Here’s what to look for and how to watch Week 6 of Centre County high school football
Week 6 of the high school football season is set to kick off Friday night in Centre County. Each team has now played multiple games and all five local schools are at least nearing the halfway point of the season.
Bald Eagle Area, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and State College will all head on the road while Bellefonte will play host this weekend. They’ll take on rival Bald Eagle in this year’s iteration of the Curtin Bowl.
Let’s take a look at the four matchups in Week 6.
Philipsburg-Osceola (1-3) at Tyrone (4-0)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: Link can be found on Philipsburg-Osceola’s social media pages
Coaches: PO — Jeff Vroman; T — John Franco
Last meeting: Tyrone 22-16, last season
Players to watch: PO — Kaleb Stamm, RB; T — Damon Gripp, WR
The skinny: The Mountaineers have struggled in recent weeks, and Tyrone isn’t likely to stop P-O skid. The Golden Eagles are one of two undefeated teams in the Mountain League and have proven their worth as a strong defensive team that can score when it needs to.
They’re led — on both sides of the ball — by Damon Gripp, who excels on the outside at both cornerback and wide receiver. The senior can flip a game defensively with his ball skills and instincts — he already has three interceptions — and can break a game open when he gets the ball in his hands on offense. Gripp has 24 catches for 463 yards and five touchdowns on the year and will be the focus of the Golden Eagle offense.
Offensively, Philipsburg-Osceola should look to control the ball and control the clock against Tyrone. Their running game is clearly their strength and it’s headed by running back Kaleb Stamm. The Mountaineers’ best path to victory is keeping the game close and keeping Gripp away from the ball. Running the ball will make it much harder for him to create turnovers and keeping the ball will prevent him from taking the field on offense.
Stamm will have to get plenty of carries and rack up enough yards to keep the chains moving if P-O wants to hang around Friday night.
Penns Valley (1-2) at Central (5-0)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: N/A
Coaches: PV — Martin Tobias; C — Dave Baker
Last meeting: Penns Valley 42-21, last season
Players to watch: PV — Stephen Ripka, WR; C — Jeff Hoenstine, QB
The skinny: Penns Valley stayed with one of the top teams in the league — Tyrone — last week, and will have to take on the other unbeaten Mountain League team this week.
The Rams will be dealing with the best offense and arguably the best player in the league. QB Jeff Hoenstine has been nothing short of dominant for the Scarlet Dragons through five games. He’s accrued 1,353 yards and 18 touchdowns on 79-of-122 passing this season. While his passing stats are impressive, it’s his mobility that makes him so dangerous. Hoenstine can escape tackles with ease and finds himself time to hit his playmakers downfield.
Stopping the sophomore is nearly impossible, but slowing him down is a necessity for Penns Valley to win.
On offense they will have to keep pace with Hoenstine and the Scarlet Dragons. That could lead to more looks for receiver Stephen Ripka, who has proven to be a big-play threat for the Rams. He’s caught three of senior quarterback Aidan Brinker’s four touchdown passes this year and has 12 catches for 130 yards through three games. Brinker will need to hit his playmakers on the outside in order to help his Rams keep pace and Ripka should be one of those weapons he finds.
Bald Eagle Area (2-2) at Bellefonte (1-3)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: WJAC (TV), Bellefonte Athletics Streaming on YouTube
Coaches: BEA — Jesse Nagle; B — Shannon Manning
Last meeting: Bellefonte 38-0, last season
Players to watch: BEA — Owen Irvin, WR; B — Jamal Saunders, RB
The skinny: Friday night’s clash between the Eagles and Red Raiders could set the tone for the remainder of each of the combatants’ seasons.
The Eagles are trying to get above .500 for the first time this season after alternating losses and wins through the first four weeks.
To get there this week, they’ll need wide receiver Owen Irvin to continue to be the No. 1 option in their offense. He has over 100 receiving yards in three of the team’s four games this year and has three touchdowns thus far. His 369 receiving yards this season is over twice as many as any other player the Eagles have. Irvin’s success is crucial to Bald Eagle Area’s offensive success this season.
On the other sideline will stand Jamal Saunders, who broke out in a big way in Bellefonte’s win over Huntingdon last week. The sophomore running back rushed for 300 yards on only 18 carries in the win and provided relief to star quarterback Ethan Rossman, who led the team in rushing this season until last week’s game happened.
Saunders is a dynamic athlete with the speed to break away and the power to plow through defenders. His role should only increase as the season progresses, with Friday night being his first opportunity to build off his breakout performance.
State College (1-1) at Carlisle (1-1)
Time: 7 p.m.
How to watch: N/A
Coaches: SC — Matt Lintal; C — Brett Ickes
Last meeting: State College 53-12, last season
Players to watch: SC — Sammy Knipe, S; C — Sean Smith, RB
The skinny: State High earned its first win last week in a resounding 31-0 win over Cumberland Valley in its only home game of the year, and will now head on the road the rest of the season. This Friday that means a road matchup with the run-heavy Carlisle Thundering Herd.
The Thundering Herd won their season opener on the back of running back Sean Smith and his explosive rushing performance. He tallied 245 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries in their 21-9. The senior running back struggled in their second game of the season against Central Dauphin and that contributed to the team’s 35-0 loss. Smith is an important cog in the Carlisle offense and will have to be at the top of his game Friday night.
The Little Lions broke off several big plays last week in their win over Cumberland Valley and SammyKnipe was the beneficiary of one of those big plays. His 61-yard touchdown sealed the win for State College, but it’s his defense that’s stood out thus far in 2020. The senior safety is committed to Navy to play football and showed why the program likes him Friday night. He’s an excellent tackler who can lay big hits on offensive players in the open field.
He’s a clear leader on the defensive side of the ball and should be all over the field making plays against the Thundering Herd.
This story was originally published October 15, 2020 at 9:59 AM.
