Somerset (2-2) at Johnstown (4-0) Friday 7:00 Trojan Stadium
Somerset enters this game with some slight momentum, after getting a large losing streak off their back, they added another win to the season. Tanner Stull has been running the offense well, but still they have been lacking touchdowns. He has engineered two wins since the starter went down. Matt Boyer is another talented sophomore who is running well and has four touchdowns on the season. Somerset isn't quite ready for games of this magnitude, they are young and do not seem ready to compete with the big boys, as it was evident with their tough loss to McCort a few weeks prior. Johnstown will pose quite the threat. The Trojans enter week 5, as one of two undefeated teams left in the league. They boast a terrific passing game, and with last week's performance a dangerous rushing game. Tim Odum is averaging an outstanding 10 yards a carry and has put up 5 touchdowns. Gervon Simon added a 220 yard rushing game, proving you have to respect his legs. He can sling the ball as well, with 785 yards and 10 touchdowns already. His favorite targets include Mark Watson and Dwight Andrews who have 13 and 14 catches, respectively. Alkwan Williams has been a man among boys on the defensive side of the ball. He is the heart and soul of the defense, and I imagine he will be causing problems all night for Somerset. Johnstown should win this game handily. They are more experienced, and more explosive. Trojans 49 Golden Eagles 7
Bishop Guilfoyle (0-4) at Penn Cambria (3-1) Friday 7:00
Bishop Guilfoyle enters the game struggling, but last week they showed some signs of life. Still averaging only 11 points a game will not win you many games. The Marauders played well against Forest Hills for a quarter, but turnovers created too much to overcome. Pat Irwin did just about everything he could to keep BG around. He rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns, threw for 91 more, and intercepted a pass. He is a tough kid, and I believe he will help Guilfoyle turn it around next season. They are very young, they just need to keep improving every game. Penn Cambria overcame a sluggish start against Bishop Carroll, and ended up winning 28-0. Not all that surprising, even good Penn Cambria teams do not seem to beat teams handily. Jordan Fuller put together a great game by scoring two rushing touchdowns, and returned a fumble for another score. His season rushing total is now at 410 to go with 3 touchdowns. Andrew Buck is always a threat on the ground and has done a nice job throwing this year. Penn Cambria is a good, solid football team. They should make the playoffs, and will challenge Forest Hills for the Section I crown. They will beat BG, but I think Irwin will make a few plays to keep them around.
Panthers 27 Marauders 12
Bedford (2-2) at Westmont (1-3) Saturday 1:00 Price Field
A few plays here, a few plays there, Bedford is 4-0. They had Richland and Bishop McCort on the ropes in consecutive weeks, and fell short both times. Bedford is much better than many were anticipating. A lot of that has to do with a more aggressive offensive attack. They have the ability to throw now, and teams have to account for it. Marcus Shippey has thrown for 532 yards and 8 touchdowns. He is on track to have his best season yet by far. Shippey, Aaron Henry, and Dakota Hess have done well in the running game, and Luke Campbell is having a really good year at receiver. He has hauled in 14 catches for 324 yards and 5 scores. Bedford can play, but the biggest issue this week will be the health of Marcus Shippey. He sat out the final plays against Bishop McCort, and I really do not know the severity of the injury. I am assuming he is playing, but I really do not know. Westmont was a little disappointing last week. They forced turnovers, but could not capitalize. Ryan Burnheimer continues to be a dominant player on the ground. He has been durable so far, he has been asked to carry the ball 120 times already. His longest run is only 27 yards, so you know this guy has worked for all of his 566 yards. Westmont has had some success through the air, but it still is not a dangerous presence in their offense. Glennon has thrown 4 interceptions to no touchdowns. They need to add some threat of the pass to aid Burnheimer's efforts.Bedford's weakness is their defense, so I expect Westmont to score the ball a little more consistently this week. I'm picking this game with the assumption of Shippey playing. Bedford has a chance at a playoff berth, and to attain that, they need to win this game. Westmont is better than what they are showing, and I expect them to keep the game close, but in the end Bedford can really play.Bisons 34 Hilltoppers 20
Cambria Heights (2-2) at Forest Hills (3-1) Friday 7:00 G.H. Miller Field
Cambria Heights is at .500 in week 5. Its like the Pirates being .500 in July. This does not happen very often. The Highlanders are pretty good, and are led by a very promising group of juniors. It all starts with Running Back, Tyler Crawford. He is coming off of a 209 yard 4 touchdown performance over Central Cambria. Ben Myers adds another threat on the ground as he has 185 yards and 4 scores on the season. Nate Bearer is doing a nice job at QB, but needs to be more productive. The Highlanders defense is doing alright, but still need to be more consistent, especially against the two pronged attack of Forest Hills. It all starts with senior play caller, Justin Gdula. He has been very efficient thus far, and has managed the games well since the opening week loss to Richland. Shawn Dell has emerged as the feature back for this Ranger squad. He had a good game last week and is a threat running and catching the ball. Shope and Burkey are being very effective as receivers, and the offense has been clicking, racking up 121 points in the past three weeks. The Ranger defense has been playing better of late, and they seem to be improving each week. This game is tough to call. I believe Forest Hills will win, but I just don't know how well Heights will play. I could see this game go in favor of Forest Hills by a large margin, or Heights playing them tough. I'm playing it safe and taking the Rangers big, but I could see the Highlanders making a game of it.
