Cambria Heights (2-4) at Bishop Carroll (1-5) Friday 7:00 DeGol Field Saint Francis
Cambria Heights gave Penn Cambria all they wanted last week, and nearly pulled off the upset. The Highlanders have two wins already, and have a realistic chance of getting to .500 this season. That would be very big news, especially because this group is getting most of their contributions from juniors. Can you even imagine Cambria Heights in the playoffs? It would be unbelievable. Tyler Crawford is having a very successful season as being the catalyst for the the Highlander offense. He has 630 yards and 4 touchdowns. Crawford, along with Myers, Brawley and Contorchick give the offense plenty of weapons. The defense has done better than in year's past, and that is not a good sign for a struggling Bishop Carroll offense. The Huskies handled Central Cambria, and there was hope they might win a few games, until Guilfoyle put that to a screeching halt. Carroll has been shutout in four of their six games. The offense has not found any sort of consistency. They still rotate many players at different positions. Josh Barzdo is their best player, and for the Huskies to have any sort of chance, he needs to go off. Bishop Carroll's season just never got going in the right direction, and Cambria Heights is showing much more promise than they ever have in recent memory. These are two programs going in opposite directions. I will take Heights because they are a better all around team, but I think Carroll will play better this week.
Highlanders 31 Huskies 17
Bishop Guilfoyle (1-5) at Central Cambria (0-6) Friday 7:00
Bishop Guilfoyle got their mark in the win column, and Central Cambria is still looking for that first win. The Marauders beat a Bishop Carroll team that beat Central Cambira the previous week. BG has played alright in recent games, but injuries and youth have held this team back from having any real success this year. Pat Irwin has been the BG offense all year, until junior running back Cody Rossman put up a 100 yard performance on Saturday. The Marauders will be a run driven team, but Pat Irwin can make a few throws. Turnovers have been this team's biggest issue, and if they take care of the ball they have just enough weapons to pick up win number two. Central Cambria has gotten better lately, and Coach Shutty is on the verge of his first victory. Scott Bellock has done a better job at quarterback recently, and had one of his best games of the year against the tough Forest Hills defense. If he controls the ball, and makes some throws and uses his legs, the Devils should be alright. Papuga and O'Saben need to make plays for the offense, as they are some of the few big play threats the Red Devils have. I think this game will be close, and I think its time Central Cambria gets that first win. They have progressively gotten better, and Guilfoyle is still a young team.
Red Devils 26 Marauders 16
Richland (5-1) at Westmont (1-5) Saturday 1:00 Price Field
Richland is rolling right now, on offense. The offense's minimum performance this season has been 27, and that was the only game they lost. When this team scores at least 35 points, they win the game. The offense is led by the Laurel Highland's leading rusher, John Rizzo. He is averaging 160 yards per contest through 6 weeks, and has lit up the scoreboard 12 times already. Matt Shaffer has had a very effective season as a sophomore quarterback. He has thrown 12 touchdowns to just 3 interceptions, and has also shown the ability to make a few plays with his feet. His favorite target is fellow sophomore, Kyle Flick who has 5 scores on the year. The offense has many weapons and different sets that cause problems for the opposition. Scoring is not the Rams issue, its keeping the other team from scoring that has been a cause for concern. In the past four weeks, they have allowed 33 points per game. This team has been winning with shootouts, and in order for them to avoid a shootout they will need to stop Ryan Burnheimer. He leads the Westmont offense with 740 yards and is second in the Laurel Highlands. He will be used heavily in order for Westmont to try to contain Richland's tempo. Joe Glennon, the senior playcaller, is coming off of perhaps his best game in his career. He threw for 100 yards, threw his first touchdown of the season, and made some impressive plays with his feet. Having him play well would be a huge bonus for the Hilltoppers. This game comes down to a few things, Will Richland take care of business from start to end? Or, Will Westmont be able to score some points and keep things close? Westmont is used to the Saturday afternoon game, so perhaps an advantage lies there. But the way Rizzo is running the ball, and the way the whole Richland offense is clicking, it is really hard to go against the Rams. My call is that Richland's defense will stand up and play better, but Westmont will still get some points on the board in the process.Rams 35 Hilltoppers 14
Bedford (3-3) at Somerset (2-4) Friday 7:00
