Why area high school football teams are primed for playoff success
It’s finally playoff time and four area football teams are in action this weekend. No. 4 seed Penns Valley takes on no. 5 seed Southern Huntingdon County at home in the District 6 2A Quarterfinals. Two games will be played at Bald Eagle this weekend, with no. 2 seed Bellefonte hosting no. 3 seed Bradford at Bald Eagle in a 4A semifinal matchup, and no. 1 seed Bald Eagle hosting Huntingdon in a 3A semifinal. But first, State College hosts Mifflin County in the D6 6A Finals, with the winner going to next week’s PIAA subregional matchup with the winner of the D8 and D10 game.
Mifflin County (6-4) at State College (9-1)
Time: 7 p.m. (Friday)
Coaches: MC – Scot Sechler; SC – Matt Lintal (fifth season)
Last meeting: State College 35-12, week one
Players to watch: MC – Noah Wright, Sr., QB; SC – Tommy Friberg, Sr., QB
The skinny: Mifflin County enters the playoffs white hot, winning six games in a row. Its last loss was to Northern York, 20-13 on September 14. State College, which has won its last three games, will try to repeat its performance from week one, when the Little Lions defeated the Huskies, 35-12.
If Mifflin County hopes to upset State College, they’ll need senior quarterback Noah Wright to step up in a big way. Wright has been a dual threat for the Huskies this season, passing for 1,203 yards and rushing for 270 yards. He’s also scored 15 combined passing and rushing touchdowns so far on the year. In the two teams’ first matchup, Wright threw the ball 22 times, tied for his third highest total in a game this season. If he has to throw that much this week, it will be a bad sign for the Huskies’ chances.
State College will also try to keep its passing attempts down; senior quarterback Tommy Friberg has thrown the ball fewer than 20 times in all nine of the Little Lions’ wins, but threw it 36 times in their lone defeat. Friberg has been highly efficient in those limited attempts, completing 65.3 percent of his passes. Friberg’s efficiency will be on display in what should be another District 6 title for the Little Lions.
Huntingdon (5-5) at Bald Eagle (8-2)
Time: 7 p.m. (Friday)
Coaches: H – Michael Hudy; BEA – Jesse Nagle (third season)
Last meeting: Bald Eagle 30-7, week seven
Players to watch: H – Andrew Hudy, Sr., QB; BEA – Blake Roberts, Sr., RB
The skinny: Huntingdon comes into this week’s playoff matchup riding high on a three-game winning streak during which the team is averaging 50 points a game. Bald Eagle will try to recover from its second loss of the season, a 10-9 defeat at the hands of rival Bellefonte. The Eagles need to jump-start their sputtering offense that has scored just 40 points in their last three games.
Senior quarterback Andrew Hudy leads the Bearcat offense and has stepped up during their three-game winning streak. During that span, he has thrown for 471 passing yards, more than half of his season total, and connected for six passing touchdowns. He’s also made a big impact on the ground, running for 244 yards and five touchdowns in those three games. Hudy has been the engine that makes the Huntingdon offense run, and if he can keep rolling, they’ll have a chance at an upset this week.
Bald Eagle has sputtered in recent weeks, losing two of its last three games of the regular season. That coincides with the loss of offensive weapon Gage McClenahan, who is out for the season with a knee injury. In McClenahan’s absence, the Eagles will need their rushing attack to step up. That duty will fall to senior running back Blake Roberts, who has had a difficult couple of weeks since McClenahan’s injury, carrying the ball 19 times for 56 yards in those two games. He’ll need to step up this week to ensure an Eagle victory.
Bradford (6-4) vs. Bellefonte (8-2)
Time: 5 p.m. (Saturday at Bald Eagle)
Coaches: Br. – Jeff Puglio; B – Shanon Manning (sixth season)
Players to watch: Br. – Donny Pattison, Sr., RB; B – C.J. Funk, Jr., RB
The skinny: Bradford enters playoff action off a 40-0 loss to Oil City. Prior to that, the Owls had won four in a row, scoring exactly 34 points in all four games. Bellefonte comes into Saturday’s game on a three-game winning streak that it will look to extend. The Red Raiders’ last game was a close 10-9 victory over rival Bald Eagle.
The Owls have relied on their rushing attack all year, and that’s unlikely to change this week in what should be a run-heavy game. They’re led by senior running back Donny Pattison, who has rushed for 1,414, yards this season on 151 carries. He’s also found the end zone 17 times on the ground. Pattison has eclipsed 200 rushing yards three times this season and has six games with multiple rushing touchdowns. He’ll be the focal point of the Bradford offense, and he’ll need to be dominant if they want to earn the victory.
The Red Raiders have a dominant runner of their own in junior running back C.J. Funk. He’s carried the ball 156 times this year for 1,363 yards and 16 touchdowns. Like Pattison, Funk also has three games with at least 200 rushing yards, and he has five games with multiple rushing touchdowns. Funk will likely get the ball just as often as Pattison, and it will be his job to better what Pattison contributes to the Owls in order to secure a victory.
Southern Huntingdon County (7-3) at Penns Valley (7-3)
Time: 7 p.m. (Saturday)
Coaches: SHC – Ryan Garlock; PV – Martin Tobias (23 rd season)
Players to watch: SHC – Eric Patton, Sr., RB; PV – Logan Snyder, Jr., TE
The skinny: Southern Huntingdon County travels to Penns Valley on the heels of a 42-20 loss to Bellwood-Antis. The loss was the Rockets’ only one this season by more than one score. Penns Valley enters the playoffs with a hot offense that has scored at least 42 points in three of its last four games. The Rams have won all four games in that stretch. This matchup will pit the Rockets’ dominant rushing attack against the Rams’ well-balanced offense.
Southern Huntingdon’s offense is led by senior running back Eric Patton who has been dominant all season. Patton had 170 carries for 1,381 yards and 15 touchdowns through nine weeks, with stats being unavailable for their matchup with Bellwood-Antis. In the last four games of that time frame, Patton’s lowest output was a 174-yard rushing performance. He also scored 11 of his 15 touchdowns during those four games. Patton will be a big part of the Rocket offense, and he’ll need to be to keep the Rams’ potent attack off the field.
The Rams will take a more balanced approach on offense, and tight end Logan Snyder will be a key part of it. Snyder has caught 59 passes this year for 816 yards and nine touchdowns, with 18 of his receptions coming in the last two weeks. Those 18 catches led to 223 yards and two touchdowns, and Snyder and junior quarterback Aaron Tobias continue to develop their connection on the field. Snyder is averaging 13.8 yards per reception and has been Tobias’ favorite target. If Snyder can have a big week, the Rams have a good chance to advance to the semifinals.