Here are 5 takeaways from Week 1 of Centre County high school football
Three of Centre County’s high school football teams won their first game of the season on Friday night.
Penns Valley blitzed past Line Mountain for a 41-13 win at home, Philipsburg-Osceola outscored West Branch 49-20 and State College routed Williamsport 42-14. Bald Eagle fell 20-9 at home against Troy and Bellefonte lost 32-0 in its opener against Selinsgrove on Friday night.
Let’s take a look at five takeaways from the beginning of the 2022 high school football season in Centre County.
Bald Eagle struggled, but they’ll bounce back
Sophomore quarterback Carson Nagle had an uncharacteristically-rough game on Friday against Troy. He went 18-for-31 (58.1%), passing for 172 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions. Two of the interceptions were returned for touchdowns by Troy. The defense held the Trojans to one touchdown — a 98-yard rush from Charles Oldroyd with 1:53 left in the third quarter.
It’s just one game. Bald Eagle can and will bounce back — especially Nagle.
Bellefonte had another rough home opener
The Red Raiders took a 55-0 loss to Jersey Shore at home to open up the 2021 season. This year, Bellefonte lost 32-0 in its season-opener to Selinsgrove. Bellefonte finished with just 181 yards on offense and never saw the red zone.
On the bright side, Bellefonte’s defense only gave up one touchdown. Twelve of Selinsgrove’s points came off of field goals by Carter Young. As long as the defense continues to do its job, the offense will have a chance down the line to win.
Penns Valley looks the part
It’s not just that the Rams beat an opponent 41-13. They beat Line Mountain — a Mid Penn team — 41-13. Disregard what Line Mountain did last season with its 2-8 record. The team had a lot of talent returning this year and primed for a new season. Penns Valley trounced Line Mountain and improved even further from its 6-5 record last year.
Philipsburg-Osceola may have changed for the better
The Mounties looked every bit of the part in their 49-20 victory over West Branch on Friday. Carson Long went 7-for-7 on extra point attempts. P-O has an opportunity to rack up another win at home next Friday against Huntingdon. The team’s biggest test will come against Tyrone on Sept. 9 on the road. Stay tuned.
State College still looks the part of county’s best team
The Little Lions took little time dismantling Williamsport in their 42-14 victory. All of the team’s touchdowns came in the first half with senior JW Scott and freshman D’antae Sheffey scoring two each to lead the way. The senior connection of Finn Furmanek to Dante Nastasi worked for a 23-yard touchdown pass with 9:34 remaining in the second quarter. Matt Wall also had a one-yard touchdown rush to cap off the team’s scoring.
State College looked even more impressive defensively, despite causing just one turnover. The Millionaires punted six times in the first half – often deep within their own zone. Sophomore cornerback Ty Salazer had the team’s lone interception in the first half.
Most importantly, State College escaped the game without injuries and got a look at their second and even third teams on Friday night. Not a bad way to start the season for the Little Lions.
This story was originally published August 27, 2022 at 10:56 AM.
