LHAC Football Forecast Week Two.

           Week one of the High School football season is in the books. I went 6 for 6 last week in forecasting the LHAC games. The week one story lines should create even more interesting story lines in week two. Johnstown lost, and they lost badly. I do not think that is a true indication of how their season will fall. They need to make a statement in week two.  Cambria Heights did not go toe to toe with Richland. They were able to score some points, and it will be interesting to see how they respond. The two favorites in Richland and Penn Cambria played how they were supposed to play. The week two slate is the second week of crossover section games, and some good games are on the horizon.

Penn Cambria (1-0) at Bedford (0-1) Friday 7:00

Penn Cambria lived up to the hype in week one. They dispatched Johnstown in dominating fashion and sent a message to the rest of the league. Penn Cambria displayed a good balance on offense in week one. The balance should help relieve pressure on new starting quarterback, Brendan Eckenrode. He has some reliable targets in the passing game with Nathan Keagy and James Mardula. The running of Devin Lawhead and Justin Fuller keeps the pressure off the passing game. The defense pitched a shut out, and remains the strength of the Panthers.  Bedford is battling some injury problems and inexperience. They suffered a difficult loss to Bishop Guilfoyle in week one by a score of 42-0. Bedford must find a way to move the ball on offense as they barely gained 100 yards in week one. Isaac Kline was forced into duty at quarterback and that was clearly not the plan for coach Kevin Steele. Bedford needs to establish a solid running game, and identify a player to front that running game. No player for Bedford carried it more than six times on Saturday night.  This game comes down to talent and experience. Bedford is a young team that is already banged up early in the season. Penn Cambria on the other hand has a strong group of seniors and a dominating defense. I like Penn Cambria to remain undefeated. 

Panthers 42 Bisons 0

Bishop Carroll (0-1) at Somerset (1-0) Friday 7:00

Somerset opened up the 2012 campaign with a convincing 30-0 win over Central Cambria. The Golden Eagles have plenty of reason for optimism this year and it all begins with junior quarterback, Tanner Stull. Stull put up a solid performance in week one , with 158 passing yards and a touchdown to go along with 62 yards and another score on the ground. He is the key to Somerset's offense and everything works off of him. Somerset was able to answer some questions with the offensive line and the defense. Somerset held Central Cambira to 168 yards of total offense and no points. Bishop Carroll may have trouble attacking the strong defense of Somerset. The Huskies lost a 38-18 contest to Bishop McCort in their opener. Carroll was able to move the ball, but missed plenty of scoring opportunities. They need to avoid costly turnovers. David Maruca is proving to be a reliable quarterback for BC. He led the team in rushing last week and was able to convert some big passes. The passing game has been problematic for the Huskies the past few seasons. Maruca may be the answer to opening up the offense. I think Bishop Carroll was written off a little too soon. They have just two seniors and it may take a while until everything gets clicking. Carroll only has 28 kids on the roster, so any injury could be costly.  Somerset just needs to play with consistency here in 2012. Stull is one of the better players in the league, and I think he will have a monster game on Friday. I am going with Somerset on another big game by Tanner Stull. 

Golden Eagles 27 Huskies 7

Cambria Heights (0-1) at Westmont (0-1) Saturday 1:00 Price Field

Both teams did not get off to an ideal start. Westmont had a rough go at it with Forest Hills in week one. They are still working on getting coach Barron's system in place. This will not be an easy first season, but I feel Barron will do fine for Westmont. The offense struggled to get anything going, and maybe they need to work on some passing. Lukas Kleinmeyer had a big first game running the ball, and will need to follow that performance up with another one. Cambria Heights was not able to make that week one statement some thought they would make. Heights was able to score points on Richland, but had trouble stopping them. Donnie Contorchick led the running game for Heights in week one. He along with Ben Myers and Tyler Crwaford form a great rushing trio.  Nathan Bearer only completed five passes, but three went for 40+ yard touchdowns. The offense has the potential to be explosive. Cambria Heights has a pretty high powered offense, while Westmont is coming off a game in which they gave up 40 points. It will be difficult for Westmont to right the ship on defense in a week's time. I'll take Heights to get their first win of the season.

