Here’s 4 takeaways from Week 6 of Centre County high school football
Friday night of Week 6 has come and gone in Centre County high school football. Three of the four teams in action lost, while one team had its game postponed.
Bellefonte was the lone team to win, while Bald Eagle, Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola all took losses.
Meanwhile, State College had its game against Carlisle moved to Monday at 6 p.m. after the team came in contact with someone who potentially had COVID-19. The game was officially rescheduled for Monday after the person’s test for the disease came back negative.
Let’s take a look at four takeaways from the four teams who played.
1. Philipsburg-Osceola stays competitive
The Mountaineers may have lost to Tyrone, 35-27, but they can hold their heads high after that game. The Golden Eagles are one of two unbeaten teams left in the Mountain League and P-O was able to hang with them through most of the game. Most importantly, P-O head coach Jeff Vroman has kept to his word in the preseason when he said he wanted his players to learn what it meant to compete again after years of getting blown out every week.
This season the team has found its way in football games, with a few self-inflicted mistakes leading to big differences on the scoreboard. The Mountaineers continue to progress in their first year with Vroman back at the helm.
2. Penns Valley struggles against league’s best
The Rams went up against a foe that has smashed nearly every team its played and Friday night was no different. They fell to the Central Scarlet Dragons, 42-13. Penns Valley — like nearly every team that has faced him — struggled to stop sophomore quarterback Jeff Hoenstine, who accounted for six touchdowns in the Central win. Hoenstine has been a thorn in Centre County’s side, shredding the Mountaineers, Eagles, Red Raiders and now the Rams.
There’s no shame for Penns Valley in getting beaten by the best team in the Mountain League.
3. Bellefonte stays on track
Few teams needed a win more than the Red Raiders this week. Fortunately for them, they got it by taking home their seventh straight Curtin Bowl victory in a 17-7 win over Bald Eagle. The win was the second in a row for a Bellefonte team that seems to be hitting its stride late in the season.
The two wins have been crucial for the Red Raiders who now sit as the No. 2 seed in District 6 Class 4A and would qualify for the postseason if it began after this week. A win next week could lock in their spot as a playoff team this season.
4. Bald Eagle struggles to finish on offense
The Eagles gave themselves numerous opportunities in Red Raider territory Friday night but failed to capitalize. They only put up seven points on their rival after having several chances to punch the ball in from their opponent’s territory. The loss marks seven in a row for Bald Eagle to their cross-town rivals, but the future is still looking bright.
Junior wide receiver Owen Irvin made plenty of plays against the Red Raiders in the loss and scored the team’s lone touchdown in the 17-7 defeat. Irvin has broken out for the Eagles this season and been a bright spot on the young team.
