Mountain Lions getting shot at avenging defeat to Little Lions
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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
After a solid first three weeks of the season, the final three quarters of Altoona's game at State College in Week 4 sent the Mountain Lions into a bit of a tailspin.
Altoona allowed 131 points in 11 quarters to the Little Lions, Central Dauphin East and Harrisburg, but Vince Nedimyer Jr. is wiping the slate clean prior to his team's rematch with the defending DIstrict 6 Class 6A champions at Hollidaysburg's Tiger Stadium on Friday at 7 p.m.
"It has been a long time since Week 4," Nedimyer said. "Teams change as the months go by in the season. It's a win-or-go-home game. We're going to preach the same things. This time of year in practice, you try to cut back and not have as much physicality. That's what we have done to try and get ourselves as healthy as we can on Friday night. We're not going to change from what we do, and we're excited to have the opportunity again."
State College has developed since that early matchup as well.
"We're both different teams than we were then," State College coach Matt Lintal said. "That was a long time ago. We have to be prepared. Altoona is playing good football right now, and we have to hopefully have the same outcome but still be ready to go from the snap."
Altoona has won two of its last three games, including a 26-8 win over Mifflin County in the semifinals last week, and has scored at least 20 points in all three games.
"I thought we played with confidence," Nedimyer said. "Going on the road and being able to win is definitely something that's not easy to do. Our kids were prepared, and we made plays, defensively especially."
State College hasn't been as dominant this year as recent seasons that ended in the PIAA semifinals. The Little Lions were shut out by Harrisburg and lost to Cumberland Valley before needing to rally to beat Chambersburg in their regular-season finale.
"It's certainly tough to replace 10 kids from last year's senior class that are off playing college football," Lintal said. "It took a little bit for us to find our stride. Credit to Eddie Corkery, who has come in and done a really nice job of distributing the ball throughout the season. We have put kids in different spots and have been more creative from our traditional offense, but credit to our kids for picking it up and adapting."
D'antae Sheffey, who ran for 1,725 yards as a freshman, has seen his numbers shrink considerably.
"You're going to lose kids to graduation, but they were really good up front last year," Nedimyer said. "They had a really good group of offensive linemen. Any time you lose kids like that, it's tough to replace them, but they have kids that are playing at a high level all over the field for them. They will be ready to go for sure, but we'll do what we do and see what happens Friday night."
Winning a District 6 title would be important for Altoona, which last won one in 2020.
"It would be huge," Nedimyer said. "Matt has done a great job down at State College. The culture he's built is what we're trying to do here in the short period of time I have been here with the coaches I have been lucky enough to have. Any district title against anybody is huge, but obviously against a team like State College, it would have a little more meaning to it for sure."
Bron Mosely comes into the game leading the Mirror's core coverage area in rushing with 1,291 yards.
"Obviously you have to play assignment football and account for all three phases of the triple option," Lintal said. "Coach Nedimyer does a great job with that and puts kids in great scenarios to be successful. That's a great team offense, and we have to play great team defense to slow it down."
Speed, speed, speed
Hollidaysburg has played plenty of teams with impressive running ability this year, and when it comes to ones from District 10 have actually impressed.
The Golden Tigers held Ethen Knox of Oil City well below his seasonal averages in a blowout win, but playing against Cathedral Prep in a PIAA subregional game on Saturday at 5 p.m. at Mansion Park figures to be an even bigger challenge.
"The speed of the game, which we can't really match until Saturday at 5 p.m.," Hollidaysburg coach Homer DeLattre said. "They are a very fast team, well coached and have some size on the offensive line. Their speed is a concern."
Dajoure Hollingsworth has rushed for 1,524 yards and averages 9.1 yards per carry for the Ramblers.
"We need to find some of their weak spots," DeLattre said. "We have to try and take advantage of them. Special teams and turnovers will be just as important as any kind of scheme. We have to play mistake free and not turn the ball over."
Hollidaysburg has scored 81 points overall in its last two games and seems to be hitting a groove offensively.
"Being balanced is the key," DeLattre said. "In both of our last two games, we have been able to run and pass, and that has been a big part of our wins the last two weeks, especially on offense. Defensively, we have tackled well and haven't given up big plays, which is a factor in the big game like this."
Coal Bowl rematch
Cambria Heights needs a win Friday at Northern Cambria in the District 6 Class 1A semifinals to avoid the same fate it suffered a year ago -- a playoff loss to its bitter rival and a fourth-straight loss to the Colts overall.
"It's a rivalry game," Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis said. "This will be the fourth time we have played each other in the last two years. Obviously there's a familiarity, and though the teams are different than last year, there will be a great atmosphere. You add playoffs to that, and it should be a great environment."
Lewis wasn't pleased with the Highlanders' 28-11 loss to Northern Cambria in Week 10.
"When you play a team like that, you have to win the turnover battle," Lewis said. "I think we did force one fumble, but we had three or four turnovers. That's the thing. We have to take care of the ball better. They are fast and have some really good athletes all over the field. Seeing that once, it gives our kids a better idea of what they are going against. Same thing for them. Any time you play a team twice, it's a challenge, but it's a challenge we both have to deal with."
Cambria Heights had opportunities in the first matchup.
"We ran 14 plays inside their 20 yard line and came away with three points," Lewis said. "When you talk about getting inside the 20, you have to cash in and protect the ball better. If we do that, hopefully it will be a better game. That's going to be our focus in practice."
For the second year in a row, the final four teams in District 6 Class 1A are from the Heritage Conference; the other semifinal features Penns Manor playing at Purchase Line.
"When we came to this conference, we knew it was a great conference," Lewis said. "When you look at the last couple years, the last four teams were Heritage Conference teams, and really I think all four teams have a good chance. When you look at all four, you have four quality teams. To have those four teams, it's really a testament to the conference."