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Bald Eagle Area and Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic opened the season at Alumni Stadium in a game that could have gone either way.
When the final horn went off, the Eagles celebrated a 17-7 win that signaled they would be a player in the race for the District 6 Class 2A championship after a win over the Marauders, who are the defending champions.
Now the teams will meet again in the District 6 quarterfinals at the same site on Friday.
"We didn't have a true identity of what we were going to be in that first week yet," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Justin Wheeler said. "The young guys were trying to figure things out. That's a tough environment, and we had never played in that stadium. Going back there a second time, with 10 games experience, we will have some familiarity, and hopefully that translates into a good game for us."
Bald Eagle Area is coming off perhaps its best performance of the year, a 46-0 win over a Penn Cambria team that was 8-1. The Marauders have won their last two games while in playoff mode trying to stay in the 2A playoff picture.
"We have to play complete football like we have the last two games," Bald Eagle Area coach Jesse Nagle said. "The last two games, we played all three phases of the game. I think if we go out and play team football, we will be OK. We definitely need to do that against a very good team like BG."
BEA is going above and beyond to create a festive environment.
"We're going to give away 40 or 50 student tickets at the school," Nagle said. "The booster club is going to pay for them and give them out to get a nice student section. We're going to try and get every advantage possible, because BG is a very good football team."
The young team that took the field in August for BG has grown up.
"Our team have become fighters and have gained experience," Wheeler said. "It was pretty much every skill kid we had, it being their first start. So, 10 games in, hopefully we have a little more confidence. It's a big ask for us to beat them down there, but hopefully we play well."
Carson Nagle has plenty of weapons to throw to in Camron Watkins, Beau Taylor, Kahale and Gavin Burns, and Cameron Dubbs has been solid in the running game.
"They have been able to keep a lot of their guys healthy and just got better as a team. We knew they were good to start," Wheeler said. "They are the No. 1 seed for a reason. They are the best team in 2A. They are big, physical and fast. They don't have many weaknesses."
Wheeler said despite his team's youth, being the No. 8 seed and just a 6-4 overall record, the goals haven't changed.
"Our goal every year is to win championships," Wheeler said. "We have played in nine of the last 10 championships, and maybe throughout the year there was a little more focus on getting kids better and getting kids healthy, but we know as a program the only thing that matters is the playoffs. We have won state titles as the No. 4 seed, district championships as the No. 8 seed. At the end of the day, we have to be playing our best at the right time."
On edge
A year ago, Altoona crushed Mifflin County in the regular season before meeting the Huskies again in the postseason.
The Mountain Lions nearly saw their season end that night as Mifflin County put on a spirited effort before ultimately losing.
Friday, the teams meet again in Lewistown after Altoona won the regular-season game, 35-0.
"It was exactly the same situation last year where we won the first game kind of handily," Altoona coach Vince Nedimyer Jr. said. "I told their coach how well they played in the playoff game last year. Our kids did make some plays to win at the end, but we're expecting the same thing this year having to go on the road. We know they are going to be ready. It's win or go home, and that's the mindset we're going in with. We have to play well to get a win."
Altoona's offense has been playing well the past two weeks, and though the Lions come into the game at 4-6, Nedimyer is confident in their ability to win the District 6 Class 6A semifinal and earn a shot against State College for the championship next week at Hollidaysburg's Tiger Stadium.
"Everyone's goal is to be playing your best at the end of the season if you have an opportunity to go into the playoffs," Nedimyer said. "Football is an interesting game where a couple plays are the difference between winning and losing or a bigger margin of victory or a loss. We have been telling our kids the same things every week, and we'll continue that this week going into Mifflin County."
Another rematch
District 5 Class 1A top seed Northern Bedford also has a rematch on its hands this week in Meyersdale, which comes into the 1A semifinals with a 6-4 mark.
"When we played them the first time, their run game is pretty tough. It looks like they have even gotten better at it," Northern Bedford coach Garry Black said. "They run an inside zone type run, and the kid has really good vision and the ability to cut. It's going to be a big key for us to be able to defend that."
The Black Panthers won the regular season matchup, 43-6, but that slate is wiped clean coming into Friday's game in Loysburg.
"One of the main reasons we have to say it's a new season and we are 0-0 is whatever we have done against the teams we have already played against doesn't matter," Black said. "In the past, we have seen that. I can remember there was a team we beat 34-0 or 34-7 in the regular season, and then they turned around and beat us in a playoff game. Nothing that we did matters in terms of that. The focus has to be that it's brand new."
Northern Bedford's experience should help guard against a letdown.
"These guys have played in almost a season's worth of playoff games," Black said. "They know the intensity is a little different. There's a little more sense of urgency, and when you do lose, it's sudden, quick and it puts an end to things. The focus is going to be one play at a time and trying to put ourselves in a position to advance as far as possible."
New Heights
Cambria Heights, a school that struggled in high school football for several years, has developed into a consistent winner, and that continues Friday with another home playoff football game, this one against West Branch in the District 6 Class 1A quarterfinals.
"We're very excited to be hosting a playoff game for the third year in a row," Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. "The community comes out and supports us, and any time you start the second season at home it's a reward."
The Warriors began the season 0-4 but have won five of their last six.
"West Branch presents a challenge," Lewis said. "They started off the season slow, and they have really come on. Their quarterback (Tyler Biggans) is a dual-threat guy, and they can spread the ball out. We have to make sure we don't let him get outside and do a good job in coverage."
Goal reached
When Juniata Valley learned that star running back Andrew McMonagle wouldn't be playing football this season due to injuries sustained last high school wrestling season, it put a fog on what the Green Hornets might accomplish this year.
One of the goals the team set was to host a home playoff game, and that goal will become a reality on Friday when sixth-seeded Penns Manor travels to A.R. Simkins Field to take on the third-seeded Hornets.
"It's a reward for the hard work the kids put in," Juniata Valley coach Bill Musser said. "At the beginning of the season, it was really a true unknown. The kids set this as a goal, and worked hard to achieve it, and here we are with a home playoff game. Hopefully, we can have a good crowd turnout and have good things happen."
Penns Manor has been streaky this season but is coming into the postseason off perhaps its best win of the year over second-seeded Purchase Line.
"They are an athletic, well-coached team that is extremely disciplined," Musser said. "They are going to come right at us. They aren't going to try and trick us. We have to be prepared for that."