Bedford enters this game in a must win situation, seeding and playoff spots are hard to come by at the moment, and the Bisons find themselves in the shuffle for the last few spots. They have exceeded expectations of most, and turned out to be a pretty good football team. Their offense has been great, and it has a lot to do with the emergence of the passing game of Marcus Shippey. He is at 687 yards and 11 scores on the year. His main target has been junior, Luke Campbell who has 20 catches for 415 yards and 8 scores. The Bisons aerial assault is aided by a running game that uses many different ball carriers. Bedford is very much in the playoff picture and I think they know what will be at stake in this game. The struggling Somerset offense exploded last week against Richland, and for the second straight week, Somerset put a scare on one of the league's better teams. The Somerset offense is led by a sensational sophomore quarterback, Tanner Stull. He is a very elusive runner, and is gaining experience as a passer. He will be tough for Bedford to defend. Somerset had leads over Johnstown and Richland, this team is certainly better than they were at the beginning of the season, and will certainly be a force next year. I think Bedford will struggle with this team, and Somerset's offense will take another step forward. I have to go with Bedford's experience in this game, but very quietly, this is a big game. Bisons 27 Golden Eagles 14
Bishop McCort (5-1) at Johnstown (6-0) Friday 7:00 Trojan Stadium
The City Rivalry. Big game in the Greater Johnstown area. My favorite part would have to be the McCort team will walk to and from the game, thats how close the schools are. McCort and Johnstown regularly turn out most of the Division 1 talent in the area, and this year's game potentially features 5 Division 1 players. For the game itself, since returning to the LHAC, McCort has an 8-2 edge over the nearby Trojans, but despite the previous success the Crushers know they have a daunting task ahead on Friday.McCort will be facing a team that is bigger, stronger, and faster. The Trojans are loaded, there is no way around it. It all starts with the dual threat senior, Gervon Simon. He makes Johnstown go, and is their most valuable player. His passing total is at 1088 yards with 13 touchdowns, and another 377 with 5 touchdowns on the ground. He is the key to what the Trojans are doing, but they are not short on playmakers either. Tim Odum has been phenomenal on the ground, with 637 yards and 8 scores. Dwight Andrews, Alkwan Williams, Daquan Minter and Mark Watson form the most lethal receiving cores in the area. This team can score at will, and they have a good defense as well. Alkwan Williams is the league's best player, and leads a solid linebacking core for the Trojans. He will need to have a big game to help slow down the Crushers. McCort does have an offense that has some firepower, too. They are led by senior quarterback, Jesse Cooper. He has thrown for 879 yards and 10 touchdowns. McCort uses a three man attack on the ground led by Zach Varga's 454 yards and 6 touchdowns, Belskey and Wilson will carry the ball as well. McCort's receiving core isn't too bad either, Christian Leech has hauled in 20 catches for just shy of 500 yards so far, Jerqual Wilson is a big play waiting to happen, and Jordan Spangler is a reliable third receiver. Both teams have great skilled players, and great speed, but the difference is the line. Johnstown has an underrated line, but they also have a big line, led by senior, Brock Eisenhuth. McCort's line features UConn recruit, Zach Rugg, and a lot of undersized guys. Johnstown should be able to use the size up front to win the game. I think McCort can keep up for a while, but certain matchups just do not add up well for them. The one being the size differential on the line, and how will they guard 6-6 Dwight Andrews? Johnstown used the fade route last year over the short McCort secondary, and you can bet they will try that again. Its a rivalry game, so you never know what will happen. But Johnstown is the better, and deeper team. They should win, and I believe they will win.Trojans 42 Crimson Crushers 28
GAME OF THE WEEK
Forest Hills (5-1) at Penn Cambria (5-1) Friday 7:00
Not only does this game determine the Secion I crown, but it is a huge game in terms of the District XI AA race. The two teams are separated by just 10 points entering week seven, with Penn Cambria just slightly ahead. This marks the first of three big games in a row for Penn Cambria. They will face Bedford and Richland in the coming weeks, and they know this is a big game. In order for Penn Cambria to win this game, they will stick with the same plan that has been in place all year. Play good team defense and create turnovers, and give the ball to Jordan Fuller. And so far, its been working, Fuller is third in the league is rushing, and has been a steady force for the Panthers. He has 711 yards through six contests. Andrew Buck has done a nice job as the quarterback for Penn Cambria, as he helps take some of the pressure away from Fuller. In the midst of the Panther's four game winning streak, Penn Cambria has only been allowing 8 points a contest. The game should be a good low scoring affair, unless the Ranger offense gets loose again. The Rangers have been rolling lately since their week one defeat to Richland. The offense is led by senior QB, Justin Gdula. He has 1040 yards and 9 scores so far. The running game has been handled by Shawn Dell and he has responded with 385 yards and 8 touchdowns to date. The Shope and Burkey tandem have been solid targets for Gdula. The offense is clicking lately, and the Ranger Defense is back on track. They have only surrendered 7.8 points per game in the five game winning streak. So the game features two teams with great defenses, and two contrasting styles on offense, yet both feature balance. Forest Hills will pass a little bit more, and Penn Cambria will run a little more. The game is about the battle up front, both teams have solid line play. It should be a good game, and I think Forest Hills is the favorite in this game, and I'm going to have to take the underdogs though. I like the way Fuller runs, and I like the physical style both teams bring. This game will be come down to a few key plays, I see low scoring and close.
Panthers 20 Rangers 14
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