Here’s what to look for in Week 10 of Centre County high school football
Here it is. The final regular season Friday of Centre County high school football’s 2021 campaign.
State College (4-5) is set to take on rival Altoona (4-5) at Memorial Field under the lights; Glendale will travel to take on Penns Valley in a matchup of 5-4 opponents at Bald Eagle Area’s Alumni Stadium; and Philipsburg-Osceola (2-7) travels to take on a strong Ridgway/Johnsonburg (6-3) team. Bellefonte (2-7) and Bald Eagle Area (7-2) will not play this week, due to cancellations.
Here’s a breakdown of the matchups to close out Centre County’s regular season of football.
Altoona (4-5) at State College (4-5)
Time: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Vince Nedimyer (Altoona), Matt Lintal (State College)
Last Meeting: Oct. 23, 2020 (22-21, Altoona)
Players to Watch: RB/OLB Ethan Stroup (Altoona), LB JW Scott (State College)
The Skinny: This is the matchup that could catapult either team into the driver’s seat of their playoff destiny. Whichever team wins will likely be home team for the District 6A title game next week.
Altoona is coming off of a 56-20 loss against Carlisle last week, where Jeremiah Hargrove had three touchdowns and 136 rushing yards against the Mountain Lions. Prior to their blowout loss, Altoona just barely lost to Central Dauphin East in a 52-48 shootout. Their last win came against Chambersburg, 28-14, on Oct. 8.
The Mountain Lions will ride the wave of running back and linebacker Ethan Stroup, who has led the way with 140 carries for 763 rushing yards (5.5 yards per carry) and nine rushing touchdowns. As a defender, the senior has 42 total tackles (all solo) with three sacks, one quarterback hurry and one deflected pass.
State College hung in for a dogfight against Harrisburg last week that came down to the final play. Despite losing 15-13, the Little Lions have high hopes for their game against Altoona. They battled through injuries the entire year and while there are no moral victories in football, they gave their best shot to Carlisle in a 21-14 loss two weeks prior. It only takes one more push to break down that final barrier to get a home playoff game — and that’s Altoona.
JW Scott has been the cog of State College’s linebacking corps with 85 total tackles on the year (50 solo) and three tackles for loss. The junior linebacker has added two sacks and three quarterback hurries on the year.
Glendale (5-4) at Penns Valley (5-4)
Time: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Martin Tobias (Penns Valley)
Last Meeting: N/A
Players to Watch: RB Suds Dubler (Glendale), RB/OLB Ty Watson
The Skinny: Glendale has managed to scrap its way to five victories on the year. Its latest victory came against West Branch in a 21-0 shutout.
Dubler has been a terror as a running back for the Vikings, carrying the ball 90 times for 824 rushing yards (9.2 yards per carry) and 10 rushing touchdowns. He’s added seven receptions for 126 receiving yards, as well. Defensively, Dubler has 60 total tackles (30 solo) and two for loss. He’s added three sacks and one quarterback hurry, along with two interceptions and a blocked field goal.
Penns Valley is coming off of a commanding 40-14 win over Philipsburg-Osceola. It’s the team’s second consecutive blowout victory, beating Everett 55-0 the week prior. Leading the way for Tobias’ Rams will be quarterback Jackson Romig and running back Ty Watson. Both have stepped into big roles for the Rams, who could solidify themselves playoff contenders with a win over Glendale Friday night.
Watson continues to impress at both running back and outside linebacker. The sophomore has 63 carries for 340 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry) and five rushing touchdowns on the year. He’s caught 13 passes for 115 receiving yards and a touchdown to add to his offensive output. Defensively, Watson has 32 tackles (18 solo) and six for loss to go with two sacks, two interceptions and a pass deflection.
Philipsburg-Osceola (2-7) at Ridgway/Johnsonburg (6-3)
Time: 7 p.m.
Coaches: Jeff Vroman (Philipsburg-Osceola), Mark Heindl (Ridgway/Johnsonburg)
Last Meeting: N/A
Players to Watch: RB/LB Matt Martin (Philipsburg-Osceola), RB/S Dominic Allegretto (Ridgway/Johnsonburg)
The Skinny: Philipsburg-Osceola has 26 players on its roster. That’s had an impact on the Mounties’ depth the entire season. Despite this, they’ve shown grit on the field. Even in their last loss to Penns Valley, the Mountaineers had something to show for it with two touchdowns near the end.
Philipsburg-Osceola has the hardworking Matt Martin lining up at running back and linebacker. Martin has 83 carries for a team-leading 450 rushing yards (5.4 yards per carry) and one rushing touchdown to go with 18 catches, 213 receiving yards (11.8 yards per catch) and three receiving touchdowns. He leads the team with 73 total tackles (55 solo) with 6.5 tackles for loss, one sack, a pass deflection, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
District 9’s Ridgway/Johnsonburg is led by Dominic Allegretto, who has 60 carries for 511 rushing yards (8.5 yards per carry) and nine rushing touchdowns. He’s tallied 20 receptions for 297 receiving yards (14.9 yards per catch) and has two receiving touchdowns. The senior has 54 total tackles (43 solo), two interceptions and six pass deflections.
This story was originally published October 28, 2021 at 4:56 PM.