Highlanders 38 Hilltoppers 7

Central Cambria (0-1) at Johnstown (0-1) Friday 7:00 Trojan Stadium

Johnstown had some successful seasons the past two years, but Central Cambria had their number. The Red Devils pulled off the upset two years in a row, can they make it a third? Central Cambria had a rough season opener against Somerset. They were not able to score any points. Will Syemour had a nice debut as the new quarterback, and he looks to be a player coach Shutty can build around. The running game needs to get better, and Tyler Gironda could be the man for the job. Johnstown was humbled in their season opener against Penn Cambria. The biggest issue was the defense, as they were not able to get Penn Cambria off the field. The defense must get better for Johnstown to have a successful season. Johnstown's offense struggled as well, but had some positive signs. Brody Loboi struggled in his first game at quarterback, but has the weapons to turn that around quickly. Phillip Madison needs to touch the ball more frequently, and I expect him to see more touches. Talented freshmen running back, Terrell Jones, could be the next great Trojan running back. He is only going to get better. I think both teams got a good barometer of where they are, and where they need to go. Johnstown needs to get back to playing with confidence and let their athletes make the plays. I think Central Cambria is still in rebuilding mode, and I think Johnstown can get things turned around this week. 

Trojans 26 Red Devils 13

Bishop Guilfoyle (1-0) at Richland (1-0) Friday 7:00 Herlinger Field

This could be a very intriguing matchup, one that was overlooked in the offseason. Bishop Guilfoyle came out in week one and showed they could be a player this season. They switched out incumbent quarterback Pat Irwin and made him a receiver. They now have Brendan Chadbourn running things on offense, and he had a phenomenal performance. He is Guilfoyle's best athlete, and him  having the ball in his hands every play makes the offense much more dangerous. He rushed for 166 yards and a score in week one, and threw for 70 yards and another score. He is just a sophomore, but could quickly acclaim himself to the league's elite. Richland did what many thought they would do in week one, and that is score a ton of points and win. Richland had some doubters out there, but after week one that crowd should shrink. Richland's two quarterback system is still in place. Both Matt Shaffer and Nice Pecora had big games in week one. Kyle Flick had a big game at receiver. He caught ten passes for three touchdowns in week one, and could put up monster numbers all season long. Tanner Solarczyk is going to be a good running back, and he opened 2012 with a nice game. This offense has all the tools of being unstoppable.Something has got to give in this week two game. Guilfoyle won in dominating fashion and they have a budding star in Chadbourn. Richland has all the pieces in place as well.  I like Richland, but I think BG can score some points and make things interesting.

Rams 42 Marauders 24

GAME OF THE WEEK

Forest Hills (1-0) at Bishop McCort (1-0) Friday 7:00 Point Stadium

This is game between two of the more well regarded programs in all of District Six. The Forest Hills Rangers have won the past two meetings in lob sided fashion, but 2012 should bring a better game. Forest Hills does not have the typical size and depth as year's past, but they have some solid skilled players. Shawn Dell had a massive game in week one as the featured back for coach Don Bailey, and he could be set up for a big season. Joe Donoughe's debut at quarterback could not have gone any better. He threw for 155 yards and two touchdowns. His favorite target is Jared Shope. Shope is as dangerous as any player in the conference, and he is definitely a player to watch in this game. The other end of things, Bishop McCort does not have the size or depth as they once had. This game a few years ago saw 50 plus players on both sides, with giant offensive lines. I guess those days are over, but the rivalry and tradition is still there. Bishop McCort sports a pretty nice passing attack as well. Zaine Tomkowski threw for 218 yards and three scores. He has a pretty good target in Jordan Spangler. The running game is down two starters, but Tyler Rugg is a nice option for Coach Sheridan out of the backfield. This game has some good talent on both sides, and they are both well coached. The key matchup on both sides of the ball will be with Jared Shope and Jordan Spangler. Both are so key and instrumental to their offense and defense. I think this game is pretty evenly matched. Both teams still have a lot of questions to answer still, but I am going to take Forest Hills in a tight one.

Rangers 24 Crimson Crushers 20