Week 9 HS Football: State College attempts to go 9-0, Bald Eagle looks to boost record to 6-3
Only one Mountain League team will play an in-conference opponent on Friday night.
Bellefonte is set to travel to Danville, Philipsburg-Osceola will host Montgomery, while Penns Valley is at Midd-West and Bald Eagle brings in Wellsboro. State College will take on Mid Penn rival Cumberland Valley at Memorial Field.
Here’s what to know about each team’s matchup in Week 9 of the regular season:
Bellefonte (1-7) at Danville (8-0)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Vaughn Donmoyer (Bellefonte), Mike Brennan (Danville)
Players to watch: QB Liam Halterman (Bellefonte), QB/FS Zach Gordon (Danville)
Last meeting: N/A
The skinny: Danville is arguably the best team in PIAA 4A football. They have six shutout wins this season with the smallest margin being last week’s 35-0 victory over Berwick. Danville narrowly edged out Loyalsock on Sept. 16 by a score of 17-14. It’ll be incredibly tough to put a stop to the Ironmen’s offense and their defense may be even better.
The team’s senior quarterback Zach Gordon has gone 67-for-89 (75.3%) on passes for 1,254 yards, 19 touchdowns and just one interception. He’s rushed 32 times for 235 yards and four touchdowns. He also has 32 tackles (24 solo), two tackles for loss and three interceptions.
Cumberland Valley (6-2) at State College (8-0)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Josh Oswalt (Cumberland Valley), Matt Lintal (State College)
Players to watch: RB/CB Issac Sines (Cumberland Valley), RB D’Antae Sheffey (State College)
Last meeting: Oct. 8, 2021 (21-18, State College)
The skinny: Cumberland Valley enters the game at 6-2 on the year and having gone 3-2 in its last five games. The Eagles have been up and down in Mid Penn play with victories against Central Dauphin East, Chambersburg and Central Dauphin, but losses against Harrisburg and Carlisle. They’ll need all they can get from Issac Sines, who is 36-for-64 (56.2%) on passes for 670 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions, along with 89 carries for 663 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.
State College will have a strong rushing attack of its own with freshman running back D’Antae Sheffey, who has 127 carries for 969 yards and 13 touchdowns. Defensively, JW Scott, Stephen Scourtis, Michael Gaul, Eli Espinoza, Sam Mayer, Justin Castro and Ian Brandt are just a portion of the Little Lions standouts along the front seven. The Little Lions should look to continue keeping the ball on the ground with the twin brother duo of Thomas and Michael Dincher paving the way for rushers.
Montgomery (1-7) at Philipsburg-Osceola (1-7)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Christian Diggs (Montgomery), Jeff Vroman (Philipsburg-Osceola)
Player to watch: RB Jakodi Jones (Philipsburg-Osceola)
Last meeting: N/A
The skinny: Both teams are in a tough spot, with Montgomery losing its last five games. In each of the five losses, the Red Raiders have scored a total of 12 points. It’s not much better for the Mounties, as they’ve lost seven straight games. The biggest difference is Philipsburg-Osceola’s scoring has been much better with the team only being shut out twice this year.
Penns Valley (6-2) at Midd-West (1-7)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Martin Tobias (Penns Valley), Lance Adams (Midd-West)
Players to watch: RB Ty Watson (Penns Valley), N/A (Midd-West)
Last meeting: N/A
The skinny: Penns Valley has a late-season matchup with Midd-West on the road, a 3A school that has struggled the entire season. The Mustangs have scored just 14 points in each of their seven losses with their only win coming on a 48-14 victory over Halifax on Sept. 2.
Penns Valley defeated Tyrone 28-21 on Oct. 15 and now the Rams are 6-2 on the year. Junior running back Ty Watson has 127 carries for 872 yards for 17 touchdowns on the year. He’s having one of the strongest seasons ever by a Centre County running back. If you haven’t had a chance to watch him find the end zone, you should immediately.
Wellsboro (1-7) at Bald Eagle (5-3)
Time: 7 p.m. Friday
Coaches: Matt Hildebrand (Wellsboro), Jesse Nagle (Bald Eagle)
Players to watch: N/A (Wellsboro), QB Carson Nagle
Last meeting: N/A
The skinny: Bald Eagle should take this time to get their younger players ample snaps. The Eagles were able to do that exactly with getting sophomore quarterback Nick Wible in to take more quarterback power runs to the end zone. With that being said, expect to see starting quarterback Carson Nagle, his host of receivers and running back Trey Greene get the starters out of the game quickly. Bald Eagle still can’t sleep on a 4A school though.
This story was originally published October 20, 2022 at 9:22 AM.
