By Paul Buriak

For the Mirror

JOHNSTOWN — One of the hottest teams in the Heritage Conference kept its late-season surge going Friday night.

Cambria Heights extended its winning streak to five in a row thanks to a balanced and multi-dimensional offensive attack that was too much for Conemaugh Valley to handle in a 41-16 Highlanders victory at John “Jake” Jacoby Field at Thomas Yewcic Stadium.

Play of the game: Cambria Heights quarterback Isaac Weiland’s only pass completion of the first half was a huge one. The junior signal caller threw deep and connected with Hunter Nelen for a 51-yard touchdown that made it 20-0 at the 8:19 mark of the second quarter and put the Highlanders in firm command of the contest.

Player of the game: Cambria Heights junior running back Luke Mulraney tallied a game-high 129 yards rushing on 20 carries and scored one touchdown.

Unsung hero: Highlander junior defensive end/tight end Garrett Jasper.

“Jasper was everywhere in the first half,” Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. “He made a lot of plays behind the sticks and had some tackles for losses that really disrupted their offense.” Jasper also caught a two-point conversion pass.

Most vital statistic: Cambria Heights spread the wealth on offense. Six different Highlanders found the end zone, and nine ball carriers combined for 287 yards on the ground. Three different players had scoring plays of over 50 yards.

Lewis: “I like what we did tonight. We were fortunate to make some plays offensively. A number of guys touched the ball, and that makes us hard to defend. We want to continue that trend.”

Conemaugh Valley coach Matt Kent: “We had too many breakdowns on the defensive side of the ball. But that’s a great team over there, they’re 7-2 for a reason.”

Mulraney: “We came in here tonight and knew we had to take care of business, and we have another big game next week, too. Our offensive line blocked great the entire game.”

Notable: Weiland threw for 108 yards and two touchdowns on his only two completions of the game. Conemaugh Valley senior running back Devin Chontas rushed for a team-leading 102 yards.

Records: Cambria Heights (7-2); Conemaugh Valley (1-8).

Next week: Cambria Heights hosts rival Northern Cambria in the Coal Bowl. Conemaugh Valley closes out the season at Homer-Center.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Cambria Heights 7 21 7 6 — 41

Conemaugh Valley 0 0 8 8 — 16

First Quarter

CH–Mulraney 1 run (Abrams kick), 0:39.

Second Quarter

CH–Trybus 56 run (Abrams kick), 10:38.

CH–H. Nelen 51 pass from Weiland (kick failed), 8:19.

CH–S. Nelen 6 run (Jasper pass from Weiland), 1:30.

Thurd Quarter

CH–Eckenrode 57 pass from Weiland (Abrams kick), 11:44.

CV–Chontas 26 run (Percinsky pass from Jasper), 5:52.

Fourth Quarter

CH–Lewis 5 run (kick failed), 5:32.

CV–Jasper 2 run (Lauer run), 0:41.

TEAM STATISTICS CH CV

First downs 14 8

Total yards 395 207

Rushes-yards 43-287 39-196

Passing yards 108 11

Comp-Att-Int 2-3-0 1-1-0

Punts-avg. 1-28.0 4-20.5

Fumbles-lost 1-0 1-1

Penalties-yards 3-15 3-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Cambria Heights, Mulraney 20-129, S. Nelen 7-38, Weiland 4-5, Trybus 3-61, Jasper 3-13, Eckenrode 2-0, Kline 1-32, Lewis 1-5, Warner 2-4. Conemaugh Valley, Chontas 21-102, Stiffler 5-14, Jasper 5-53, George 2-13, Darr 6-14.

PASSING–Cambria Heights, Weiland 2-3-0-108. Conemaugh Valley, Jasper 1-1-0-11.

RECEIVING–Cambria Heights, H. Nelen 1-51, Eckenrode 1-57. Conemaugh Valley, Miller 1-11.