Altoona tries to bounce back
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Last season Altoona defeated State College then Williamsport on its way to a District 4-6 Class 6A regional championship.
Mountain Lions coach Vince Nedimyer Jr. is stressing to his team that they just have to go about their business in the opposite order this season and not to dwell on last week's 21-7 loss to State College that made the Little Lions the top seed.
"The reality is that we're not guaranteed anything," Nedimyer said. "If we lose, we're done. That in itself should be enough for our kids to be as focused as we need them to be on Williamsport, and I think they will be. They know what is at stake, and they want a shot to get back to the district championship, not only to play State College, but that's because it's been one of our goals all season long."
Altoona defeated Williamsport, 31-24, at Mansion Park in September and topped the Millionaires by two scores in a playoff game at Bald Eagle Area last season, but Nedimyer doesn't think those win mean much right now.
"It's the same thing we preach every week," Nedimyer said. "Don't turn the ball over and tackle. We saw them on film against Hazleton. We played them the second week of the season. That was a long time ago. Both teams are a lot different now. We both have some different kids playing some different positions, and injuries occur."
One difference is that Altoona's Ethan Stroup likely won't be 100 percent. The Lions fullback returned from an injury last week but carried the ball only 13 times against State College. Stroup ran for more than 200 yards in the last game against Williamsport.
But during Stroup's absence, Alex Yost has emerged as a viable threat.
"We've kind of known that Alex was the type of player that everyone has had the chance to see the last couple weeks," Nedimyer said. "It's definitely nice to get them in and out and keep them fresh during series like we did Friday night against State College. They combined for 130 yards, and we're glad to see him on display and showing what he can do with the ball in his hands."
The winner of Friday's game in Williamsport will take on State College at a time and place to be determined next week.
Rematch in Tyrone
Before Tyrone took Central down to the final minute in the District 6 Class 3A championship last season, it was the Golden Eagles who were fighting for their postseason lives a week prior when Penn Cambria made the trip down the mountain and nearly upset them.
For most of the season, it appeared Tyrone would be heading up the mountain to play at Penn Cambria this season until the Golden Eagles rallied to beat Saint Marys, which came into the game 8-1, and pass the Panthers in the final week.
"We were able to get things together and make it up to the No. 2 seed," Tyrone coach John Franco said. "In our scheme of things, that was a nice goal that we set for these guys. It didn't look like we were going to get to it, but everything worked out pretty well. Any chance to play at home, it makes it a little nicer."
Tyrone started its season with a lopsided loss to Bellwood-Antis, but the Golden Eagles barely resemble that team now. Freshman Ashton Walk has taken over as the starting quarterback, and plenty of other young players have matured.
"It's night and day," Franco said. "The development, especially of our sophomores, has been excellent. We have about 10 sophomores who have gotten a good amount of playing time, several of whom who are starters of course. A lot of the major rotators have been sophomores too. You can just see their development along with the guys who are juniors that were inexperienced. They have a much better understanding of how to play their position. That's been a major change. We knew we were going to have to be patient and let these kids develop, and you could see it happen as the season went on."
Penn Cambria knows all about young players maturing.
Junior quarterback Garrett Harrold took his bumps as a freshman and sophomore, but he's now one of Penn Cambria's leaders.
"He is one of the best all-around quarterbacks anywhere in District 6, regardless of the level," Franco said. "He throws the ball as well as anybody, and he runs the ball better than most. I feel like I had a very small part in his development while I was up at Penn Cambria. He came to my quarterback camps, and we knew he was going to be the real deal. He is a college-level quarterback that has a great future. He's the hub of their team, no doubt about it. He's one of the finest players in the area."
Harrold nearly led his Panthers to a win in Tyrone last season, but that experience might help him this year.
"No matter what the outcome is, any time your team has a chance to play in a big game, there's no substitute for experience," Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said. "I thought our kids, for four quarters last year, played extremely well. It just didn't go our way. They made a couple more plays than we did, but for our guys, especially this year after playing in a lot of big games the past two years, they have built some confidence. They are prepared for playoff time."
Felus isn't leaning as heavily on Harrold, though he is among the area's leading passers and rushers, thanks to the emergence of running back Zach Grove.
"Zach Grove has stepped up," Felus said. "He had a great offseason in the weight room. We thought he had a really good year last year, but this year he's added the ability to run the ball really well between the tackles. He's also a threat out of the backfield catching passes. He's been a great player for us this year, and we look forward to him making more plays this week."
The winning team in this semifinal will likely take on Central, which plays Westmont Hilltop -- a team it beat 48-7 in the regular season -- in the other semifinal. But neither squad is looking ahead.
"This is our second playoff appearance in three years," Felus said. "That's a positive thing for our program. Our kids know our schedule the past few weeks has been tough, but they have shown they can turn the page quickly. Now that it's playoff week, they know everyone is 0-0, and that's the mindset we have going in right now."
Bellwood-Antis banged up
Bellwood-Antis has been missing as many as three starting linemen down the stretch, and an area that was expected to be the team's biggest strength has now developed into a little bit of a concern.
"We've had some injuries, but we've had some guys step up in those spots," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said. "We've had to move some people around, but the guys we have been plugging in have done a pretty good job. We're happy with their progress, and we're hoping to get some people back at some point."
The Blue Devils host Penns Valley on Friday at 7 p.m., and the Rams are coming off an impressive victory over another Inter-County Conference playoff team, Glendale.
"Penns Valley does a little bit of everything," Lovrich said. "Their quarterback is good. He throws a nice ball, and he has some good receivers that are quick and able to make some plays. Their running back is solid. They do a good job at running the football, and they are balanced. We are going to have to bring our 'A' game on defense to slow down their offense a little bit."
The winner will take on either Southern Huntingdon or Richland in the semifinals. Richland eliminated the Blue Devils in the same round last season.
"Any time you are in the playoffs, you have to limit your mistakes and take care of the ball," Lovrich said. "That's a big thing. We have to focus on that and playing a different team. It's going to be a challenge, because we haven't seen Penns Valley in a long time. We have to make sure our guys are ready to play."