District 6 playoffs: State College, Bald Eagle and Penns Valley football look to advance
The District 6 playoffs are in full swing with three Centre County teams competing for a title a day earlier than anticipated.
This week’s games were originally scheduled for Friday night and have been moved to Thursday at 7 p.m., due to expected inclement weather on Friday. Altoona will travel to Bald Eagle to take on State College in the District 6 Class 6A championship game. Penns Valley is set to play against Mountain League foe Bald Eagle in the District 6 Class 2A semifinals.
Both games are rematches from earlier in the season. Here’s what to know about Bald Eagle and Penns Valley, along with Altoona and State College.
Altoona (6-5) vs. State College (10-0)
Time: 7 p.m. Thursday
Location: Bald Eagle Area High School
Coaches: Vince Nedimyer (Altoona), Matt Lintal (State College)
Players to Watch: RB/FS Alexander Yost (Altoona), TE/DE Manny Miller (Altoona), QB Finn Furmanek (State College), RB D’Antae Sheffey (State College), RB/EDGE JW Scott (State College), TE/DE Stephen Scourtis (State College)
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2022 (55-14, State College)
The Skinny: State College easily dispatched Altoona in the teams’ last meeting in September. The Little Lions rushed 34 times for 292 yards and seven touchdowns. Five different rushers had touchdowns — freshman D’Antae Sheffey (1), senior Matt Wall (1), junior Owen Yerka (2), senior Finn Furmanek (2) and senior Sahleek Wilson (1). State College’s defense gave up just 207 total yards in the 55-14 victory.
Altoona’s Alexander Yost has 161 carries 911 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, along with 11 receptions for 216 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns. He’s added 21 total tackles, two tackles for loss, six quarterback hurries and three pass deflections. Manny Miller has 70 tackles, 14 sacks, two forced fumbles and 30 quarterback hurries.
The Little Lions are led on defense by seniors Stephen Scourtis and JW Scott, junior Justin Castro, sophomores Michael Gaul and Ty Salazer. Sheffey, a freshman, is sitting with 164 carries for 1,252 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Watch out for him to continue his strong season.
Bald Eagle (8-3) at Penns Valley (9-2)
Time: 7 p.m. Thursday
Coaches: Jesse Nagle (Bald Eagle), Martin Tobias (Penns Valley)
Players to Watch: QB Carson Nagle (Bald Eagle), RB/LB Tre Greene (Bald Eagle), WR/OLB Cam Watkins (Bald Eagle), WR Kahale Burns (Bald Eagle), RB Ty Watson (Penns Valley), QB Jackson Romig (Penns Valley), WR Miles Brooks (Penns Valley)
Last Meeting: Sept. 16, 2022 (42-27, Bald Eagle)
The Skinny: Penns Valley and Bald Eagle met earlier in the season with Bald Eagle coming up victorious. Both teams battled, with the Eagles taking a 20-7 lead into the half. The Rams briefly took a 21-20 lead in the third quarter, prior to the Eagles taking a 28-21 lead at the conclusion of the third quarter. Bald Eagle outscored Penns Valley 14-6 in the fourth quarter to control the game and possession of the Victory Bell.
Penns Valley quarterback Jackson Romig had 15 carries for 30 yards and a rushing touchdown in the game. He additionally went 14-for-23 (60.9%) for 169 passing yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Bald Eagle quarterback Carson Nagle outdueled him — passing 27 times and completing 19 (70.4%) for 240 passing yards and tossing three touchdowns.
Romig had three touchdown passes in a 55-7 victory over Mount Union on Friday. The junior passed 5-of-8 for 194 yards. He’s now 115-for-175 (65.7%) on passes for 1,935 passing yards with 25 touchdown passes and six interceptions this season. Running back Ty Watson has 194 rushes for 1,286 rushing yards and 23 rushing touchdowns.
Nagle went 20-for-25 (80%) on passes for 401 passing yards and five touchdown passes in a 45-19 victory over Bellwood-Antis on Nov. 4. He’s gone 184-for-276 (66.7%) for 2,540 passing yards, 27 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions this season.
Tre Greene has 99 carries for 802 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns on the season, along with nine receptions for 141 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. He has 94 total tackles (65 solo), 10.5 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, two interceptions, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles on defense.
