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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
Hollidaysburg hasn't allowed a score in 10 quarters, but the Golden Tigers' excellent start to the season has been on all three sides of the ball according to coach Homer DeLattre.
"It's going well so far," DeLattre said. "Special teams have been playing extremely well, and field position is very important to everything we have accomplished. Every phase of our football team has been playing off each other very well, and I think we can still be better. We need to be able to run the football better as the season goes on and the weather changes. I'm very pleased with our quarterback's decisions and distributing the ball well."
After shutting out Altoona in the second half of its season opener, Hollidaysburg has blanked Allderdice and Allegany in back-to-back weeks.
"We're setting up things great with field position by playing great on special teams," DeLattre said. "We're creating a long field for our defense. We're doing a good job of read-and-react tackling and not giving up the big play. The biggest thing is keeping the 20-plus-yard plays minimal. That's something we have focused on over the years. Any drive that includes a 20-plus-yard play has around an 80 percent chance of scoring."
The Golden Tigers' next test will come at home against Butler on Friday at 7 p.m. Butler enters the game 2-1 and has a balanced offense.
"They have passed the ball 66 times, and they have more than 500 yards passing and 400 yards rushing," DeLattre said. "They are averaging 6 yards a carry, and their offense is averaging 365 yards a game. They are very dangerous and possess the ball well. We have to get off the field on third down."
Avoiding a letdown
Bishop Guilfoyle Academy has started the season better than anyone could have imagined with a slight hiccup in the early going against McCort-Carroll in the second week.
The Marauders travel to winless Huntingdon on Friday aiming to avoid a letdown by coming into the game with a focus that could benefit them down the road.
"It looks like the way the playoffs might roll out, a lot of our playoff games might be on the road this year," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Justin Wheeler said. "We talked about it not mattering if we were home or away and that we have to be ready to play. We were a little flat one week, and with our senior leadership, I don't think that will be an issue again."
The Bearcats have really struggled to start the season and have been outscored 38-100 through their first three games, all losses. But Wheeler said he's expecting a challenge this week.
"It's the first team we'll play that runs a little bit of the option, so we'll have to be disciplined on defense," Wheeler said. "They have a big offensive line, and their backs run really hard. They used a new quarterback last week as well. Those are a couple things on our radar."