Here’s what to look for and how to watch Week 5 of Centre County high school football
The high school football season is in full swing with every Centre County team taking the field this weekend for the second week in a row.
Bald Eagle and Bellefonte will head on the road while Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College will all play at home Friday night.
The Little Lions will be playing their first game at Memorial Field in more than a year after it had been closed last season for the completion of its more than $14,000,000 renovation project. Football players have been given a limited number of tickets for family members, and there will be no public ticket sales. The adjacent Sidney Friedman Parklet will also be closed to spectators, as it will be occupied by select members of the marching band.
Let’s take a look at the four matchups in Week 5.
Bellefonte (0-3) at Huntingdon (0-4)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: N/A
Coaches: B — Shannon Manning; H — Shane Thomas
Last meeting: Bellefonte 47-3, last season
Players to watch: B — Jamal Saunders, RB; H — Myles Baney, RB
The skinny: The last two winless teams in the Mountain League will face off when the Red Raiders take on the Bearcats.
Bellefonte comes into the game having played multiple competitive games, but they struggled to catch up to Penns Valley last week after going down 14-0 in the first quarter. The Red Raiders played a large portion of the game without star senior quarterback Ethan Rossman, who also leads the team in rushing.
His status for Friday night’s game is unknown, but if he can’t play, Saunders — a sophomore — could pick up some of the slack. He picked up 55 yards on five carries last week and has the talent to help mitigate the production lost if Rossman doesn’t play.
Baney is Huntingdon’s leading rusher and has toted the rock at least 10 times in each game this season. The Bearcats have struggled to generate offense consistently through four games, but if that changes this game, it will likely be because Baney is able to lead the offense on the ground and grind out difficult yards for his team.
Tyrone (3-0) at Penns Valley (1-1)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: N/A
Coaches: T — John Franco; PV — Martin Tobias
Last meeting: Penns Valley 62-14, last season
Players to watch: T — Brandon Lucas, QB; PV — Stephen Ripka, WR
The skinny: Penns Valley locked down its first win of the season last week and will be rewarded by meeting one of three undefeated teams left in the Mountain League.
The Golden Eagles travel to Spring Mills tied atop the league standings with a quarterback who has been a threat through the air and on the ground.
Lucas has rushed for 162 yards on 26 carries to go with 506 passing yards on 27-of-55 passing thus far this season. He’s been one of the crucial parts of the Tyrone offense and should be the focal point of Penns Valley’s scouting report heading into the week.
The Rams will try to match Lucas with their own offensive firepower. Senior quarterback Aidan Brinker leads the unit and established a favorite target last week. Ripka hauled in four passes for 101 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s victory over Bellefonte.
He and Brinker will look to carry the momentum they established against the Red Raiders into Friday night’s matchup with the Golden Eagles.
Bald Eagle (1-2) at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-2)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: Link will be provided on Philipsburg-Osceola social media accounts
Coaches: BEA — Jesse Nagle; P-O — Jeff Vroman
Last meeting: Bald Eagle 32-7, last season
Players to watch: BEA — Garrett Burns, QB; P-O — Kaleb Stamm, RB
The skinny: Friday will be an opportunity to bounce back for both the Eagles and the Mountaineers.
Bald Eagle is coming off a heartbreaking 15-12 loss to Tyrone at home last Friday in which they gave up a touchdown in the waning minutes of the game. Their offense struggled to get going in the game and will need to rebound this week.
Burns is the focal point of that offense and has formed a connection with wide receiver Owen Irvin in the passing game. The duo has been a key piece to getting points on the board for the Eagles and will likely do the same this weekend against a Mountaineer defense that has given up at least 40 points in the last two games.
Philipsburg-Osceola will need its bellcow to be the star of the game to pick up its second win of the season. Stamm has 330 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 49 carries to lead the team this season.
He’s the most productive player in the Mountaineers’ run-heavy attack and will likely carry the team to victory when it wins this season.
Cumberland Valley (1-1) at State College (0-1)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: WHVL (TV); SCASD Athletics YouTube Channel
Coaches: CV — Josh Oswalt; SC — Matt Lintal
Last meeting: State College 33-21, last season
Players to watch: CV — Derik Sauve, LB; SC — Conrad Moore, QB
The skinny: State College will finally play its first game in the newly renovated Memorial Field Friday night. The Little Lions will take on the Eagles — who they played in last year’s regular season finale at Beaver Stadium.
The Eagles have split their first two games as they transition from a Wing-T offense to a spread offense under Oswalt. They eked out their first win under Oswalt with a crucial stop on a 2-point conversion last week against Central Dauphin East.
Sauve — one of the team’s captains — hauled in 4 passes for 55 yards and made the game-winning tackle on the 2-point conversion.
State College will try to attack the Eagle defense with Moore — a senior — who led the team in rushing last week after breaking off an 88-yard touchdown run in the season opener. Moore completed under half of his passes last week but has the ability to make plays with his arm and legs in Lintal’s offense.
The senior quarterback will be tasked with leading the team out onto Memorial Field for the first time since 2018 in search of their first win of the season.
