Bellefonte to face Juniata in district championship, searching for first states bid since 2019

It’s been six years since Bellefonte Area High School made the PIAA state football playoffs, but the Red Raiders have a chance to snap that streak Friday against Juniata in the District 6 4A championship.

The matchup will take place at Kish Bank Field in Lewistown with kickoff set for 7 p.m. This is Bellefonte’s second straight appearance in the district championship, while Juniata has taken home four consecutive district titles, making Friday’s game a rematch of last year’s final. A win would mark the Red Raiders’ first states bid since 2019.

Juniata is coming in at 6-4 after defeating Upper Dauphin Area, 14-7, last Friday in a low-scoring affair. In last year’s district championship, the Indians took home a 20-6 win over the Red Raiders, but head coach Tony Confer’s team learned a few things from that loss that they’ll look to use this season.

“They’re always going to come ready for a fight. They’re always going to be physical,” Confer told the Centre Daily Times. “Their kids are tough kids, and defensively they always get to the ball. They’ve had the same coaching staff for several years, so they’re always well coached. The kids are always, always tough kids, and play very physical.”

Confer knows his squad left some meat on the bone in that district championship defeat as well. Bellefonte turned the ball over a few times and couldn’t capitalize on early scoring opportunities, which led to the poor offensive showing in 2024.

But the Red Raiders are ready and confident ahead of Friday’s rematch. Confer said they now know exactly what they’re getting with the Indians, and that gives them confidence ahead of the district championship after a few solid weeks of practice.

“The kids that have returned from last year ... they’re not taking anything for granted this year,” Confer said. “This is an opportunity for them, especially our seniors, to kind of go out on top with the district championship, and we’ve had a great week of practice. Last three weeks of practice, honestly, have been really good weeks of practice for us.”

The key for Bellefonte in this one is to stick what it’s been doing well all season, which is playing good defense and special teams. The Red Raiders are coming off a shutout win over Greater Johnstown, giving them plenty to build off before the biggest game of the 2025 season to date.

They also had one of their best offensive performances of the season last week after what’s been an inconsistent season on offense, as Bellefonte has dealt with injuries and hadn’t been able to get the passing game going until last week.

That changed against the Trojans, with freshman quarterback Alten Howell throwing for 119 yards and three touchdowns, so the freshman is confident headed into the most important bout of his short high school career.

“I don’t view him as a freshman at this point,” Confer said. “He’s been in enough games that he knows the offense, he knows what the expectations are with the offense, and he just has done a great job the last two weeks, and his confidence has grown tremendously over the course of the last two weeks. So it’s a tough spot for him as a freshman, 14-year-old kid going in there, district championship game. It is a real tough spot, but he’s a very good athlete.”

Confer emphasized how important it is to get the rushing attack going so the offense can open up for Howell. The Red Raiders are coming off a 238-yard performance on the ground, something they’ll look to replicate Friday.

Regardless, Bellefonte has a prime opportunity to break through for the first time in over half a decade, and Confer knows this year’s squad is capable of ending Juniata’s district-championship win streak.

“We just had a talk tonight after our team dinner, and the kids are really focused,” Confer said. “Our message as coaches this week and tonight has been just, go have fun and play the game that they love, play hard, play physical and good things will happen.”