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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
Central will be bidding for its fourth consecutive District 6 Class 3A football championship tonight, and for the third straight season, the Scarlet Dragons' opponent in the title game will be Penn Cambria.
The unbeaten Scarlet Dragons (10-0) and Panthers (9-2) will meet at Mansion Park with the district championship and a berth in the upcoming PIAA state playoffs on the line. Tonight's kickoff is 7 p.m.
Central drew a first-round bye as the top seed in the District 6 Class 3A bracket this season, while second-seeded Penn Cambria advanced to the title game with a come-from-behind 32-28 victory over Tyrone in last week's semifinals.
Players from both teams appreciate the rivalry, which has grown more intense since Central joined the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference in 2021.
Central senior Caden Schenk, who has been a two-year, two-way starter at right tackle on offense and left tackle on defense for the Dragons, looks upon Penn Cambria as one of his team's biggest rivals.
"At this point, they are for sure,'' Schenk said. "It's been three years in a row now that we've played them for the district championship. Wow.''
Penn Cambria junior Gavin Harrold -- who is a three-year starter on both offense and defense for the Panthers since his freshman year -- said that stopping Central's big-play offensive attack will be his team's chief priority on Friday.
"They definitely make big plays -- they like to throw the ball deep, and we know that we have to limit that,'' said Harrold, who plays at both wideout and running back on offense and has played at safety, defensive back and linebacker on defense. "(Central senior running back) Hunter Smith is a great athlete for them as well, and we have to stop their running game as well as their passing game.
"If our defense can do both, I think that we have a great chance to win the game,'' Harrold added.
The trigger man in Central's passing game has been junior quarterback Eli Muthler, who has completed 144 of 242 throws for 2,353 yards and 28 touchdowns this season, while also rushing for 239 yards on 44 carries and two scores.
Senior wideouts Jack Dunn (47 catches, 916 yards, 12 touchdowns), Jacob Benton (41 catches, 683 yards, seven touchdowns), and Baron Dionis (23 catches, 322 yards, two touchdowns) have been the top receivers for Central, which has scored an average of over 35 points per game.
Smith has rushed for 690 yards on 139 carries - a five yards per carry average - and 17 touchdowns this season, while catching 16 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown.
"Not much has changed with Central,'' Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said. "Once again, they have some good athletes on both sides of the ball, they like to throw the ball vertically this year like they have in the past few years, and they like to spread the ball around. Eli Muthler is definitely a player who has really stepped up for them in his first year as a starting quarterback.
"Defensively, they like to bring a lot of pressure, they play man-to-man coverage, and they're very physical,'' Felus said of the Dragons, who have allowed opponents an average of less than 12 points per game in their 10 games.
Penn Cambria also has a young first-year quarterback in sophomore Brady Jones, who has stepped up admirably this season, leading an offense that possesses plenty of firepower.
Jones has thrown for 19 touchdowns and well over 1,500 yards, with Harrold scoring 14 touchdowns - nine on receptions and five via the rush - while making a team-leading 46 receptions for over 700 yards. Harrold scored the winning touchdown against Tyrone on a 2-yard run with only 32 seconds left in the game as Penn Cambria overcame a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Senior wideout Carter McDermott has 40 catches for 800 yards and nine touchdowns this season, after making two touchdown receptions in last week's game. He also returned a blocked punt by teammate Derek Hite for a big score that ignited the Panthers' fourth-quarter rally.
Junior running back Tommy Plunkett has rushed for around 800 yards and five touchdowns this season for Penn Cambria.
"We've seen them on film, and we watched their game against Tyrone last week on television,'' Central coach Dave Baker said of the Penn Cambria team, which has scored an average of over 28 points per game. "They lost a lot of good players from last year's team, but they seem to have replaced them with some guys who are very, very good.
"Their quarterback throws the ball OK, and they have some speed in the backfield and they run the ball well,'' Baker added. "They're a tough bunch that is really playing hard, and they've got it going.''
Both teams have worked hard to reach Friday's title game.
''Some people doubted us this year, but our hard work this past offseason and all during this season has definitely paid off. It's been a blessing to get to this point,'' Harrold said.
Schenk expressed similar sentiments.
"It's obviously a really cool accomplishment to get this far, and it's definitely been a team effort,'' said Schenk, who also saw considerable playing time on defense as a sophomore and has been on Central teams that have reached the PIAA Class 3A state semifinals in both of the past two seasons. "It's been great to have been a part of this journey so far, and we hope to continue it on Friday.''
D6 Class 3A title game
Who: Central (10-0) vs. Penn Cambria (9-2)
When: Tonight at 7
Where: Mansion Park
Coaches: Nick Felus is 36-48 in eight seasons, including 29-25 in five seasons at Penn Cambria. Dave Baker is 243-211-11 in 43 seasons, including 117-41 in 13 seasons at Central.
Last meeting: Central defeated Penn Cambria, 35-6, in the District 6 Class 3A championship game last November at Mansion Park.
Noteworthy: Central also defeated Penn Cambria, 42-7, in the 2021 District 6 Class 3A championship game. The two teams did not meet during this past regular season.
The winner gets: District 9 champion Clearfield -- likely at Clearfield — in a first-round PIAA playoff game next weekend.