7. Northern Cambria (8-3) at 6.Bishop McCort (8-3) Saturday 7:00 Point Stadium
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| McCort's Defensive Line |
This certainly is not the game everyone expected as the seven seed will travel to the six seed in this semi final game. Northern Cambria is coming off of an impressive win over second seeded Portage. The Colts used a balanced offensive attack with Nate Zachesky carrying the load on the ground, and Jeff Hogan and Adam Polites making plays through the air. It took a interception return for a touchdown by Dartagnan Suchar to secure the 20-14 victory. Northern Cambria has a solid passing game with Jeff Hogan leading the way. Adam Polites is the most athletic receiver left in the District Six A field. The Colts defense held a high powered Portage offense to just seven offensive points. The defense is led by tackling machine Alex Atkins, and they are tough against the run.
Bishop McCort is coming off a huge, road victory over the Heritage conference champions, Penns Manor. The Crushers used a strong aerial attack, a steady running game, and forced some big turnovers to pull the upset. Zaine Tomkowski played like the area's leading passer in round one, and will bring 1,643 and 15 touchdowns into next week's game. Jordan Spangler is his number one target, and Luke DiFrancesco and Ryan Siwy are also dangerous receivers. The running game of Wyatt Jackson and Dustin Belskey has been improving each week. The Crushers were torched by the phenomenal Danny Ferens on the ground, but forced some key turnover and came up with the stops they needed to get. The Crushers offense has been good also season long led by Gap Barbin.
These two teams bring a similar style. They have a solid passing game, and enough running to keep you honest. The two teams have good defenses led by hard hitting seniors. The common opponents are Penns Manor and Cambria Heights. Both teams narrowly beat Penns Manor, and Northern Cambria beat Heights, whereas the Crushers lost a tight one to the Highlanders. All things are pointing to another close, and exciting game. I think the Crushers are good to pull this one out, though. The passing game for McCort is clicking on all cylinders, and they are unbeaten at Point Stadium this season.
Crismon Crushers 31 Colts 21
5. Bishop Guilfoyle (9-2) at 1. Bellwood-Antis (10-1) Friday 7:00 Bellwood-Antis Memorial Field
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| Seth Worthing |
Bellwood-Antis has been considered the premier program in Class A for some time now. They are also considered one of the premier programs in the Altoona region, and Bishop Guilfoyle would love nothing more to take down the mighty Blue Devils. Easier said, then done. Bellwood-Antis rolled out to an easy 40-14 first round win over Glendale. The Blue Devils are looking for their first District Six Championship since 2007. They have a great team to try to pull it off. The offense is led by superstar junior, Casey Gray. He enters this week with 1,463 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground. Seth Worthing is a dual threat quarterback that is as dangerous as anyone when he is in the open field. The Blue Devil defense is pretty stingy, as they have held down some pretty good offenses this season. This team appears to be on a one way mission to play for the District Six Crown.
Bishop Guilfoyle is the one thing standing in Bellwood's way, and they have championship aspirations themselves. Bishop Guilfoyle is coming off their most successful regular season since joining the LHAC. They were able to easily dispel fourth seeded Juniata Valley last week, and will look to pull off another road victory. The Marauders are led by a strong defense that has pitcher five shutouts this season. Nick Ceschini leads a massive defensive front, DJ Kitt makes play after play from the Linebacker spot, and Pat Irwin leads the team with five interceptions. The offense has been steady, but nothing extraordinary. Pat Irwin has been running the offense, but sophopmore sensation Brandon Chadbourn saw his first action last week. Chadbourn was the original QB, and has excellent running skills. Cody Rossman is the team's leading rusher with 686 yards and ten touchdowns.
This game will come down to Guilfoyle ability to slow down the offense of Bellwood-Antis. The Marauders would like this game to be a low scoring slug fest, as the Blue Devils would like it to be a faster paced game. Bishop Guilfoyle gets an extra boost with Chadbourn being on the field, but Bellwood has more weapons overall. This shoudl prove to be a very good game. Each team has its strengths, and they will play to them the best they can. I like Bellwood-Antis. I think they have a stronger passing game, and it will allow them to make a few more plays in the long haul.
