Richland (6-1) at Bishop Guilfoyle (1-6) Friday 7:00 Mansion Park
Richland is took care of crosstown rival Westmont last week, and still sit among one of the five 1 loss teams in D6 AA race. The Rams are certainly hoping that this will not be their only trip to Mansion Park this season. They have as good of a a chance as anyone, and it starts with a high powered offense that is averaging nearly 40 points per game. John Rizzo leads the attack with 1079 yards and 14 touchdowns on the ground, and is aided by Luke Rozich(306), Matt Shaffer (309), and now Tanner Solarczyk who rushed for 107 yards last week. This is the best Richland rushing attack in recent memory. The passing game is still pretty good too. Matt Shaffer has 877 yards and 13 touchdowns to just 3 picks. He has a number of targets at his disposal, including deep threat, Kyle Flick. The Rams offense is clicking, and got a solid defensive performance last week. If they can play better team defense to go along with one of the best offense in District Six, they will be very, very hard to beat. That is not the greatest news for the home team. Bishop Guilfoyle is a young team with a lot of promise, but they are still not quite there yet. The Marauders are led by Pat Irwin. He has thrown for 490 yards this season and rushed 312 more. He anchors the offense and Bishop Guilfoyle is very reliant on his play making ability. Injuries have riddled this team all year long, but it has allowed for younger guys to get bigger roles earlier than expected. BG is going to have a tough go at it Friday. Richland is solid and diverse and on a mission to keep pace with the other one loss teams. I'm taking Richland in this one. They are really clicking right now.
Rams 45 Marauders 7
Johnstown (7-0) at Central Cambria (1-6) Friday 7:00
The Trojans enter this game as the league's only unbeaten, coming off beating their biggest rival so that makes for a potential let down, Right?.....Wrong. The Trojans have won 16 of 17 regular season games dating back to last season, the lone blemish is at the hands of the Red Devils. Johnstown certainly hasn't forgotten either. The Trojans offense is high powered and loaded at just about everywhere. Gervon Simon is the key to it all. Despite the turnovers, Simon still anchors the offense with his arm and his legs. He has thrown for 1241 yards, and rushed for 446 more, accounting for 20 scores. He has plenty of weapons around him, most notably, 6-6 Wide receiver Dwight Andrews. He is the hardest matchup for any opposing team in the league. Alkwan Williams, Mark Watson, and Daquan Minter aren't exactly easy to cover either, and don't forget about Tim Odum with the running game either. The Trojans will be playing on grass, and after seeing last week and how muddy it was, that may be the Red Devils' only hope to slowing down Johnstown. Central Cambria Head Coach, Sam Shutty picked up his first win last week, and his team has progressively gotten better over the course of the season. Central Cambria's philosophy should be easy, try to run the ball and keep the ball out of Johnstown's hands. Scott Bellock only attempted three passes last week, and I can't imagine they will try much more on Friday. McBreen, Papuga, O'Saben, and Bellock will all have to contribute with their running game for there to be any chance at repeating the upset. The key will be how the Red Devils play on the line. They will have a whale of a task trying to block Alkwan Williams. The Trojans defense has been underrated all year long, and last week they scored two touchdowns. They are explosive whichever side of the ball they are on. Johnstown may struggle to score 40 some points, but they should still win no problem.Trojans 34 Red Devils 3
Somerset (2-5) at Bishop Carroll (1-6) Friday DeGol Field 7:00 Saint Francis University
This game is a tough one to call. Bishop Carroll has struggled all year, but showed they are capable of playing good football, even it was for only one game. The Huskies have an offense led senior quarterback turned running back, Josh Barzdo. He has rolled up 539 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. He is their best player, and if he can get loose their chances of winning only grow. Ryan Laurer is now the quarterback and threw for over 100 yards last week. He is a shifty player that runs the option pretty well. The Huskies need these two to make plays for them to have a chance of winning. The offense has gotten better recently, but the defense still remains an issue. They need to control two young sophomores that can really play. Tanner Stull has grown up on the fly, and has done a very nice job. He has thrown for 585 yards and rushed for another 192 yards. He is small and shifty, and can make plays. Matt Boyer is a big physical sophomore back that also has had an up and down ride, but is gaining experience as a player. After a winless season last year, Somerset has tallied two already this season, and also they put pressure on the league's two best teams. This is an upstart team that will compete next year. Somerset is the better team in this game. Carroll has had a disappointing follow up to such a good season last year. They have talent to compete, but for one reason or another, things have not worked out that way. I'm taking Somerset. I like Stull's ability, and they have really played well together as a team, they are gelling well. Great job so far by Coach Miller.Golden Eagles 27 Huskies 17
Westmont (1-6) at Cambria Heights (3-4) Friday 7:00
Plenty would have to happen, but Cambria Heights enters week 8 still with slight playoff hopes, and at that, some winnable games left, starting Friday. The Highlanders come into this game off a convincing win over Bishop Carroll. The offense has been pretty solid this year, as it made the transformation from a passing attack, to a power running game. Tyler Crawford fronts the multiple back look with 718 yards and 7 Touchdowns. Ben Myers and Donnie Contorchick have been productive in secondary roles to Crawford. Many people thought the loss of Vescovi would slow the team down, but the strong junior class has made it a seamless transition, and even an improvment. The defense has been better in years past, and thats a huge step forward. Westmont has had a tough year, but they have been more competitive then their record indicates. They played well in almost every game and put themselves in a position to win a few of them as well. The Hilltopper's attack is reliant upon the running game of Ryan Burnheimer. He is averaging 126 yards per contest, and is asked to carry the ball quite a bit. Joe Glennon has had some bright spots at quarterback, but this is primarily a running team. The Hilltoppers have had some tough luck, and it could change Friday. They need to play some better defense, and maybe fine one more threat on offense outside of Burnheimer. If they can do that, Cambria Heights needs to watch out. The Highlanders will combat with a good running game of their own. This will be a competitive contest, but I like Heights. They are having their best season in years, and they are setting up nicely for a big year next season.
