LHAC Football Forecast Week Three.

I posted a 5-1 record in week two, giving me a 11-1 for the season. My lone hiccup was the Bishop McCort-Forest Hills game. I thought that it would have a last man standing feel to it, and it did. I was fortunate to see the game live and both teams played well, and both have high playoff hopes. Richland and Penn Cambria were able to roll. Johnstown and Cambria Heights got into the win column. Westmont, Bedford, and Central Cambria remained winless. Good slate of games in week three....

Richland (2-0) at Bedford (0-2) Friday 7:00

Kyle Flick

Bedford was able to put together one solid of quarter against conference favorite, Penn Cambria. The problem for Bedford is that the games are four quarters. Bedford is certainly thin right now, and the offensive plan has gone away. Aaron Henry was out a second consecutive week for Bedford. Isaac Kline has been running the quarterback position and has done a nice job. Koontz and Wirick are running the ball fine as well. The defense needs to get better for the Bisons, and unfortunately for them this is not the offense you want to play with a struggling defense. Richland has been...dare I say it...high octane through two games. The passing tandem of Nico Pecora and Matt Shaffer has been dominant so far. They have teamed up for 493 yards and six touchdowns. The top target for that offense have been junior, Kyle Flick.  Flick has been torching defenses so far with 16 catches 277 yards and four touchdowns. The running game has been solid with Tanner Solarczyk and Matt Shaffer has been putting up solid numbers as well. They have a complete offense led by that veteran offensive line. Richland is clicking like mid-season form here in September. I like Richland to run away with this game. The offense has been too good early on this season.

Rams 42 Bisons 13

Forest Hills (1-1) at Bishop Carroll (0-2) Friday 7:00 DeGol Field

Forest Hills is coming off a very frustrating loss to Bishop McCort. They will look to rebound in week three against Bishop Carroll. Forest Hills needs to concentrate on limiting their own turnovers and they will be fine. The offense has been moving the ball very well with sophomore, Joe Donoughe running the show. He has thrown for 350 yards early on in this season. Shawn Dell has been running the ball very well with 255 yards through two games. Dell is averaging 13 yards a carry. The main targets for Donoughe are as good as anyone. Shope has 12 catches on the season, and Doltyn Snedden has been a nice compliment. Forest Hills is playing solid defense again in 2012, and it should be a strength moving forward. The Huskies are a young squad, but they are scoring more points than they did in 2011. David Maruca has 346 yards through the air giving Carroll a more balanced offense than in years past.  The rushing offense has been shaky through two weeks, but Marty Lessard and Dan Lesney have been receiving most of the carries. Dane Woo has been a good threat at receiver, and he is very quick. The Huskies have been a running option team for years, but the rushing game has been very stagnant so far. The game will come down to Carroll being able to pass block. I have seen the Forest Hills pass rush first hand, and the Huskies will have some trouble. I like Forest Hills. They certainly do not want to lose two games in a row, and the can not afford to lose two in a row.

Rangers 34 Huskies 7

Penn Cambria (2-0) at Central Cambira (0-2) Friday 7:00 Red Devil Stadium

The annual Central Cambria-Penn Cambria game is one of the better rivalries in the entire district. Central Cambria is looking to end a four game losing streak to the hands of their arch rivals. Central Cambira played very well against Johnstown last week, but still lost a close game. Central Cambria has a bright future with a good young quarterback in Will Seymour. Seymour has moved the ball well with 233 yards through the air. The Red Devils are still looking for a reliable running back, and that search continues. Gironda, Papuga, and Baurer have all seen carries. The Defense has played alright and limited Johnstown to just seven offensive points. They will need to play strong defense against Penn Cambria. Penn Cambria can run the football, and they have plenty of guys that can do it. James Mardula led the way last week, but Devin Lawhead and Justin Fuller are big parts of that offense as well.They can pass the ball with Mac Behe and Nathan Keagy being big time receiving threats. The defense is the name of their game, and the Panthers have allowed just 7 points in 8 quarters of Football. I think Penn Cambria's depth will be too much for Central Cambria. The Panthers are looking like a complete team, and they will take a five game winning streak over their rivals.
Panrthers 28 Red Devils 8