Blue Devils 29 Marauders 22
6. Forest Hills (8-3) at 2. Ligonier Valley (10-1) Saturday 7:00 Standard Bank Stadium
Ligonier Valley is coming off their first playoff win since they defeated Tyrone back in 1985. The Rams have a chance to play for a District Championship if they can win another playoff game this Saturday. Ligonier Valley will bring a strong rushing attack into this week's semifinal game against Forest Hills. Ryan Torrance has been dominating this season, and now holds the single season rushing record for Ligonier. The record has stood since 1974, but with 1,428 yards and 26 touchdowns, Torrance is having a season LV fans will not soon forget. The Rams also have a passing game that you must respect. Scott Fennell has thrown for nearly 900 yards and 11 touchdowns Alec Bloom is a 6-7 receiver on the outside that can provide matchup problems for any defense. The LV defense has been pretty stout to go along with that terrific offense. Stuart Urch has been a force by racking up 20 sacks on the year. Ligonier Valley has come up with two consecutive wins over Bald Eagle by a combined score of 89-12. They will be tested much more this week against a strong Forest Hills squad.
The Rangers pulled off a victory over a good Central team in week one of the playoffs. The Rangers were not given much of a chance by many, and they took that to heart. There may not be a better team in the area adjusting each week. Don Bailey and his staff saw they needed to pass last week, and they did just that. Joe Donoughe threw for 200 yards and a touchdown last week,and has had a rather impressive sophomore season as a whole. Jared Shope and Doltyn Snedden are two athletic and very reliable receivers in the receiving game. Shawn Dell can be counted on to be a good back, when the Rangers need to run the ball. Forest Hills is only allowing 10 points a game, and held down an explosive Central offense to just seven points.
The Rangers are one of the traditional AA powers, and Ligonier Valley is on the rise. The Rams got that first playoff win for coach Roger Beitel, but can they make it two? It will not be easy taking down one of the legends of local high school football in Don Bailey. I like the Rangers in this game. Forest Hills has grown so much throughout the season, and they are clicking at the absolute right time. Forest Hills is in the midst of a six game winning streak, and they are one of the hottest teams in the area. Ligonier has the weapons to win this game, but they struggle against tough defenses. Forest Hills should be able to disrupt the running game of Ligonier, and take a victory.
Rangers 27 Rams 14
GAME OF THE WEEK
4. Tyrone (8-3) at 1. Richland (11-0) Friday 7:00 Herlinger Field
The rematch is here. Tyrone took down Richland in the District Final last season. The roles are reversed this season, as Richland appears to be the favorite and the better team. Tyrone still has a solid core in place from last season's championship team, and are more than capable of winning this game. This game will be the game of the weekend, and it will certainly be worth the price of admission.
Tyrone narrowly escaped over Cambira Heights in the first round with a 14-7 victory. The offense for Tyrone was provided by the spectacular running of junior, James Oliver. Oliver is among the state leaders in rushing and brings a total of 1,844 yards and 27 touchdowns into Friday's contest. He is the catalyst for Tyrone, and everything builds off of him. Erik Wagner has improved as a quarterback, but Tyrone is not a great passing team. Charles Wilson-Adams has made plenty of big plays on offense, and is the leading receiver. The Golden Eagles have a solid defense led by guys like Ben Makdad and Wilson-Adams. They still have a good core from the 14-2 team last year, and they will not lay down to Richland. They held a powerful Clearfield offense down for the most part, so Richland may have its hands full.
Richland rolled out to an easy 28-0 win over Penn Cambria. They used another strong air raid attack, and a good performance from Tanner Solarczyk on the ground. That has been the recipe for success all year long, and Richland will go out and use their versatile offense once again. Matt Shaffer has been a reliable quarterback all season, and his backup is more than serviceable in Nico Pecora. They have teamed up for 2,011 yards and 19 touchdowns. Solarczyk comes in as the second most effective back in the AA field, behind only James Oliver of Tyrone. He has rushed for 1,514 and 22 touchdowns. Richland has such a prolific offense that averages 423 yards a game. The defense sometimes gets overshadowed, but it has been highly effective this season. They have forced 21 turnovers as a team to go along with 35 sacks.
This game is filled with underclassmen, and we could see this game played in years down the line. Richland would love to avenge last season's loss. They have the powerful offense, and the stingy defense. It is hard to pick a weakness in this Richland team. They are so well coached, and they are ready to get back to Mansion Park. Tyrone is a proud bunch, and they want to get the chance to defend their title. There is going to be great battles all over the field, but maybe Charles Wilson-Adams and Kyle Flick could be the most exciting. They are both excellent athletes, and it will be a battle all game long. I have been picking Richland all year long, and I can not change it now. They are a complete team, and Tyrone will have trouble slowing them down on the artificial track at home.
Rams 34 Golden Eagles 27
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