Rangers 38 Highlanders 14
Central Cambria (0-4) at Bishop Carroll (0-4) Friday 7:00 DeGol Field
The Battle of Ebensburg. Two very proud teams, and two very disappointing season thus far. Somebody will leave this game Friday night with a win, Who will it be? 15 quarters. That is how long its been since Bishop Carroll last scored a point. The are being outscored 140-7 on the season. Those are not very pretty stats. Carroll has been struggling to find guys to be consistent at their positions. Josh Barzdo has seen the most touches, and is not having the same success he had last season. The Huskies were not expected to be able to pass, but the lack of running game is a bit confusing. Many of these linemen paved the way to a district championship last season. The defense hasn't been much better. Its been rough all around. Things on the other side of the hill have been nearly as rough. Their loses aren't quite as lopsided. Stephen Papuga and Stephen O'Saben have done alright being the primary offensive threats, but the offense is still sputtering for the most part. Scott Bellock has struggled early on at quarterback. Both teams are having down years to say the least. I really don't know who is better, because neither team has really shown anything at all. I'm going to flip a coin and pick a winner....Seriously....Heads-BC, Tails-CC.......And its Tails.
Red Devils 13 Huskies 12
GAME OF THE WEEK
Richland (3-1) at Bishop McCort (4-0) Friday 7:00 Point Stadium
This game has grown over the years. With Richland winning 30-27 in thrilling fashion back in 2007, this annual game has seen some classic battles and shootouts. McCort won a hard fought game in 2008, 38-34. In 2009 McCort won a shootout 69-35. And last season McCort survived a 16-14 game. The Rams and Crushers will again be expected to put on another show. Richland will again be featured in one of the marquee match ups of the week. Bishop McCort is coming off a hard fought comeback victory. This game is for bragging rights, and means plenty to both team's playoff picture. This should be a good one. Richland enters this game with a high powered, high scoring offense. Johnny Rizzo leads the attack with 665 yards and 7 scores. He is a big, hard nosed runner that will pose problems for McCort's small linebacking core. Richland's passing game has been very effective as well compiling 11 touchdowns between them. Matt Shaffer and Nico Pecora have done a tremendous job for sophomores running the offense. Kyle Flick, Zach Solarczyk, and Zach Hanley all have come up big as receivers. And this Richland offensive line is one of their better ones in recent memory. This offense is solid all around, but the defense has been the thorn in their side. Bedford passed all over Richland, and yet they held Johnstown to 25 passing yards. The problem was Johnstown ran for over 400 yards. The athletes and speed of Johnstown seemed to take effect on Richland's defense. Bishop McCort will look to combine passing and running to attack this defense. Jesse Cooper has 583 yards through the air with 6 Touchdowns and 1 interception. He has a go to guy in Christian Leech, who has 393 yards on 14 catches with 4 scores. Jordan Spangler, Jerqual Wilson, and Nemo Trexler will also play factors in the passing game. McCort's rushing game provides balance, and is one extra thing Richland will have to worry about. Varga and Belskey have combined for 404 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wilson has hit some big plays on reverses as well. McCort's defense was exposed a bit last week also. They have small defensive backs, and if you have big receivers they will struggle. Also Shippey's hard nosed running style was a problem, and Rizzo is a big physical guy just like him. This game has good offenses going against vulnerable defenses. It is going to be a very exciting game. I am taking McCort for a few advantages I see. Jesse Cooper is a better Quarterback than the two sophomores of Richland. He is a senior leader that will make plays for you. I also think McCort has more speed. Richland struggled with Johnstown's speed, and the Crushers have a few kids that can run the same way. It's going to be high scoring and close, and it could really go either way. But if I was spending money on an LHAC game this week, this is the no brainer choice.
Crimson Crushers 45 Rams 38
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