Here’s 3 takeaways from Week 9 of Centre County high school football
Week 9 of high school football in Centre County has wrapped up with local teams going 2-1.
Philipsburg-Osceola didn’t play because multiple football players are quarantining in relation to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a spokesperson confirmed, and Bellefonte ended its season last week.
The Penns Valley Rams and State College Little Lions were able to earn victories, while the Bald Eagle Area Eagles let a win slip through their fingers Friday night.
Let’s take a look at three takeaways from the three games that took place.
1. Penns Valley wins despite chaos
It would’ve been easy for the Rams to lay an egg Friday night when they traveled to play Line Mountain in their seventh game of the year. They picked the game up Thursday evening after Philipsburg-Osceola canceled the matchup between the Mountaineers and Rams. Instead, they went on the road and crept above .500 for the first time this season and will have an opportunity to finish the season at 5-3. They defeated the Eagles 35-12 and are currently 4-3 on the year. The win marks three in a row for the Rams after beginning their season by going 1-3.
2. State College hangs on after giving up lead
The Little Lions looked like they were going to run away with an easy victory Friday night in their road matchup with Chambersburg. They jumped out to a 28-7 on the back of three Jashaun Green touchdowns. But the Trojans wouldn’t be silenced, scoring 14 straight points before the half to make it a 28-21 game.
State High once again built its lead back to two scores at 35-21 before Chambersburg once again scored 14 straight to force overtime. After a scoreless first overtime, the Little Lions were able to get on the board with a touchdown run by Nehemiah Howell and closed out a 42-35 victory with an interception by defensive lineman Zach Hiyajneh on the Trojans’ possession. State High struggled in the game, but proved it had the discipline and talent to hang tight and earn the victory.
3. Bald Eagle Area shows its youth once again
The Eagles — like the Little Lions — appeared to be in control of their game Friday night, before ultimately falling 22-19. They led the Central Cambria Red Devils 19-7 with less than five minutes left in the game and were in position to earn their first victory since their Oct. 9 win over Philipsburg-Osceola.
Instead, Bald Eagle showed its youth once again this season and collapsed in the closing moments of the game. The Red Devils scored a touchdown with 55 seconds left on the clock to cut it to a 19-14 game, but they still needed some luck to go their way. That’s exactly what happened when they recovered the ensuing onside kick and scored again seconds later. That was all it took as Bald Eagle couldn’t find a response.
The Eagles are now 2-6 on the season. They’ve struggled after losing last year’s senior class, which led the program to its first ever PIAA semifinals appearance.
This story was originally published November 7, 2020 at 8:00 AM.
