Here’s what to look for in Week 6 of Centre County high school football
Centre County high school football is entering into the second half of the season with Week 6 on Friday.
Three of the five Centre County teams are on the road this week. Bald Eagle is set to head to Tyrone, Bellefonte will host Hollidaysburg, Penns Valley will travel to take on Philipsburg-Osceola and State College has a road date with Central Dauphin East.
Here’s what to know about each team’s matchup in Week 6 of the regular season:
Bald Eagle (2-3) @ Tyrone (5-0)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Jesse Nagle (Bald Eagle), John Franco (Tyrone)
Last Meeting: Oct. 1, 2021 (15-9, Bald Eagle)
Player to Watch: WR/OLB/DE Cam Watkins (Bald Eagle), QB Ashton Walk (Tyrone)
The Skinny: Bald Eagle has proven to be a better team than its record displays, with two consecutive victories after beginning the season 0-2. The Eagles also showed a great deal of fight in their 29-21 loss on Sept. 23. Playing against Tyrone will present a challenge and Bald Eagle will need to step up. It all starts with edge rusher Cam Watkins. He’s shown a number of ways to rush the passer with rips, swim moves and even a ghost rush. Prior to the Eagles’ game with Montoursville, Watkins was tied with the team lead for sacks with 3.5.
Sophomore Tyrone quarterback Ashton Walk has gone 54-for-95 (56.8%) on passes for 735 yards, 12 touchdown passes and two interceptions through five games. He’s additionally rushed 39 times for 117 yards and two rushing touchdowns. While he didn’t have the gaudiest day against Huntingdon (8-for-19 on passes for 70 yards and two touchdown passes), he was able secure a 14-6 victory on Sept. 23.
As for the Golden Eagles as a whole, they’re a suffocating defense that swarms at the point of attack. Defensive tackle Braden Ewing, defensive end Ross Gampe and outside linebacker Andrew Weaver are ferocious defenders and will get after the quarterback with 12 combined sacks. In addition to Walk’s play on offense, running backs Kolten Miller and Seth Miller each have over 200 rushing yards on the season.
Hollidaysburg (0-5) at Bellefonte (1-4)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Homer DeLattre (Hollidaysburg), Vaughn Donmoyer (Bellefonte)
Last Meeting: Sept. 17, 2021 (41-0, Hollidaysburg)
Player to Watch: QB/DB Tucker Rossman, TE Dominic Capperella (Bellefonte)
How to Watch: NFHS Network
The Skinny: Hollidaysburg has played a tough schedule with both State College and Altoona — two 6A schools — on it. Because of the talent imbalance, Hollidaysburg is 0-5. A game against Bellefonte should bring a better opportunity for the Golden Tigers to match rosters. Tucker Rossman is the driving force behind the Golden Tigers’ offense. The senior quarterback is 58-for-116 (50%) on passes for 730 yards with five touchdown passes and seven interceptions.
Bellefonte picked up its first win of the season when it defeated Philipsburg-Osceola 9-8 on Friday to win the Luther Trophy. The key for the team is to get tight end Dominic Capperella the ball — whether it’s deep down the field or going across the middle for tough yardage. Running back Jamal Saunders will also play a key role in the Red Raiders’ ability to win on Friday.
Penns Valley (3-2) at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-4)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Martin Tobias (Penns Valley), Jeff Vroman (Philipsburg-Osceola)
Last Meeting: Sept. 17, 2021 (35-20, Penns Valley)
Player to Watch: WR Miles Brooks (Penns Valley), RB Jakodi Jones (Philipsburg-Osceola)
How to Watch: NFHS Network
The Skinny: Penns Valley will have a Mountain League opponent in the form of Philipsburg-Osceola, a team that fought in a 9-8 loss to Bellefonte for the Luther Trophy on Sept. 23. The Rams are also coming off of a tough loss, falling 42-12 to Clearfield on Sept. 23. Miles Brooks had five catches for 65 receiving yards and a touchdown, along with eight tackles (five solo) in Penns Valley’s loss to Clearfield. He has 29 receptions for 441 yards and six touchdowns offensively and 30 tackles (16 solo), two tackles for loss, one pass deflection and one fumble recovery on the year.
Philipsburg-Osceola is in the midst of a 4-game losing streak. The Mounites are inching toward reaching for their second win and it starts with controlling the ball on the ground and making stops on the defensive end. At the helm of both sides of the ball is Jakodi Jones. He had eight tackles (seven solo), a blocked field goal and 14 carries for 84 yards in Philipsburg-Osceola’s 9-8 loss to Bellefonte on Sept. 23.
State College (5-0) @ Central Dauphin East (2-3)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Matt Lintal (State College), Lance Deane (Central Dauphin East)
Last Meeting: Sept. 24, 2021 (34-13, Central Dauphin East)
Player to Watch: RB D’Antae Sheffey (State College), QB Aiden Campbell (Central Dauphin East)
How to Watch: NFHS Network
The Skinny: State College has expelled multiple ghosts from football’s past by defeating Central Dauphin 19-8 on Sept. 23 and Downingtown East 32-31 on Sept. 2. The question for the Little Lions on Sept. 30 is, can they accomplish it again? It’ll begin with freshman running back D’Antae Sheffey’s strong start to his career. He has 72 carries for 644 yards and nine touchdowns. Senior quarterback Finn Furmanek is 29-for-47 (61.7%) on passes for 415 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Then, the duo of JW Scott and Stephen Scourtis are rushing the quarterback from the edge.
This isn’t your older brother’s Central Dauphin East team. Head coach Lance Deane has a younger roster this season — talented, albeit inexperienced. They’re not the same senior-laden bunch that the school hosted during its 7-4 season in 2021. There is no Mehki Flowers or Marcel McDaniels Jr. to make explosive plays. However, Deane and his coaching staff will bring a fight to State College’s doorstep with witty game planning and skilled youth.
It’ll be a meeting of the minds between State College’s Matt Lintal and Deane. Both are sharp coaches and will bring an added level of confidence of their teams heading into Friday night’s matchup.
