How Centre County’s high school football teams fared in the District 6 playoffs

Bishop McCort’s defense forced five Bald Eagle Area turnovers to get the 39-6 victory, while Bellefonte’s Alten Howell and Jackson Long connected for three touchdowns in the Red Raiders’ 34-0 win over Greater Johnstown.

State College is the only Class 6A team participating in District 6, so it is on a bye this week and will take on District 10 champion McDowell in a subregional game next week, with the winner advancing to the PIAA first round.

Here are the highlights from local games covered by After the Whistle, the high school sports coverage team at Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications.

Bishop McCort 39, Bald Eagle Area 6: The undefeated Bishop McCort Crushers welcomed Bald Eagle Area after winning the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference championship last week. Ten minutes into the first quarter, the Crushers took advantage of an interception thrown by Gradyn Fisher, driving down the field and turning it into a touchdown from quarterback Bentley Bainey, his first of two on the night. In the second quarter, Bishop McCort’s Garrett Farabaugh grabbed an interception near the Eagles goal line and took it 95 yards down to the end zone, making it 19-0 going into the half. Bald Eagle Area scored on the last play of the game to spoil the shutout, but Friday marked the eighth time in 11 games this season that the Crushers held a team under 10 points. BEA’s season comes to a close with the loss and an overall record of 5-6, while McCort will advance to take on Marion Center in the District 6 Class 2A semifinals at 7 p.m. Nov. 7.

Bellefonte 34, Greater Johnstown 0: The Bellefonte Red Raiders and Greater Johnstown Trojans faced off for the second straight week, this time in a playoff matchup, after Bellefonte won 31-19 on Oct. 24. Jackson Long got the Red Raiders on the board early when he took a pass from Alten Howell all the way for a 68-yard touchdown. Ashten Howell, Alten’s brother, totaled 85 yards on 11 carries including a touchdown in the third quarter to extend Bellefonte’s lead. The Red Raiders defense stifled the Trojans as Bellefonte advanced to the next round of districts. It will take on top-seed Juniata in the District 6 Class 4A championship game at 7 p.m. Nov. 7 at Mifflin County, with the winner advancing to the PIAA first round.

Helmet Stickers

Every week, After the Whistle highlights the players who made the biggest impacts on the field. Here are Week 11’s star performers:

Alten Howell, QB, Bellefonte: Howell went 6-of-10 passing for three touchdowns.

Jackson Long, RB, Bellefonte: Long had four catches for 90 yards and tallied three touchdowns in the Red Raiders’ victory.

Clara Slowinski, Jenny Karamus and Kassandra Vasellas contributed to this story. Photos by Ryan Gerstenzang.

Check out this week’s highlights from Penn State’s Bellisario College’s After the Whistle on its YouTube channel.