Westmont (0-2) at Johnstown (1-1) Friday 7:00 Trojan Stadium

Westmont will be dealing with a short week. They suffered a tough loss on Monday, but showed some promising signs. Sam Curry looks to be a player the offense can depend on for big plays. Curry can run the ball, but has good pass catching ability as well. He rushed for 100 yards and caught a touchdown in a losing effort to Cambria Heights. The quarterback Liam Moran has done a nice job dealing with the new offense and has made plays with his arm and running the football. Westmont played a bruising team in Cambria Heights, but tackled well for the most part. They were worn down by the 4th quarter. They will need to rebound quickly. Johnstown is a struggling offense, and they will be looking to explode for the first time in 2012. Johnstown has just one offensive touchdown in two games, but have found some key players. Terrell Jones is only a freshmen, but is averaging 5 yards a carry on the young season. The passing game is still struggling. Johnstown used junior, Deion Moore in a spread attack playing quarterback. The move paid off as he was able to score a touchdown in week two. Expect to see more of Moore for the rest of the season.  Johnstown's defense created a score on a fumble return, and they will only improve. Dalvin Williams is one of the league's best defenders.  I like Johnstown to jump out to a 2-1 record. They have had some offensive woes, but they should get better. I think Westmont's offense will have trouble with the speed of the Trojan defense.
Trojans 21 Hilltoppers 7

Cambria Heights (1-1) at Bishop Guilfoyle (1-1) Saturday 7:00 Mansion Park

This will be a sneaky good game in the week three slate. Bishop Guilfoyle is a young team that has the talent to compete with some good teams. Cambria Heights is trying for their first playoff berth in a while. Bishop Guilfoyle's offensive attack starts with the sophomore quarterback, Brandon Chadbourn. He leads the team with 227 passing yards and 205 rushing yards. He is the key for everything they do on offense. Cody Rossman has been a reliable running back early on in the season. BG had a tough time on defense last week with the spread balanced attack of Richland. Cambria Heights does not run a wide open attack, but they have a good offense. The Highlanders like to run the ball, and they have three good backs to do it. Tyler Crawford, Donnie Contorchick, and Ben Myers all have the ability to carry the load and have a big game. Myers is a threat in the passing game along with Andrew Brawley.  Nathan Bearer has improved at quarterback, and he is a threat running and passing the ball. Cambria Heights would like to come right at BG and try to run it over them. Guilfoyle needs to be strong on the defensive front and be ready for that bruising attack. I like Cambria Heights. They look the part of a playoff team. I was impressed having the chance to see them live. They are not a flashy club, but they run their stuff well.

Highlanders 32 Marauders 22

GAME OF THE WEEK

Bishop McCort (2-0) at Somerset (2-0) Friday 7:00

Jordan Spangler

Bishop McCort and Somerset will be the only game this week featuring two undefeated squads. Somerset will be looking to make history. They have never beaten Bishop McCort. The Crushers hold a 20-0 advantage in the series. This appears to be the best chance Somerset has had in a while. The Golden Eagles have a standout quarterback running the show in Tanner Stull. The small but sure junior has thrown for 336 yards and four touchdowns, and has run for another 152 yards and four more scores. He is as dangerous as any player in the conference. He has the luxury of handing the ball to Blake Fualkner, who has been solid through two weeks. Justin Wilkow is a tough matchup as a receiver, as he stands at 6-4. The Golden Eagles have a potent offense, and they look poised for the upset. They must overcome the strong defense by Bishop McCort. The Crushers' D has six takeaways early in the season. The offense has a good set of balance. Zaine Tomkowski has played well in his first season as the starting quarterback. He has two sure handed receivers in Jordan Spangler and Luke DiFrancesco to throw the ball. The Crushers running game has seen many ball carriers with the injury of Dustin Belskey. Wyatt Jackson came up with the big game against Forest Hills, and he will continue to see the bulk of the carries. I think this will be a hard fought game. Somerset is 2-0 for the first time since 2004, and a win over McCort would be huge for their season. A huge crowd will be on hand, but I like Bishop McCort this week. I had the chance to see them play last week, and I like the defense. They gave up yards to Forest Hills, but made stops when it counted. Nate James and Gap Barbin will be set for big games on that side of the ball.

Crimson Crushers 23 Golden Eagles 16