Highlanders 27 Hilltoppers 17
Bishop McCort (5-2) at Forest Hills (6-1) G.H. Miller Field Friday 7:00
Well you may be able to also call this game of the week, also. Many folks would. These are the two most consistent programs in the Laurel Highlands, and even District 6 the past decade. Since the year 2001, these two schools have won 9 District Championships combined. They often split the LHAC, and they churn out good team after good team each year. This game also has big stakes on the line. Currently, Forest Hills does not have home field advantage in the first round, despite the 6-1 record. McCort is in contention for a first round bye, and they need a win on Friday to make that hope a reality. So plenty to play for on each side. Forest Hills has been rolling since the week 1 setback, and they look poised to defense their District 6 Championship. As always, the defense is outstanding. They are allowing 6 points a game since the week one loss, and they have pitched two shutouts in that span. The offense does not have the usual power running back, but the group by committee has done a nice job. Dell and Unger get most of the carries, and they have done pretty well. Senior quarterback, Justin Gdula is having another big season. He is completing nearly 60% of his passes, and has tossed 11 scores. Jared Shope (29-602-5) and DJ Burkey (19-380-3) form a deadly duo at receiver, and they are really tough to cover. Bishop McCort will have their hands full stopping this offense. But they have a pretty good offense of their own. Jesse Cooper has thrown for 918 yards and 10 scores. He has some pretty reliable targets on the outside, highlighted by Christian Leech, who has hauled in 6 of those scores. The running game is led by Zach Varga and Dustin Belskey, and Jerqual Wilson can do it all. He is the wild card in this game, because he can turn any play into a score. Bishop McCort's defense has been pretty good this year, and they have forced a very impressive 26 turnovers through 7 contests. The teams match up well with speed and backs, and senior quarterbacks. They also share a similar "weakness" or concern, and that is the line. With these team's great recent history, they have had big, physical lines. That is not the case this year. Physcial? Yes. Big? No. Bishop McCort is anchored by D1 recruit, Zach Rugg, but injuries and depth issues have put the rest of the line in a shuffle. Foest Hills has some good ones, but outside Fyock, they aren't the typical huge Forest Hills kids. So this game will come down to what team's line takes control and opens up things for their offense, or what team is able to use their speed in space. Jerqual Wilson is the difference maker in this game. His speed in the return game and on offense make him dangerous, and his 5 interceptions makes him a factor at every point in the game. I'm taking Bishop McCort, BUTTTT I could really see Forest Hills taking this one. The Ranger faithful seem concerned with this line, so we will see how it all plays out.
Crimson Crushers 34 Rangers 28
GAME OF THE WEEK
Bedford (4-3) at Penn Cambria (5-2) Friday 7:00
If you look at this game on the field, it puts two solid teams that share similar characteristics against each other. That alone makes this for an easy game of the week choice, but if you throw in the fact that these two teams are 7th and 9th in District 6 rankings, and are separated by only 90 points.....Well that makes this a very easy choice for game of the week. Bedford is currently on the outside looking in, but luckily they have direct control if they get in. They play two teams that are barely ahead of them in the standings. Bedford has been a tough luck team, that is not far away from being 6-1. Marcus Shippey is a tough, hard nosed football player, and he happens to be a really good quarterback. His improved passing skills are evident with his 836 yards and 13 score, and his ever consistent running threat is still there. Luke Campbell is definitely flying under the radar as a playmaker and a receiver in this league. He has 10 touchdowns through the air, and is a real threat in the return game. The Bisons defense is anchored by none other than their quarterback, Marcus Shippey, who doubles as the Middle Linebacker. The defense has done a good job this year, but their biggest issue seems to be the big play, and I'm not so sure Penn Cambria has that threat. Penn Cambria is coming off a tough loss to Forest Hills, and by virtue of that loss, they join the mess at the bottom of the District 6 playoff race. A game at Richland next week looms, making this game even more important. Jordan Fuller leads the Panthers offense with 788 rushing yards. He is the consistent force in the offense, and Andrew Buck provides some versatility at quarterback. Buck has opened things up a lot, by throwing more, and he still provides a tough running sense for a quarterback. Both teams will do things differently, but both teams have similar caliber athletes with strong lines. This should be a really good game, especially with a lot at stake for both teams. Penn Cambria cannot really afford another loss in a row, and Bedford needs to put some wins together down the stretch. I think this game will be an absolute battle, and I think Bedford has a few more playmakers that will open things up. This game could go either way, but I like Bedford.Bisons 28 Panthers 22
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