Here’s 5 takeaways from Week 4 of Centre County high school football
Friday night was Centre County’s first full slate of high school football action of the season. All five county schools were in action, but not many found success.
Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College all lost Friday night, while Penns Valley was the lone county program to notch a victory.
Let’s take a look at five takeaways from Week 4.
1. Bellefonte’s offensive struggles continue
The Red Raiders lost to Penns Valley Friday night, 28-14, and marked the third straight game this year in which they failed to score more than 14 points. Senior quarterback Ethan Rossman threw an interception and the team lost a fumble in the game, continuing its struggles with turnovers. The Red Raiders utilize a run-heavy spread attack that can grind away at teams and hit on big plays in the process. However, those opportunities have been few and far between this season as they struggle to maintain possession.
The loss drops Bellefonte to 0-3 on the season. In those three games they’ve scored 14, 13 and 14 points, in that order. That won’t cut it as they approach the halfway mark of the season. Without noticeable improvement on that side of the ball, this team could continue to struggle the rest of the way.
2. Bald Eagle battles until the end
Tyrone came into Friday night as one of three undefeated Mountain League teams and left in the same standing — but it didn’t come easily. Bald Eagle fought tooth and nail with the Golden Eagles throughout Friday night’s turnover-filled game until the bitter end. The Eagles ultimately fell to the Golden Eagles, 15-12, in a game that showed what Bald Eagle could accomplish when its at its best, while also exhibiting the team’s youth.
Both teams struggled to finish possessions on several occasions and frequently ended them by giving the ball back to the other team. The Eagles gave the ball away far more than any team would want to, but their defense managed to get it back on plenty of occasions. While the game still ended in defeat, there’s plenty of reason for optimism surrounding Bald Eagle with how well its defense played.
3. Penns Valley comes back to the field with a vengeance
The Rams hadn’t played a snap of football against an opponent since their season-opening loss to Clearfield on Sept. 11. Three weeks later they took the field with the attitude of a team that desperately wanted to get back to playing football. They jumped on Bellefonte early, putting up 14 points in the game’s first quarter and never looking back from there. Quarterback Aidan Brinker showed off his dual-threat ability in the game, rushing for 97 yards and throwing for 148 yards and three touchdowns on 10-of-15 passing, with all three touchdowns going to wide receiver Stephen Ripka.
Brinker’s performance is a positive for the Rams and showed what the offense could look like the rest of the season with him leading the way.
4. Philipsburg-Osceola’s struggles continue
The Mountaineers started their season off well with a 35-20 win over Huntingdon, but have struggled to carry that momentum forward. They lost their second straight game when they fell to Clearfield, 42-6, on Friday night. The loss comes on the heels of a 40-14 defeat at the hands of a high-powered Central team last week.
Philipsburg-Osceola couldn’t get its offense going and wasn’t able to score until late in the third quarter when the game was well in hand. There’s still a long road ahead for the team under head coach Jeff Vroman, who is trying to resurrect the program after it went years without winning multiple games. Friday night wasn’t ideal for the head coach, but he and the Mountaineers can take solace in the fact that their last two games have come against two of the most talented teams in the Mountain League.
5. State College struggles offensively in its season opener
The Little Lions took the field for the first time all season Friday night and spent much of the game shaking off the cobwebs. They fell behind on the first play of the game when Central Dauphin returned the opening kick for a touchdown. After that, it was all Rams. State College couldn’t get its offense rolling and was unable to score until there were under three minutes left in the third quarter. The Little Lions were already in a 28-0 hole at that point and were unable to climb their way out of it, falling to Central Dauphin, 35-13.
State High’s struggles can be attributed — in part — to the one-week delay they had that other Mid Penn teams didn’t, but the team has to show it can score more frequently than it did in this one to meet its usual standard of play and make a run in the playoffs.
