards per carry. Stamm’s performance should give the Mounties some confidence that he can carry the load next season.
4. Bellefonte closed its regular season with a 10-9 win over rival Bald Eagle Friday night, thanks to a 22-yard field goal by senior kicker Chris Persiko. The Red Raiders once again utilized their potent rushing attack to control the clock and the game. They finished with 178 total rushing yards on 40 carries, and were led by junior running back C.J. Funk, who had 19 carries for 77 yards. Senior defensive end Caleb Rockey wreaked havoc in the Bald Eagle backfield, finishing with two sacks and three hurries. That makes five sacks in two games for Rockey, who is now up to 17 on the year after not recording a sack for three weeks. Funk, Rockey, and the Red Raiders will play Bradford at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Bald Eagle in the first round of the District 6 4A playoffs.
5. Bald Eagle will have to get its offense rolling again if it wants to make a deep run in the playoffs. Through seven weeks of the season, the Eagles had scored at least 30 points in every game they played and won all seven games. The last three weeks, they’ve scored 40 total points and have gone 1-2. The Eagles will face a familiar opponent this weekend when they play Huntingdon this weekend in the first round of the District 6 3A playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on Friday at Bald Eagle.